Every now and again we try to live into the name "eNews" and actually deliver some news. Our goal is to help keep our readership in touch with relevant information about Christianity in the broader world. Below you'll find four news articles from the last month that we think are worth reading, along with a brief summary of each, and some minor commentary.
A recent study by National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) in Cambridge, Massachusetts suggests there is a strong link, perhaps even a causal one, between the decline in religious participation and the rise of self-inflicted deaths (overdose, alcohol poisoning, suicide) among middle aged people in the United States. The study use objective data to argue that the decline in religious participation (not necessarily a decline in religious belief) has created a genuine public health crisis, and may be as influential in self-inflicted deaths as other factors, like the availability of opioids, or economic concerns. The implication is that participating in a religion fosters a kind of community that other social functions/systems simply do not, and that the absence of this religious fabric has lead to “deaths of despair.” You can read more in Christianity Today, where they break down the cause in three clear propositions:
“First, without church, we lack full communion with God…. Second, without church, we lack full knowledge of God…. Third, without church, we lose out on authentic, restored human community.”
You can find the entire 63-page study here, on NBER’s website. The study is not peer reviewed as it is considered a “Working Paper” and will continue to be updated until it is officially published.
An article found at BiblicalArcheaology.org suggest that a near 3,000-year-old tablet is now thought to contain a reference to King David, lending further support to him as a real historical figure. This might seem terribly obvious to many Christians. On the other hand, there has been much skepticism from historians about which historical figures from the Bible are real, and finding extra-biblical evidence has been instrumental in verifying a number of these biblical characters. Importantly, this particular artifact was created at the behest of King Mesha of Moab in a self-proclaimed victory over Israel, which lends even more legitimacy to it, as an enemy of Israel would have little reason to help prop up an Israelite myth.
Christianity Today reports on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and how Christians of all stripes are rallying to help the wounded and offer aid. There are approximately 1,500 estimated casualties from the 7.2 magnitude quake and it’s smaller 5.6 aftershock. CT’s report focuses primarily on how Christian churches, ministries, and non-profits are supporting local efforts to clear rubble and find trapped individuals, while providing desperately needed shelter from the winter conditions. On top of this, the article highlights just how difficult medicine and other goods are to get ahold of right now given global inflation. Even in the midst of despair, God works through His people to rescue the lost. You can read more here.
The Church of England, while not changing their stance on gay marriage, has voted to “publicly, unreservedly, and joyfully welcome same-sex couples in church,” as reported by the Catholic News Agency. The vote was contentious and the archbishops further said, “The church continues to have deep differences on these questions which go to the heart of our human identity. As archbishops, we are committed to respecting the conscience of those for whom this goes too far and to ensure that they have all the reassurances they need in order to maintain the unity of the church as this conversation continues.” It's difficult to know exactly how important this change is for the Anglican church, or how large of a cultural shift this is. Changes at the top of structures like this don't always reflect the reality on the ground. You can read more here at The Guardian.
CGGC eNews—Vol. 17, No. 6
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