More than 100,000 listeners have enjoyed Howard’s half-hour dose of hope and resilience

This week, we’re sharing 6 fan-favorite episodes

COVER STORY—Howard Brown begins this week’s Cover Story with the words: “This celebration isn’t about me—it’s about the more than 100,000 times people have chosen to listen to these stories of hope and resilience. Editor David Crumm invited me to write this column because we want to celebrate the lives this podcast has touched—perhaps yours. … If you’re hearing about my weekly Shining Brightly podcast for the first time—then I’m sharing six samples that will welcome you into our nationwide community of listeners.”

Please enjoy our audio-packed Cover Story this week and, if you enjoy it, take a moment to share a link to that story with friends. As more than 100,000 can attest: They’ll be glad you shared the link.

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More inspiring news, this week—

Laura Elizabeth is taking us back to her island off the Atlantic coast

IN OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING COLUMN, this week, we share the big news that cozy mystery writer Laura Elizabeth has a second Island Mysteries novel in the works. And, we’re giving you an easy link to keep in touch with Laura, so you won’t miss the launch.

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MSU School of Journalism Bias Busters

How might key religious groups shape the upcoming election?

MSU BIAS BUSTERS PROFESSOR JOE GRIMM draws on information from two of the Bias Busters guidebooks as he looks at how key religious groups might shape the upcoming election.

One column is headlined: Do evangelical Christians support Biden or Trump? Yes.

A second column is headlined: Could religiously unaffiliated “nones” swing this election?

THANKS TO THE BIAS BUSTERS for all of their hard work in researching and producing more than 20 books to help combat bias with “100 Questions & Answers” about a wide range of minorities in our communities. They like to say, “We’re answering the questions everybody’s asking but nobody’s answering.” You can see the entire MSU series of books here.
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‘Young Life’ Recommends Jeffrey Munroe’s ‘Telling Stories in the Dark’

ALL OF US AT ReadTheSpirit magazine are honored that the nationwide Young Life ministry network recommended the new book by Jeffrey Munroe, Editor of the Reformed Journal and earlier in his career a Young Life leader. Why is Jeff’s new book so valuable? Because, Young Life’s column says, “Through these stories, Munroe illuminates the transformative power of faith amidst adversity, offering profound insights into the human experience and the enduring hope found in Christ.” To read this entire column about Jeff and his new book, click here to visit the Young Life website.

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What we can learn about embracing our ever-changing world from the Cherokee

THIS WEEK, Editor David Crumm has posted a review in Goodreads, highly recommending a new University of California press book, The People of Kituwah. In recent years, our online magazine has published dozens of stories about the wisdom all of us can find in exploring the Native American traditions that form a spiritual tapestry across our continent. If you find this review helpful, please share a link to it with friends.

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And from a half dozen of our authors

Resources to help your congregation welcome LGBTQ+ friends

OUR MAY 6 COVER STORY was inspired by the historic news that America’s third largest Christian denomination—the United Methodist Church—has reversed more than half a century of LGBTQ+ exclusion. And now—the challenge voiced by United Methodist bishops, pastors and lay leaders nationwide is—”Welcoming all people into the embrace of God.” If you missed it last week, please enjoy that helpful story, which begins with some of the best news headlines about this historic milestone—then offers an inspiring video introduction to a wide array of authors. And, if you are inspired, take a moment to share this cover story with friends this week via social media and email. Together, we can help to expand the compassionate circle in communities nationwide.

