Friday's Catch: 'Is the Bible Invited to the Juneteenth Cookout?' And More

Is the Bible Invited to the Juneteenth Cookout?
God doesn’t want to abolish only slavery but also the whole world order in which slavery exists.

Alex O’Connor Says Scripture Supports Slavery. He’s Wrong.
When read as a unified whole, Scripture tells a story that dismantles oppression and makes slavery unimaginable.

In Richmond, churches retrace the path of the enslaved to confront their own history
Just as the country prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — and Juneteenth — Virginia Episcopalians are trying to reckon with the role of their city and their denomination in slavery as a founding reality of the United States.

For preservers of lynching history in the US, Juneteenth is a religious reckoning
The Equal Justice Initiative’s Bryan Stevenson says confronting America’s lynching history is a matter of faith that demands truth-telling and repentance — especially on America’s most recently recognized national holiday.

Is this the civil rights moment of our day?
The hard-won gains of the civil rights era are steadily being eroded by political pandering to white anxiety in the midst of growing diversity.

Also See: ‘Show up and do something,’ ACLU leader urges

Democracy as a moral practice, not just a system
A common life depends on whether we’ve learned how to live with those we didn’t choose without needing them to become something else. Character formation produces people who refuse to use a lie even when the crowd is asking for one.

Fewer Americans believe faith is good for the country
A new opinion poll from Gallup has suggested that while most Americans believe their country would benefit if more people were religious, the proportion has declined.

Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) felt that more religious people would be good for their country, down from 75 per cent who agreed with that view in 2013.

How have the events of the last two decades contributed to this change in attitude?

VOICES: Inside ‘The War for Normal’: How a Christian conference ended up selling Nazi propaganda
To a nerdy homeschooled teenager in the deeply churched South, conferences were a normal part of life. I remember singing martial psalms in the Blue Ridge Mountains during an all-day family seminar, being introduced by my pastor-grandfather to Tim Keller at a beachside denominational assembly, and the thunder of fireworks at a Jamestown quadricentennial.

But I would have been shocked, as many were online this week, to discover a conservative protestant conference with a vendor hall table hosted by America’s best-known Neonazi publishing house, stacked with materials glorifying Adolf Hitler. This was reality at the ironically named “The War for Normal” conference in Ogden, Utah. The conference was put on by New Christendom Press, a protestant publishing house associated with a local independent Reformed congregation called Refuge Church.

Christians urged not to 'demonise' each other over politics
Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, founder of the National Day of Prayer & Worship, has issued an open letter calling upon Christians of all political persuasions to set aside their differences and follow the example of Christ in seeing the humanity in those they disagree with.

Oloyede, a convert from Islam, noted that the national conversation around a range of issues, from immigration to war and from government failures to economic injustice had become “increasingly heated”.

Conceding that much of the anger around such issues stems from genuine hurt and legitimate grievances, Oloyede warned that such anger threatened to further divide both the Church and wider society.

Episcopal Church seeks to offload Manhattan headquarters in ground lease for affordable housing
After decades of deliberations about relocating from their midtown Manhattan headquarters in New York City, the Episcopal Church is now looking to offload the nearly $52 million property at 815 2nd Avenue through a long-term ground lease with a group that would redevelop the 12-story building into affordable housing.

A ground lease agreement typically allows tenants to rent land from the property owner for a period of 99 years or more. In the case of the Episcopal Church, which also owns the large building on the land, the tenant would own all improvements to the building. If the lease expires without renewal, ownership of the building could revert to the church, and the development group would have no claim to the property.

Also See: Episcopal Church to market its NYC headquarters building for possible sale, redevelopment; Episcopal Church Center in NY Will Soon Hit the Market

Church of Ireland ready to welcome Anglican, Episcopal leaders from 38 provinces to ACC-19
Representatives from 38 provinces of the Anglican Communion, including The Episcopal Church, are expected to travel to Belfast, Northern Ireland, from June 28-July 4 for the 19th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Church of Ireland is ready to welcome them.

Festival celebrates Anglesey pilgrimage route
The Diocese of Bangor has announced a festival celebrating a 57-mile pilgrimage route on the island of Anglesey.

The route, known as Llwybr Cybi a Seiriol (The Cybi and Seiriol Path) takes its inspiration from the story of two sixth-century saints, Cybi and Seiriol who are said to have set up religious communities at opposite ends of the island.

Is the culture of silence helping the conservative cause in the Church of England?
The secrecy around recent ‘alternative Anglican ordinations’ in London raises serious issues about the culture of the conservative evangelical constituency in the Church of England.

Professor Andrew Atherstone, a member of the General Synod and author of a biography of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has reported on these alternative ordinations.

ACNA Provincial Council kicks off in Tulsa
The 17th Provincial Council of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) opened Wednesday evening, June 17, at Cornerstone Anglican Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bishops, clergy, and lay delegates from across the Province gathered for the Opening Eucharist, beginning three days of worship, fellowship, prayer, and legislative work that will continue through Friday, June 19, 2026.

Pastors announce formation of The Baptist Network
A group of Baptist pastors announced formation of The Baptist Network to foster collaboration and encouragement between minsters and congregations in a time of intense social and political conflict in the American church.

“While affirming historic Baptist convictions, the Network seeks to create spaces of connection for leaders who desire to prioritize the kingdom of God above political ideology, institutional tribalism and unnecessary division,” the coalition said in a June 12 news release.

“The Baptist Network is not a new denomination, nor is it an effort to encourage churches to leave their current affiliations. The Network strongly encourages pastors and churches to prayerfully consider remaining in friendly cooperation with the Baptist fellowships, conventions and associations where God has called them to serve.”

Pope Leo is very popular, though partisan polarization is growing, survey finds
More than three-quarters (78%) of US Catholics expressed favorable views of Leo, and about one in 10 (12%) expressed unfavorable views.

Report documents Trump admin’s neglect of children in detention
An average of 25 children age 3 or younger are in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody daily while no fewer than 500 infants and toddlers have been detained since President Donald Trump took office last year, according to a study by The Marshall Project and MS NOW.

“Parents in ICE detention have complained of substandard conditions that frequently left their young children sick, isolated and regressing in their physical and intellectual development,” according to the analysis of data obtained by the Deportation Project, a group of attorneys and academics who share federal immigration records.

Also See: Nonprofits aiding immigrant kids say Trump admin intimidating them

Support for patriotic July 4 church services drops sharply among pastors
As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day and the nation's upcoming 250th anniversary, fewer Protestant pastors believe patriotic displays belong in church worship services.

A new Lifeway Research survey released Tuesday found that only 45% of Protestant pastors say it's "important to incorporate patriotic elements into worship services" held on or around the Fourth of July.

“Magnifica Humanitas”. The Chart of Roman Catholic Humanism and Its Theological Problems
t is not a written rule, but a recognizable pattern: the first encyclical of a Pope sets the tone of the whole pontificate and Pope Leo XIV’s “Magnifica Humanitas” (MH) – released after one year since his election – does exactly that. The document will probably shape the future papal teaching as its overarching framework. As the subtitle indicates, the Pope’s concern is “on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.” This is going to be the main concern of his reign as Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.

Also See: Series Round-Up: Magnifica Humanitas & AI; A deeper look at Pope Leo's encyclical: Catholic social teaching's purpose in AI age