Fr Josh Kulak

Also, Protestants can Protestant differently. Isn’t autonomy and freedom of conscience a whole Baptist thing?

To put pressure on Trump, Democrats turn to religion — and religious activists (RNS) — ‘Faith leaders have been at the forefront of every progressive movement in our nation’s history … so I’m glad to see faith leaders speaking out and getting into good trouble in opposition to t...

NEW from me:

As frustrated liberals pressure Democrats to counter the Trump administration more directly, lawmakers appear to be taking their cues from the group that has challenged Trump over and over since day 1: progressive religious activists. religionnews.com/2025/05/07/t...

Gaza will be entirely destroyed, Israeli minister says Bezalel Smotrich says Palestinians will ‘leave in great numbers to third countries’, raising fears of ethnic cleansing

Doubling down on the genocide and ethnic cleansing - “Gaza will be entirely destroyed, Israeli minister says”

Fixed it. @theguardian.com

DHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism | USCIS Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying imm...

BREAKING: The Trump administration will begin screening immigrants’ social media for “antisemitism.”

This will NOT fight antisemitism.

This is simply using Jews as an excuse to move a cruel, anti-immigrant, authoritarian agenda.

We refuse to be used this way.

www.uscis.gov/newsroom/new...

N P R headline reads "U.S. says it is now monitoring immigrants' social media for antisemitism." It is dated April 9, 2025. Below is a photo of Secretary Kristi Noem. The first paragraph of the article reads "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced it will begin screening immigrant's social media for evidence of antisemitic activity as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests. The screenings will affect people applying for permanent residence status, and foreigners affiliated with educational institutions. The policy will go into effect immediately."

Treating antisemitism as an imported problem does not fight antisemitism.

Using politically malleable language like "terrorist sympathizer" to go after immigrants does not fight antisemitism.

Doing this while elevating antisemitism, as this administration is doing, does not fight antisemitism.

This matter comes before the Court on Defendants' Motion to Reconsider Denial of Stay and Motion for an Indicative Ruling. Dkt. No. 94. Having considered the motion, the relevant record, the argument of counsel, and the applicable legal standard, the Court DENIES the motion. This dispute arises from the Government's interpretation of the Ninth Circuit's order partially staying this Court's first preliminary injunction. A brief review of the procedural history is warranted.

Until the Ninth Circuit provides further guidance, this Court's interpretation of the stay order stands: individuals conditionally approved before January 20, 2025, remain protected in full by the First Injunction, meaning the Government must continue processing, admitting, and providing resettlement support to them-and funding USRAP partners to the extent necessary to do so— consistent with this Court's previous order. Dated this 9th day of April, 2025.

New: Judge Whitehead has DENIED Trump admin's request to reconsider a denial of a stay of motion in Pacito v. Trump, which means govt has to begin processing refugees who were conditionally approved before Jan 20, which lawyers for plaintiffs (faith groups) argue is "tens of thousands" of people.

“Maybe Berhalter was good, actually?”

Take it back.

Trump admin cancels grants to refugee aid agencies, despite legal battles (RNS) — 'Our status as a resettlement agency based on this termination notice is over,' Danilo Zak, director of policy for Church World Service, told Religion News Service.

Via me and @yonat.bsky.social: Trump admin abruptly cancels grants to refugee aid agencies, despite legal battles —> religionnews.com/2025/02/28/t...

Mass deportation is not the answer — loving your neighbors is (RNS) — Deporting immigrants will not make our country great. But it is destroying hard-working families and stoking fear and division in our communities.

OPINION: Deporting immigrants will not make our country great. But it is destroying hard-working families and stoking fear and division in our communities.

"They're putting persecuted Christian refugees in camps in the jungle" sounds like something Glenn Beck would accuse the Obama administration of doing and yet now it's a pillar of the Republican agenda.

If we are going to do a king again, can’t we just do the English one instead?

3. Put more simply: A practical historically-minded question for second-term Trumpism is how Trump et all plan to Make America Great Again (in the 20th century sense) by trimming/defunding/attacking/gutting many of the things that were once heralded as evidence of American greatness.

Opinion | If Indians and Pakistanis Can Relocate, Why Can’t Gazans? Population transfers aren’t a Trump innovation. There are plenty of examples from the 20th century.

Hindus for Human Rights is disturbed and disappointed by this recent piece published by the Wall Street Journal. Let's breakdown why this piece is so blatantly disrespectful, both to survivors of the 1947 Partition and the Nakba. 🧵
https://buff.ly/3CGzOHg

All of Year C. ⚓️

This is good news but it doesn’t undo the damage already done to refugee newcomers who’ve been cut off from services, all those who were preparing to arrive but are now stranded, or the resettlement workers who have already been fired/furloughed.

But what if it’s like, Trump + Elon = The Antichrist™? You’ve also got to factor in the head wound and whatever is about to go down in Gaza…

A president already sending people to Gitmo and calling for explicit ethnic cleansing.

Lord have mercy.

In one breath he says, “Go home, get out, we don’t want you here. This is our home” and with the next he says, “we’ll be taking your home, get out.” The duplicity is staggering.

I visited my first Jamatkhana last week as part of an interfaith program in Austin and just learned about the Aga Khan, the Ismailis, and the hereditary line tracing back to Muhammad.

And in our time grant us your peace.

Working through Faithful Politics by Miranda Zapor Cruz in print and and listening to On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder.

It’s a great chapter.

One of the co-sponsors of the House bill condemning Budde's sermon, listed below, is Rep. Beth Van Duyne, an Episcopalian.

I reached out to the Rt. Rev. C Andrew Doyle of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, which appears to be her diocese.

He told me he was concerned about govt "policing our sermons."

Black ministers denounce Project 2025, urge collective Black resistance (RNS) — The ministers’ statement also criticized white evangelicals, whom it described as ‘drunk on the religion of white Christian nationalism.’

Via @adellembanks.bsky.social: Black ministers denounce Project 2025, urge collective Black resistance —> religionnews.com/2025/01/28/b...

This is our church, Jubilee, and I cherish this whole thread so much 🩷🪩🌈

This is our church, and we loved having you.

And our windows are still wide open, and full of color, and we are here. Loud. Proud. Full of joy with quivering voice. Because God sees us and it’s important for people to still see us, too. 🩷