Pew: US, France, and Korea Are Most Divided—Especially over Religion

Survey of almost 19,000 adults in 17 nations examines societal conflict between different religions, political parties, races and ethnicities, and urban and rural communities. “Conflict” is a troublesome word to describe a society. But increasingly across advanced global economies—and particularly the United States—their societies believe it is the correct label. If there is any good news, religious conflict lags behind. The Pew Research Center surveyed almost 19,000... Read More

What Comes After the Purity Culture Reckoning

We don’t need a better guidebook or a different set of rules. We need to change the way we approach the conversation. I wish I still had my copies of the popular sexuality and dating books from my youth so I could see which quotes I highlighted as a 15-year-old. I’m sure there is a list somewhere in my handwriting titled “What I Want in a Future Husband” (though, to be honest, it was probably pretty short: Jonathan Taylor Thomas). While writing Talking Back to Purity... Read More

They work at Florida’s last unemployment call center. And they know what it’s like to lose a job.

At the state’s only remaining call center helping people apply for unemployment, there’s a special empathy for the laid-off workers on the other end of the line. The staff at Lighthouse Works, a nonprofit that’s operated in Orlando for 10 years, are mostly blind, and for many, losing their vision also meant losing their jobs. ... Read More

What Comes After the Ex-Gay Movement? The Same Thing That Came Before.

Old-school evangelical leaders once knew the value of “care” over “cure.” “You know, Mike, I used to be gay,” I said. Mike stopped moving his paintbrush as the words fell clumsily from my mouth. He was painting the St. Louis apartment I called home in the summer of 1997 as I began working toward my PhD in historical theology. He’d asked me about my schooling, and we got to talking about faith. Mike had explained to me how he felt he could never go to church because... Read More

After more than a decade, Miami-Dade’s police civilian oversight board is back

Miami-Dade County formally restarted its civilian oversight board this week after 12 years without one, reviving a panel created to examine police misconduct allegations. Gathering in the county’s main library … Click to Continue » ... Read More

Social Security cost of living adjustment sees largest increase in decades as inflation jumps

This Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, photo shows a Social Security card in Tigard, Ore. Millions of retirees on Social Security will get a 5.9% boost in benefits for 2022. The biggest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years follows a burst in inflation as the economy struggles to shake off the drag of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) (Jenny Kane/AP) ... Read More

Broward School Board rejects naming interim superintendent permanent, wants public input

Although Broward County School Board members agreed Interim Superintendent Vickie Cartwright has performed well since they selected her in late July — during a pitched period battling Gov. Ron DeSantis … Click to Continue » ... Read More