The true impact of the pandemic on local houses of worship continues to come into focus — from diminished attendance to changing tax laws to an overall decline in support for nonprofits. Yet, according to a new study, 61% of religious leaders report their congregation to be in excellent or good financial health, a significant increase from 2020. (Davis, Religion News Service)
Read MoreCountry music—a genre often ignored or even scorned by cultural elites—is having its biggest boom in 30 years, with an unusual number of artists topping the charts, dominating streaming, striking branding deals and selling out shows and festivals. (Shah, The Wall Street Journal)
Read MoreAI experts disagree over whether today's large language models, which excel at generating text and images, will ever be capable of broadly understanding the world and flexibly adapting to novel information and circumstances. (Rosenberg, Axios)
Read MoreAt first glance, Trump and religious conservatives may not seem like natural bedfellows…. Yet for all the 78-year-old’s brashness, and tendency to become embroiled in controversy, Republicans say the root of his appeal to the evangelical movement is quite simple: he delivered for its followers during his one term in office. (Teodorczuk, The Telegraph)
Read MoreThe rift over ecclesiastical allegiance in Rautel, a village of around 4,000 people 50 miles from Moldova’s northeastern border with Ukraine, is just one of many now playing out across the country and in other former Soviet Republics. (Higgins, The New York Times)
Read MoreYes, the candy salad trend on TikTok is everywhere, with friends and family pouring piles of different types of candy into large bowls. But many are adding a twist to the activity. In addition to dumping candy, they're also dumping their trauma. (Oliver, USA Today)
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