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Holidays & Festivals

If you see flames this Sunday—

It’s likely a Pentecost celebration

FLAMES AND RED VESTMENTS are common at Pentecost, a Christian celebration of “the birthday of the church.” Holidays & Festivals columnist Stephanie Fenton has the story for us.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• THE FALL GUY—Ed writes, “Whatever genre you think director David Leitch’s new film belongs in … it ranks at the top of that genre.”
• DOGMAN—Ed is more ambivalent about Luc Bresson’s weird new film—and even warns about the level of violence.
• THE ASCENT—As he likes to do, Ed reaches back across the decades to recommend this 1977 film from Ukraine.
• HARD MILES—Ed writes, “This film will leave you feeling hopeful that redemption can come to seemingly hopeless youth—and also will leave you with a sense of awe at the grandeur of Nature.”
• SUZUME—”Director/writer Makoto Shinkai and his team of animators provide a mythological interpretation for the hundreds of earthquake tremors Japan suffers each year.”
• WE GROWN NOW—”Writer/director Minhai Baig’s ‘must-see’ film is an elegiac story of an imaginative boy facing the end of a way of life. It makes me believe all the more that the best of films are being made by independent filmmakers.”
• PROBLEMISTA—”In this surrealistic film, writer-director Julio Torres provides an unusual twist to the story of an immigrant struggling mightily to stay in this country but is harrassed by a soulless immigration bureaucracy.”
• CIVIL WAR—Ed writes, “Many angry citizens, who are upset over seemingly intractable political disputes, have talked about civil war breaking out in our nation—and would do well to watch writer/director Alex Garland’s film.”
• DUNE, PART 2—Ed urges us to continue with this remarkable series. “The incredible production values are matched by the A-list actors.”

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Bishops, clergy, lay leaders call for welcoming LGBTQ+ neighbors

Authors, scholars, journalists are ready to help

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK starts with the historic news that America’s third largest Christian denomination—the United Methodist Church—has reversed more than half a century of LGBTQ+ exclusion. And now—the challenge voiced by United Methodist bishops, pastors and lay leaders nationwide is: “Welcoming all people into the embrace of God.”

Please enjoy our cover story, which begins with some of the best news headlines from the past week—then offers an inspiring video introduction to a wide array of authors.

And, if you are inspired, take a moment to share this cover story with friends this week via social media and email. Together, we can help to expand the compassionate circle in communities nationwide.

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And also from our writers—

Jeffrey Munroe:

A Story of a Church Still Struggling

WHILE OUR PUBLISHING HOUSE is celebrating the United Methodist journey toward inclusion, this week, some Christian denominations remain deeply divided over gender and sexual orientation. Our author Jeffrey Munroe—who heads up the historic Reformed Journal online magazine—has just published such a story by Roger Nelson. Jeff explains, “Roger’s remarkable story of resilience after witnessing his father’s murder appears in my book. For more than two decades, Roger has been a pastor who has compassionately led his congregation through divisions around human sexuality. Now, Roger writes for our Reformed Journal about facing a threat of expulsion from his denomination.”

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George A. Mason:

‘Spend it all now!’

ONE OF THE NATION’S LEADING PREACHERS, George A. Mason wrote this brief column to encourage his fellow writers—urging all of us who write to use our best ideas now. George’s memorable little column encouraging our ongoing flow of ideas, as writers, appears in our Front Edge Publishing blog, this week.

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Holidays & Festivals

 

Are you ready for Mother’s Day?

HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton reports in her column, this week, that Mother’s Day continues to draw the largest church attendance of the year after Christmas and Easter.

And, Ascension Day is this week, too

STEPHANIE FENTON has this holiday story, as well. Did you know that this is one of the oldest Christian traditions? Each year, the Feast of the Ascension takes place on the 40^th day after Easter.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• HARD MILES—Ed writes, “This film will leave you feeling hopeful that redemption can come to seemingly hopeless youth—and also will leave you with a sense of awe at the grandeur of Nature.”
• SASQUATCH SUNSET—”David & Nathan Zellner have chosen to build his film around an unusual group of a species that may exist only in our imaginations, a family of Sasquatches.”
• SUZUME—”Director/writer Makoto Shinkai and his team of animators provide a mythological interpretation for the hundreds of earthquake tremors Japan suffers each year.”
• WE GROWN NOW—”Writer/director Minhai Baig’s ‘must-see’ film is an elegiac story of an imaginative boy facing the end of a way of life. It makes me believe all the more that the best of films are being made by independent filmmakers.”
• PROBLEMISTA—”In this surrealistic film, writer-director Julio Torres provides an unusual twist to the story of an immigrant struggling mightily to stay in this country but is harrassed by a soulless immigration bureaucracy.”
• CIVIL WAR—Ed writes, “Many angry citizens, who are upset over seemingly intractable political disputes, have talked about civil war breaking out in our nation—and would do well to watch writer/director Alex Garland’s film.”
• DUNE, PART 2—Ed urges us to continue with this remarkable series. “The incredible production values are matched by the A-list actors.”
• IRENA’S VOW—“Director Louise Archambault drew on a script by Dan Gordon, based on his Broadway play focusing on the young Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke.”
• ONE LIFE—”Director James Hawes’s, film straddling two time periods, focuses upon a part of the Kindertransport during World War II and the man mainly responsible for its success.”
• CABRINI—This film “is probably the best defense of immigrants that you will see in this or any year.”.

