Washington DC
The Public Religion Research Institute released its ninth national American Values Report. The lengthy report (based on interviews with 2,509 adults) produced results on a wide array of issues, many of them front and center during this election season: immigration, economy, gay rights, abortion, and health care. Among the most interesting but least surprising is this: “With the exception of white evangelical Protestants, all other major religious groups believe that the country’s racial and ethnic realignment will be mostly positive.”
St. Louis, Missouri
In St. Louis County, along Interstate 170, two large billboards now display the image of President Trump overlaid in large letters with the words from the Bible about Jesus, “The Word Became Flesh” (St John 1:14). A corner of the billboard carries these words: “Make the Gospel Great Again.” There is no indication yet of who paid for the signs but if, and when, that happens, we will report it here. Readers will recall that the 2016 Oscar-winning film was entitled “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
McAllen, Texas
Religious groups are mobilizing to greet the caravan of asylum-seekers walking through Mexico toward Texas. Baptist groups throughout the state have joined forces to prepare humanitarian aid for the travelers. The Mexican government is cooperating with the churches, promising to provide shelters and assist in distributing the supplies gathered by the churches. In addition, a coalition of religious groups, known as Evangelical Immigration Table, has issued statements denouncing the demonizing of immigrants and refugees and called upon Christians to care for them; in this, they echo the public statements of the U S Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Minneapolis and Detroit
Voters in Minnesota and Michigan sent to Washington the first two Muslim women ever to serve in the United States House of Representatives. They are part of the wave of at least 90 Muslims who entered primaries earlier this year. Ilhan Omar a former refugee from Somalia was elected in Minneapolis, and Rashida Tiaib, whose roots are in Palestine, was elected by Detroit voters. Omar succeeds Keith Ellison who, in 2006, became the first Muslim ever elected to either the House or the Senate.
Hollywood, California
The new television show “God Befriended Me” premiered this fall on CBS and was received with such enthusiasm that the network has ordered a full year of shows after only three weeks of broadcast. On the show, a character by the name of miles Finer is the atheist son of an Episcopal minister. He receives a FB friend request from a FB person going by the name of God, who directs Finer to intervene to help certain people. The cast includes Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim characters. The premiere broadcast drew an audience of more than 10 million people.
