One of the last Shakers dies

High noon for the religious left
Bloomberg: If ever there were a moment for the left to seize the mantle of religion from conservatives, surely it arrives Jan. 20 at noon.

Rev. Barber: a "moral center," not a "religious left," will save us in 2017
Religion Dispatches: In Watch Night service at D.C.'s Metropolitan AME Church, the Rev. William Barber called for a new Poor People's Campaign, 50 years after Dr. Martin Luther King announced plans for the original.

Swastika defaces oldest rabbinical seminary in US
Religion News Service: To see a swastika defacing an institution that gave refuge to students and scholars escaping Nazi Germany is not only an act of defacement. It is a desecration of Jewish history, says Jeffrey Salkin. This time, it is personal.

Why Christians are disproportionately powerful in Congress
The Atlantic: The U.S. is becoming more diverse in terms of faith, but its legislature isn't. A major reason? Non-religious Americans' voting rates.

One of the last Shakers dies
NPR: Sister Frances Carr, one of three remaining members of the religious group commonly known as the Shakers, died Monday at the age of 89.