Society & Culture

Thomas Kidd: Heaven won’t be a Republican Party reunion. Our churches should be crystal clear about that spiritual reality.

My recent research, with Cary Wu, explores whether differences in social capital across counties can help explain the differences in the severity of the pandemic. … Although there are many definitions, social capital refers to the norms and relationships that facilitate coordination and resilience within a community.” - The Public Discourse

“The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments this week for cases that will be decided in late May or June. Here are five with implications for religious liberty.” - TGC

“…even with precautions taken, 75% of this choir got sick…. at least one of the 61 singers was ‘known to be symptomatic,’ according to the CDC. Second of all, it was a really long rehearsal. They were in a couple of rooms for 2 1/2 hours. They shared food. They stacked folding chairs together.

“The Jewish civil rights group counted 2,107 anti-Semitic incidents in 2019, finding 61 physical assault cases, 1,127 instances of harassment and 919 acts of vandalism. That’s the highest annual tally since the New York City-based group began tracking anti-Semitic incidents in 1979.: - AP

“The bill says that a minor under the age of 16 cannot obtain a marriage license unless the court decides it is in the best interest of the applicants. In addition, no one under the age of 18 can obtain a marriage license unless a parent or legal guardian gives consent.” - Jurist

“… this study suggests that religious service attendance was associated with lower risk of deaths from despair among both men and women, accounting for a wide range of potential confounders (including other aspects of social integration)” - CPost

“The problem Etzioni says, isn’t the modeling team—which she believes is doing it’s best to ‘deliver results that match the data and produce ever-more-complex predictions about the future.’ Rather, it’s the way the information is communicated.

“What makes all of this even dumber is that all the federal government has done is recommend mask-wearing. Most of the places that require masks are private businesses. Admittedly, some are adhering to local public health guidelines, but so what? Why aren’t these rebels going shirtless and shoeless into restaurants to stick it to the man and his Maoist ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service’ signs?” - The Dispatch

“Vigilantism is wrong, dangerous, and sinful. It is wrong because it operates outside of the law. It is dangerous because it often leads to violence. It is sinful because at its core it is contrary to how God designed government to work.” - Jesse Johnson