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What is the greatest good we can do in this world?

OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK introduces an important voice in the national conversation about Social Justice Investing: Andrea Longton—a nationally respected expert in this growing field of finance that encourages people to exercise their spiritual and ethical values while investing their money.

This is such an important area of interest for our long-time ReadTheSpirit readers that we providing two perspectives on Andrea’s work in this week’s Cover Story:

First, this is a Q-and-A with Andrea, interviewed by David Crumm with links to Andrea’s book and some of her free online resources, as well.

Then, in this second story, financial expert and author Jonathan Grimm adds his perspective on Andrea’s new book.

Please, if these stories interest you, share them with friends via social media and email. Andrea is bringing us some good news that’s needed in our world, today.

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Holidays & Festivals

Happy Easter to our Eastern Christian Neighbors

SUNDAY, MAY 5 is Easter—or Great and Holy Pascha—for Eastern Orthodox Christians this year. You may think that Easter came and went a month ago—but millions of families around the world are just getting ready this week to celebrate the most important festival of the Christian year.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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And more news—

Mindy Corporon engaging in a national conversation about confronting hatred

As a publishing house, we often talk about our authors “engaging in a national conversation” as one of the primary reasons to do all the hard work of writing, editing and publishing a book. Quite simply: We want to make our world a better place with the creative and compassionate ideas we are sharing.

One author who has accomplished that, despite the trauma that transformed her life a decade ago, is Mindy Corporon. This column illustrates the many way that “national conversation” is taking place around us.

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• WE GROWN NOW—Ed writes, “Writer/director Minhai Baig’s ‘must-see’ film is an elegiac story of an imaginative boy facing the end of a way of life. It makes me believe all the more that the best of films are being made by independent filmmakers.”
• PROBLEMISTA—”In this surrealistic film, writer-director Julio Torres provides an unusual twist to the story of an immigrant struggling mightily to stay in this country but is harrassed by a soulless immigration bureaucracy.”
• CIVIL WAR—Ed writes, “Many angry citizens, who are upset over seemingly intractable political disputes, have talked about civil war breaking out in our nation—and would do well to watch writer/director Alex Garland’s film.”
• IN THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SINNERS—”Liam Neeson’s latest foray into violence-laden action films is a little more nuanced than his usual fare.”
• ASPHALT CITY—”French-born director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire has gifted us with the most harrowing parable about an ambulance medic since Martin Scorsese’ 1999 film Bringing Out the Dead.”
• WICKED LITTLE LETTERS—”The film becomes a whodunnit period piece and study of character and class, ending with a court drama that is fun to watch.”
• IMMACULATE—”Director Michael Mohel combines horror with religion in this tale of twisted religious fanaticism joined with male chauvinism.”
• DUNE, PART 2—Ed urges us to continue with this remarkable series. “The incredible production values are matched by the A-list actors.”
• IRENA’S VOW—“Director Louise Archambault drew on a script by Dan Gordon, based on his Broadway play focusing on the young Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke.”
• ONE LIFE—”Director James Hawes’s, film straddling two time periods, focuses upon a part of the Kindertransport during World War II and the man mainly responsible for its success.”
• CABRINI—This film “is probably the best defense of immigrants that you will see in this or any year.”
• BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE—“Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s film focuses upon a couple of years of the singer/composer’s life, with flashbacks to his teenage years.”

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Michigan’s JCRC-AJC model seder brings nations together

‘Confronting all forms of hate is everyone’s responsibility.’

COVER STORY—As Passover begins with the first seder this evening, Monday April 22, 2024, author and peace activist Howard Brown brings us the story of a long-time commitment of the Jewish community in southeast Michigan to host “diplomatic model seders.” This year, despite rising antisemitism around the world, that tradition continued and more than 100 people representing many nations attended and prayed together.

A Prayer for the Seder: ‘Let all who are hungry come and eat’

YACHATZ: THE BREAKING—Author Rabbi Roy Furman uses the traditional invocation, ‘Let all who are hungry come and eat,’ in this prayer-poem for Yachatz, the ritual breaking of matzah in the seder.

