News

Taylor Swift and The National have both been very influential musical artists.  But they have typically appealed to very different audiences.  Swift is the epitome of a pop star, mining her personal struggles for inspiration and pairing them with catchy tunes which have stadiums of adoring fans singing along.

In contrast, The National has been the poster child for an indie-rock band, more at home in a grungy after hours club than an arena.  If Swift’s lyrics often sound like a teen’s diary, The National’s are brooding and obscure to the the point of incomprehensible.

“Teens who trust the news they read on social media feel less stress” It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, or – rather – who you trust.  Researchers at Cornell University recently published results of a study showing that trust in the news on social media can make a big difference in a teenager’s well-being.

Jesus starts this part of John with the words “Do not let your heart be troubled.”  In the original Greek, the pronoun is plural (like “y’all”) and the heart is singular.  Jesus assumes that the disciples, though many,  share one heart. They’re a unified community. Whatever may come they’re in it together.

The use of cannabis (marijuana) and whether it should be legal remains a hotly debated issue in our country, with different states reaching different conclusions. One persistent fear is that cannabis is a “gateway drug” leading its consumers to use harder drugs. In an article for Forbes, Dario Sabaghi traces the dubious history of this concern, noting that several studies not only challenge this idea but also suggest that cannabis may also lead users away from opioids.

At the Silver Jubilee Celebration, marking 70 years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign, Richard Griffin, a Royal Protection Officer assigned to protect her, told an amazing story of two Americans’ unsuspecting brush with fame. The hikers on a walking holiday met the Queen and Griffen in a picnic area, but had no idea who they were.

Our current news cycle is full of debates around the validity and protections of the LGBTQ+ community, particularly our transgender siblings. While no one’s lives and identities should be used for political fodder, we many shape these conversations around demonizing trans folks, and more specifically weaponizing what God thinks about the diversity God has created.