Godly persuasion

Advent in all its terror*
The Christian Century: If we remove the difficult facts of history leading up to Jesus’ birth, the story loses its power.

Survivors of New Orleans clergy abuse weigh forgiveness in court: ‘It destroyed my faith in God’
The Guardian: Victims share painful memories in trial aiming to determine fairness of archdiocese’s $230m settlement proposal.

Celebrating its first century, Xavier University of Louisiana perseveres as Catholic HBCU
Religion News Service: “Being rooted in faith is what leads us to be resilient,” said the president of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament on Xavier’s Founder’s Day.

Godly persuasion
ARC: In his forthcoming book “The Search for a Rational Faith,” historian Daniel K. Williams traces the history of Christian apologetics from the English Puritans to modern-day evangelicals.

‘Yes’ to God, but ‘no’ to church — what religious change looks like for many Latin Americans
The Conversation: While fewer Latin Americans are identifying with a religion or attending services, personal faith remains strong.