“The Weekend Wanderer” is a weekly curated selection of news, stories, resources, and media on the intersection of faith and culture for you to explore through your weekend. Wander through these links however you like and in any order you like. Disclaimer: I do not necessarily agree with all the views expressed within these articles but have found them thought-provoking.
“Nearly half of world’s migrants are Christian, Pew Research shows” – Chloë-Arizona Fodor in Religion News Service: “The world’s 280 million immigrants have greater shares of Christians, Muslims and Jews than the general population, according to a new Pew Research Center study released Monday (Aug. 19). ‘You see migrants coming to places like the U.S., Canada, different places through Western Europe, and being more religious — and sometimes more Christian in particular — than the native-born people in those countries,’ said Stephanie Kramer, the study’s lead researcher. While Christians make up about 30% of the world’s population, the world’s migrants are 47% Christian, according to the latest data collected in 2020. The study found that Muslims make up 29% of the migrant population but 25% of the world’s population. Jews, only 0.2% of the world’s population but 1% of migrants, are by far the most likely religious group to have migrated, with 20% of Jews worldwide living outside their country of birth compared to just 6% of Christians and 4% of Muslims. Four percent of migrants are Buddhist, matching the general population, and 5% are Hindu, compared to 15% of the world population.”
“Jürgen Moltmann: Theologian of Life” – At The Yale Center for Faith and Culture: “Join us in celebrating Jürgen Moltmann’s life and legacy by posting to the message board below—offering your memories, stories, photos, prayers, gratitude, and admiration.One of the most impactful Christian intellectuals of the twentieth century, Jürgen Moltmann was a theologian of the cross, a theologian of hope, and, above all, a theologian of life. With seminal works that hold close to life’s joys and sorrows, its triumphs and catastrophes, Moltmann reminded us of the life-altering and world-shaping power of God’s presence and love. He continues to motivate readers, colleagues, and friends to live in faith, hope, and love in light of God’s life with us in Jesus Christ.”
“Most suspects in a 2023 anti-Christian rampage in Pakistan are still at large, a rights group says” – Asim Tanveer in APNews: “Most of the suspects in a rampage last year against minority Christians in eastern Pakistan over alleged blasphemy are not in custody and authorities have failed to deliver justice to the victims, a human rights group said Friday. ‘More than 90% of the suspects of the attack in Jaranwala, in Punjab’s Faisalabad district, are still at large,’ Amnesty International said in a statement on the anniversary of one of Pakistan’s worst attacks on Christians, in which churches and homes of Christians were destroyed. The violence erupted after Muslims alleged that they saw a local Christian and his friend desecrating pages from a Quran. The attack drew nationwide condemnation. No one died, as terrified Christians quickly fled to safer places. Amnesty International said it obtained its information from police after filing a Right to Information Request. It said of the 5,213 accused, 380 were arrested and 4,833 were still at large. It said of those who were arrested, 228 were released on bail and 77 others had the charges against them dropped. It said trials of the suspects have not started and about 40% of victims who lost property are still awaiting government compensation.”
“On Deciding Not to Read a Book” – Alan Jacobs at The Homebound Symphony: “I had been thinking of reading Eliza Griswold’s new book Circle of Hope, but then a friend sent me a passage that included these sentences:
Franklin Graham was different from his father. Billy Graham preached broadly about God; Franklin Graham spoke exclusively of Jesus, exemplifying the rightward political and cultural swing among most evangelicals in the late twentieth century.
Billy Graham ‘preached broadly about God’? Billy Graham??? That’s not an idea that would survive an encounter with one Billy Graham sermon — anyone among thousands, but why not start with this one? Pretty much the only thing Billy Graham did for the whole of his long career was to preach the unique saving power of Jesus….If journalists want to criticize evangelicals, well, evangelicals have done plenty that rightly incurs criticism. But for heaven’s sake, people, take the time to learn something about those you criticize — the most basic, most elementary facts. If you can’t be bothered to do that, then just don’t write about those people.”
“Some Evangelicals Are Leaving Protestantism for Other Traditions” – Andrew Voigt in Christianity Today: “In recent decades, there has been a significant and sustained trend of Protestants converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The most notable figure recently is J. D. Vance, the vice-presidential running mate of former president Donald Trump. But he’s not alone. Vance is just one name in the growing list of high-profile, theologically conservative Christians who have made public shifts away from their Protestant backgrounds (often evangelical) to these more liturgical or ‘high church’ traditions. Earlier this year, Candace Owens, a controversial conservative voice, announced on the social platform X that she had “made the decision to go home,” in reference to her return to Roman Catholicism. Cameron Bertuzziof Capturing Christianity, a prominent YouTube channel, reportedly became a Catholic in 2022, and Hank Hanegraaff (the ‘Bible Answer Man’) of the Christian Research Institute converted to Eastern Orthodoxy in 2017. Another, Joshua Charles, joined the Catholic church in 2018 and has since become very vocal about both his conversion and his defense of Rome’s doctrines. Of course, there are always exceptions to every trend, as is the case with former Eastern Orthodox priest Joshua Schooping, author of Disillusioned: Why I Left the Eastern Orthodox Priesthood and Church, and Brad Littlejohn and Chris Castaldo—a Catholic turned Protestant—who together published Why Do Protestants Convert? last year.”
“Nick Cave: ‘Hopefulness Is Not a Neutral Position — It Is Adversarial'” – Emily Brown at Relevant: “Nick Cave stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and delivered one of the most insightful interviews seen on late-night TV in a while. The iconic musician discussed everything from how his view of music has changed over the years, collaborating with his hero Johnny Cash, processing grief and the Bad Seeds’ new album Wild God. And towards the end of the show, Cave shared a timely, hope-filled letter he’d written in his online advice column, the Red Hand Files. He had received a message from someone who shared they’d been feeling cynical about humanity and its future — something many young adults are feeling these days. Cave explained to Colbert that he wanted to share his response with his audience, hoping to inspire others to not give up on the future just yet.”
Music: Wendell Kimbrough, “Be Still (Psalm 46),” from Planted Like Trees
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Matthew Erickson 