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And Other Passover Stories—

‘Nema’s Traveling Matzah Ball Soup’

OUR AUTHOR Rusty Rosman is a grandmother who travels with her matzoh ball soup to various family homes as Passover begins—so she has developed a way to make that beloved soup quite portable.

If you enjoy this story about her soup, please share it with friends across social media. All of us want to warmly celebrate with our Jewish friends at a time when antisemitism has risen to the highest levels the FBI has seen in their tracking of hate crimes..

 

An introduction to Passover

OUR HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton literally wrote the book for non-Jews about Jewish holidays—meaning that she wrote the section in the MSU Bias Busters’ book about American Jews and their holiday traditions. In this week’s column, she summarizes the basic traditions of Passover—and she includes a link to that valuable MSU book as well. That MSU Bias Busters series was launched to counter bigotry with helpful information about religious, cultural and racial minorities in the U.S. Want to perform a mitzvah yourself this month? Share with friends a copy of this MSU book—or others in what is now a 21-volume Bias Busters series.

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Ridvan

The most holy Baha’i festival worldwide is the 12-day period known as Ridvan—which started on Saturday April 20.

Hanuma Jayanti

Indian communities will soon be honoring one of the most colorful figures in Hindu heritage—the half-human and half-monkey figure Hanuman.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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And more news this week—

Mindy Corporon engaging in a national conversation about confronting hatred

As a publishing house, we often talk about our authors “engaging in a national conversation” as one of the primary reasons to do all the hard work of writing, editing and publishing a book. Quite simply: We want to make our world a better place with the creative and compassionate ideas we are sharing.

One author who has accomplished that, despite the trauma that transformed her life a decade ago, is Mindy Corporon. This column illustrates the many way that “national conversation” is taking place around us.

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..

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• CIVIL WAR—Ed writes, “Many angry citizens, who are upset over seemingly intractable political disputes, have talked about civil war breaking out in our nation—and would do well to watch writer/director Alex Garland’s film.”
• IN THE LAND OF SAINTS AND SINNERS—”Liam Neeson’s latest foray into violence-laden action films is a little more nuanced than his usual fare.”
• ASPHALT CITY—”French-born director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire has gifted us with the most harrowing parable about an ambulance medic since Martin Scorsese’ 1999 film Bringing Out the Dead.”
• WICKED LITTLE LETTERS—”The film becomes a whodunnit period piece and study of character and class, ending with a court drama that is fun to watch.”
• IMMACULATE—”Director Michael Mohel combines horror with religion in this tale of twisted religious fanaticism joined with male chauvinism.”
• DUNE, PART 2—Ed urges us to continue with this remarkable series. “The incredible production values are matched by the A-list actors.”
• IRENA’S VOW—“Director Louise Archambault drew on a script by Dan Gordon, based on his Broadway play focusing on the young Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke.”
• ONE LIFE—”Director James Hawes’s, film straddling two time periods, focuses upon a part of the Kindertransport during World War II and the man mainly responsible for its success.”
• CABRINI—This film “is probably the best defense of immigrants that you will see in this or any year.”
• BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE—“Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s film focuses upon a couple of years of the singer/composer’s life, with flashbacks to his teenage years.”

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Author Rusty Rosman invites us into her family holiday traditions

Rusty shows us how she makes—and transports—”Nema’s Traveling Matzah Ball Soup”

OUR AUTHORS and READERS are wishing our Jewish colleagues and neighbors well as they prepare for this traditional festival with family and friends—starting on the night of April 22. Right now, Jewish families around the world already are preparing for their Passover seders. These special meals are a lot of work!

Rusty is a grandmother who travels with her matzoh ball soup to various family homes as Passover begins—so she has developed a way to make that beloved soup quite portable. If you enjoy this story about her soup, please share it with friends across social media. All of us want to warmly celebrate with our Jewish friends at a time when antisemitism has risen to the highest levels the FBI has seen in their tracking of hate crimes.

And, stay tuned, because of course we will have more Passover coverage in our next weekly issue of ReadTheSpirit.com magazine on Monday, April 22—which is the first night families will be gathering for seders.

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And why is interfaith support so important right now?

George A. Mason explains why we need ‘dependable allies in the struggle for freedom, justice, and equity’

IN DALLAS, TEXAS, a century-old coalition of Jewish women honors the Rev. Dr. George A. Mason as a Pioneering Partner in interfaith work—and Mason tells the group why this kind of cooperative work is so urgent right now. You can read his stirring acceptance speech in this column and see photographs from the event. It’s a quotable talk by a prophetic preacher, so you’ll likely want to share this with friends as well.

