A week has passed since influential pastor and author Tim Keller’s death. Look for some of the best tributes to him below.
Making news today: Texas’ GOP-controlled House could impeach scandal-ridden Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton and kick the longtime Christian right culture warrior out of office, The Associated Press’ Jake Bleiberg and Jim Vertuno report.
Jumping into this week’s roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith, we start with two new entrants in the 2024 presidential race.
What To Know: The Big Story
Political opposites: “One has the most winning personality in politics,” the Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan says of South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
“The other doesn’t but has a story to tell about policy,” Noonan says of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Thusly, the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and speechwriter for former President Ronald Reagan characterizes the two aspirants who declared for the GOP nomination this past week.
Scott focuses on faith: “A cornerstone of Republican Tim Scott's political career has been an unyielding faith,” USA Today’s Phillip M. Bailey notes.
Monday’s campaign kickoff by Scott, one of the nation’s most prominent Black Republicans, emphasized his Christian faith and personal story, according to the Washington Post’s Marianne LeVine.
At Politico, Natalie Allison asks, “Can Tim Scott actually win with piles of money, lots of faith and a big bet on Iowa?”
Christian broadcasters cheer DeSantis: Before his technology-challenged campaign launch on Twitter Wednesday night, the Florida governor found a receptive faith-based audience in his home state earlier in the week.
The Washington Times’ Mark A. Kellner reports:
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis conducted a massive focus-group test of a potential presidential-stump speech Monday evening at the National Religious Broadcasters convention.
Addressing an audience of approximately 2,000 evangelical Christians, Mr. DeSantis, a Catholic, brought the audience to its feet when he urged them to “Put on the whole armor of God,” quoting the New Testament book of Ephesians.
DeSantis and his wife, Casey, “rarely discuss the particularities of their religious beliefs in public,” according to America magazine’s Michael J. O’Loughlin and Christopher Parker.
P.S. Kellner has been busy at the NRB convention, producing stories ranging from interviews with “The Chosen” actors to the role of evangelicals in Jewish emigration to Israel.
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. The faith of Tim Keller: “The pastor created a new blueprint for Christian thought, showing how traditional doctrine could address the crisis of modern life,” The New Yorker’s Michael Luo writes.
Read Keller’s obituary by ReligionUnplugged’s Rafa Oliveira.
See more tributes by The Atlantic’s Molly Worthen, Christianity Today’s Russell Moore, The Dispatch’s Chris Stirewalt, Universal Syndicate columnist Terry Mattingly and former World magazine editor Marvin Olasky.
Finally, see reflections on Keller by the New York Times’ Ross Douthat, who asks, “What has Trump cost American Christianity?”
2. Chaplains in public schools: Texas lawmakers approved a bill to allow school districts to replace counselors with chaplains, the Washington Post’s Michelle Boorstein reports.
Boorstein, a veteran religion writer, traveled to Austin to report on the Lone Star State’s efforts to insert religion in public life.
CONTINUE READING: “What We Know About The Faith Of The Two Latest GOP Presidential Candidates“ by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.