He tried to endorse from the pulpit. He wound up without a church.

Samaritan’s Purse joins Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid efforts in Gaza
Religion News Service: Since July 26, Samaritan’s Purse has sent eight relief flights and a medical team to Gaza — one of the only faith-based groups to join the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s efforts.
CNN: Gaza City suffering a ‘man-made’ famine that’s likely to spread, UN-backed initiative says

From the early church to ‘Boots on the Ground,’ dance is worship
Sojourners: The relationship between dance and the church is a complicated one, marked by both repression and resistance.

Pastors unsure if discipleship is really happening in their churches
Religion Unplugged: In the first part of the State of Discipleship study from Lifeway Research, U.S. Protestant pastors shared their understanding of what discipleship means and how it best occurs.

Can empathy lead to sin? Some conservative Christians argue it can
The Associated Press: Empathy is usually regarded as a virtue, a key to human decency and kindness. And yet, with increasing momentum, voices on the Christian right are preaching that it has become a vice.

NYC faith leaders look to coordinate as federal cuts strain pantries and soup kitchens
Religion News Service: With federal funding cuts impacting food pantry resources across the nation, faith leaders in New York pledge new collaborations to sustain the city’s food banks and soup kitchens.

Study suggests online religious services may be less effective than in person
Religion News Service: On average, people attending church in person had a higher heart rate during the service and experienced more transcendence, according to a recent study.

Confessions of a reluctant church volunteer*
Christianity Today: “The poor you will always have with you,” Jesus told us. But will there ever be enough volunteers?

James Dobson, evangelical leader behind Focus on the Family, dies at 89*
The Washington Post: Beginning in the late 1970s, he helped fuel the rise of the religious right, denouncing abortion and same-sex marriage through his radio show and nonprofit.

Texas can’t require public schools to display Ten Commandments in class, judge rules
The Guardian: The law was temporarily blocked after a group sought preliminary injunction, saying it violated first amendment protections.

Episcopal Church removes priest who founded Christian psychedelic society
Religion News Service: Hunt Priest was removed from ministry nearly a decade after participating in a controversial study on clergy and psychedelics.

Federal judge approves partial settlement for lost AME Church retirement funds
Religion News Service: Retirement plan participants could recoup more of the lost funds in further legal proceedings.

Attendance drops, fear rises in immigrant churches as Trump takes over DC
Religion News Service: “I never thought I had one day to cancel Sunday worship because it is not safe for our Latino siblings to come to church. But here we are … ,” wrote one pastor on Facebook.

How do you move a hundred-year-old church? On wheels, very slowly.*
The New York Times: Mining in Kiruna, Sweden, has weakened the ground below a beloved church. It’s being rolled three miles to its new home.

He tried to endorse from the pulpit. He wound up without a church.*
The New York Times: The I.R.S. says churches can now support candidates during services, but many denominations still forbid it. A Wisconsin pastor learned the hard way.

The number of Shakers in the U.S. rises to 3
NPR: A new person has joined the last active Shaker community in the U.S, bringing the Christian, communal, and celibate group to a total of three. They once numbered in the thousands.