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Holidays & Festivals

An introduction to Passover

OUR HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS columnist Stephanie Fenton literally wrote the book for non-Jews about Jewish holidays—meaning that she wrote the section in the MSU Bias Busters’ book about American Jews and their holiday traditions. In this week’s column, she summarizes the basic traditions of Passover—and she includes a link to that valuable MSU book as well. That MSU Bias Busters series was launched to counter bigotry with helpful information about religious, cultural and racial minorities in the U.S. Want to perform a mitzvah yourself this month? Share with friends a copy of this MSU book—or others in what is now a 21-volume Bias Busters series.

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Ridvan

The most holy Baha’i festival worldwide is the 12-day period known as Ridvan—which starts on Saturday April 20.

Vaisakhi (or Baisahki)

Colorful processions in Indian communities mark the arrival of this month with a wide range of spiritual customs from prayers for crops to pilgrimages. Columnist Stephanie Fenton describes the diversity of cultural connections with this auspicious month.

Hanuma Jayanti

Indian communities will soon be honoring one of the most colorful figures in Hindu heritage—the half-human and half-monkey figure Hanuman.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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And more news this week—

Mindy Corporon—

The public TV documentary about her courageous call for transformation  is now streaming online

‘HEALING HATE: Turning Pain into Power’ That’s the name of the new public TV documentary about two courageous women who have transformed the trauma of losing loved ones through hate crimes into campaigns for community healing. Now, thanks to the staff at Kansas City public TV, the entire half-hour film is available to stream online. We’ve got that YouTube streaming link for you right here in our feature story about Mindy that we have updated since last week.

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Suzy Farbman—

Learning from Elie Wiesel and Mitch Albom

IN HER GodSigns column this week, Suzy Farbman writes about hard-won wisdom about resiliency that she sees in the writings of both Elie Wiesel and Mitch Albom.

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Laura Elizabeth teaches the art of cozy mysteries

WE ASKED cozy mystery author Laura Elizabeth to write this column about her recent experience teaching tips and techniques for crafting a cozy mystery, one of the most popular genres in American publishing.

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And speaking of academia—

Another major scholar is changing his mind

MAJOR NEWS THIS WEEK among religious leaders who are encouraging acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals and families is the declaration of evangelical Christian scholar Dr. Richard Hays that he has changed his mind on this issue. Hays has announced that he will publish a book this autumn along with his son, who also is a noted Bible scholar, explaining why churches should welcome LGBTQ+ folks. This Religion News Service story about this milestone describes Hays as “a darling among conservative evangelical Christians who opposed LGBTQ acceptance in their churches and the broader culture and frequently cited Hays’ work in debates.”

The RNS report also cites the influence of Dr. David Gushee’s landmark book, Changing Our Mind. Since Hays book won’t be out until September, why not get a copy of Dr. Gushee’s book right now to learn more about this movement among our nation’s leading religious academics?

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• ASPHALT CITY—Ed writes, “French-born director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire has gifted us with the most harrowing parable about an ambulance medic since Martin Scorsese’ 1999 film Bringing Out the Dead.”
• WICKED LITTLE LETTERS—”The film becomes a whodunnit period piece and study of character and class, ending with a court drama that is fun to watch.”
• IMMACULATE—”Director Michael Mohel combines horror with religion in this tale of twisted religious fanaticism joined with male chauvinism.”
• DUNE, PART 2—Ed urges us to continue with this remarkable series. “The incredible production values are matched by the A-list actors.”
• IRENA’S VOW—“Director Louise Archambault drew on a script by Dan Gordon, based on his Broadway play focusing on the young Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke.”
• ONE LIFE—”Director James Hawes’s, film straddling two time periods, focuses upon a part of the Kindertransport during World War II and the man mainly responsible for its success.”
• CABRINI—This film “is probably the best defense of immigrants that you will see in this or any year.”
• BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE—“Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s film focuses upon a couple of years of the singer/composer’s life, with flashbacks to his teenage years.”
• ORDINARY ANGELS—Ed recommends this faith-based drama.
• PERFECT DAYS—Ed urges us not to miss Wim Wender’s Oscar-nominated film.
• THE TASTE OF THINGS—Ed writes, “You do not have to be a Foodie to enjoy director Tran Anh Hung’s fabulous film about a French epicure and his female chef.”
• DRIVING MADELEINE—Ed writes, “For me it is a delightful visual parable on the rewards of kindness.“
• THE ZONE OF INTEREST—Ed gives 5 stars to this unusual and haunting Holocaust drama.

