News that three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep would voice Aslan — the Jesus figure at the center of Lewis’ bestselling series in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation of “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” — led to confusion, anger and disappointment on social media, with some evangelical fans planning to skip the film. (Smietana, Religion New Services)
Read MoreThis Thursday, the bishop who charmed millions while scrawling theological concepts on a blackboard for his show "Life Is Worth Living" will come one step closer to being declared a saint. His beatification, which comes after the Vatican found that he lived a life of "heroic virtue" and that his intercession was responsible for a miracle, leaves him one miracle shy of sainthood. (Hertzler-McCain, NPR)
Read MoreWhen James Talarico, the Texas Democrat running for the Senate, appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show this month, he put forward a question that many American millennials may recall from the cloth bracelets that were de rigueur among Christian youth groups in the 1990s. “I often wonder,” Talarico said, “What would Jesus do if he visited the U.S. Senate?” (Yang, The New York Times)
Read MoreNine in 10 U.S. Protestant churchgoers (91%) believe they can read a passage of the Bible and usually understand how it is relevant to them, according to a study from Lifeway Research. Around 4 in 5 express confidence in their ability to address others’ concerns or questions about the Bible in various situations. (Earls, Lifeway Research)
Read MoreAfter Missouri voters added abortion protections to the state constitution in 2024, Kelly McCoomb decided to keep her yard sign supporting the measure in the basement of her suburban St. Louis home. McCoomb also couldn't shake the feeling that she'd need to display the sign in her yard again soon. (Smith & Rodriguez, NPR)
Read MoreWhat companies have described as their AI agents going rogue has involved bots working toward goals set by humans, skeptics note. But the idea that AI could break away and work toward its own agenda is looking increasingly plausible to other researchers and experts. (Ortutay, AP Newsroom)
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