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How to watch this powerful documentary

COVER STORY: No part of the U.S. has been shaken by gun violence more deeply than the Kansas City area, where several deadly shootings have rocked the world over the past decade—including a mass shooting as recently as February. As a result, Kansas City’s PBS station sponsored filmmaker Solomon Shields’ documentary, Healing Hate, which debuts this week. The film is so powerful because it features the stories of two women who have transformed their grief over losing family members, killed in earlier shootings, into major nonprofit efforts to promote compassion, healing and inclusion.

Please read our story, which starts with all the information you need to find and see this film about Mindy Corporon and her friend Sunayana Dumala. After you read our Cover Story, please help in this national effort to spread this important news: Use the social-media sharing buttons on our Cover Story to send this news to friends. That simple act may spread this inspiring story to someone who really needs to see this documentary.

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And more news this week—

George A. Mason’s ‘Word Made Fresh’ wins a major award

The prophetic preacher, pastor, interfaith peacemaker and author George A. Mason has been honored by the most venerable of interfaith professional organizations—the century-old Religion Communicators Council (RCC)—this week. We’ve got the story about that award—plus a short video from George as he talks about the very timely public interest in his new book, The Word Made Fresh.

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Jeffrey Munroe meets—

‘The Beached White Male’

THAT’S ACTUALLY THE NAME of Ken Kemp’s popular podcast that focuses on politics and religion, which Ken describes as “two topics we avoid in polite society—but not here.” Ken was intrigued by Jeffrey Munroe’s new book Telling Stories in the Dark: Finding healing and hope in sharing our sadness, grief, trauma, and pain, which is available now from Amazon in hardcover, paperback and Kindle.

As this podcast in Ken’s Beached White Male series opens, Ken tells his audience: “When I sat down and read the first 20 or 25 pages of his book, I thought: OK, I’ve got to interview this guy. My people are going to want to hear from him!”

Please, enjoy this podcast yourself via this link to Ken’s website and you may be inspired to share a link to this podcast with friends. It’s quite an enjoyable and inspiring conversation.

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Understanding MENA—

Joe Grimm’s MSU Bias Busters can help

NEWS HEADLINES, this week, are describing the major change in U.S. Census categories to include “MENA.” Joe Grimm—the founder of the Michigan State University School of Journalism Bias Busters project—has pulled together the basics about this important region of the world, summarized in a single column.

THANKS TO THE BIAS BUSTERS for all of their hard work in researching and producing more than 20 books to help combat bias with “100 Questions & Answers” about a wide range of minorities in our communities. They like to say, “We’re answering the questions everybody’s asking but nobody’s answering.” You can see the entire MSU series of books here.

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Holidays & Festivals

Eid al-Fitr

2 billion Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan

ACROSS THE U.S., most Muslims expect the Eid to start this year on the morning of Wednesday April 10—but global observances vary each year, due to regional sightings of the moon. Holidays columnist Stephanie Fenton has the story for us.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• ASPHALT CITY—Ed writes, “French-born director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire has gifted us with the most harrowing parable about an ambulance medic since Martin Scorsese’ 1999 film Bringing Out the Dead.”
• IMMACULATE—”Director Michael Mohel combines horror with religion in this tale of twisted religious fanaticism joined with male chauvinism.”
• DUNE, PART 2—Ed urges us to continue with this remarkable series. “The incredible production values are matched by the A-list actors.”
• IRENA’S VOW—“Director Louise Archambault drew on a script by Dan Gordon, based on his Broadway play focusing on the young Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke.”
• ONE LIFE—”Director James Hawes’s, film straddling two time periods, focuses upon a part of the Kindertransport during World War II and the man mainly responsible for its success.”
• CABRINI—This film “is probably the best defense of immigrants that you will see in this or any year.”
• BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE—“Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s film focuses upon a couple of years of the singer/composer’s life, with flashbacks to his teenage years.”
• ORDINARY ANGELS—Ed recommends this faith-based drama.
• PERFECT DAYS—Ed urges us not to miss Wim Wender’s Oscar-nominated film.
• THE TASTE OF THINGS—Ed writes, “You do not have to be a Foodie to enjoy director Tran Anh Hung’s fabulous film about a French epicure and his female chef.”
• DRIVING MADELEINE—Ed writes, “For me it is a delightful visual parable on the rewards of kindness.“
• THE ZONE OF INTEREST—Ed gives 5 stars to this unusual and haunting Holocaust drama.

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Moving Together Toward Compassion

COVER STORY—Most of us who have made it into the middle of adulthood can recall moments of harrowing tragedy, humiliation and harm we have suffered in various forms. The scholar and teacher Dr. Catherine Meeks—who now is 78 years old as she gives us her memoir A Quilted Life—describes such experiences as the “rags” we accumulate in life. The central metaphor of her book is the traditional way African American women, in particular, saved discarded cloth “rags” so they could cut small, useful pieces to assemble beautiful quilts.

Intrigued? We hope so. There’s a lot of valuable wisdom Dr. Meeks shares in this author interview—plus, we’ve got a link to Dr. Meeks’ latest venture, a colorful new website designed to promote personal and communal healing. If you enjoy this Cover Story, please share it with friends this week via social media and email. That small act of sharing online helps spread good news in our world.

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And more news this week—

Mindy Corporon—

In April, ‘overcome hate by promoting kindness and understanding’

EACH SPRING FOR 10 YEARS, author and nationally known advocate for compassionate reconciliation Mindy Corporon has spearheaded the Kansas City area “Seven Days” campaign that inspires thousands of people to undertake community projects. April 13, 2024, is the 10th anniversary of the antisemitic shootings that killed three people, including Mindy’s father and son.

First, you can learn more about this remarkable community-wide program at the Seven Days website.

Then, stay tuned to ReadTheSpirit next week for more news about an upcoming PBS documentary in the Kansas City area about Mindy’s life and work over the past decade.

Finally, to read the entire inspiring story, get a copy of Mindy’s memoir, Healing a Shattered Soul, from Amazon.

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From Howard Brown:

Encouraging author collaborations

HOWARD BROWN WRITES OUR FRONT EDGE PUBLISHING column, this week, about the value in collaborative books produced with other authors. Many of our authors have done this over the years, including Howard himself. In this column, Howard writes about his latest collaboration with Robert W. Jones—including an inspiring new podcast Howard hosted with Robert about their work together.

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Celebrating ‘Outsider’ Artists Living Among Us

COULD A FRIEND BE AN UNHERALDED LIGHT IN OUR WORLD? That’s the main theme of this column by David Crumm, sharing news about a major milestone for readers who are interested in the history of comics and graphic novels. The venerable publishing house Fantagraphics has just released a major collection of the “outsider” comic creator Frank Johnson—whose began producing comic books years before our current history books say the genre debuted in the U.S. And there’s much more in this column! We are celebrating “outsider” artists, as well, by including a tribute to the Appalachian gourd artist Minnie Black—complete with a brief video of Minnie’s now-famous “all gourd band.” Please, enjoy this column and share it with friends.

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Challenges in accurately covering religion

Friends at IARJ and MSU Bias Busters want to help

THANKS TO OUR FRIENDS AT THE International Association of Religion Journalists, we can share this new IARJ column about two major studies of the portrayal of religion in news media and the entertainment industry more broadly. A coalition of nonprofit groups internationally is working to improve the accuracy and balance of religion’s role in media. Thanks to India-based journalist Uday Basu, chairman of the IARJ board, for posting this column with links to the studies.

AND THANKS TO JOE GRIMM and the Michigan State University Bias Busters for all of their work in producing more than 20 books to help combat bias with “100 Questions & Answers” on a wide range of minorities in our communities. You can see the entire MSU series of books here.

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Holidays & Festivals

Eid al-Fitr

Cue the trays of sweet treats!

ACROSS THE U.S., most Muslims expect the Eid to start this year on the morning of Wednesday April 10—but global observances vary each year, due to regional sightings of the moon. Holidays columnist Stephanie Fenton has the story for us.

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WANT TO SEE ALL OF THE UPCOMING HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS?—It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the web address: InterfaithHolidays.com

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Faith & Film

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with film reviews and discussion guides. This resource is used nationwide by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Here are some of Ed’s most recent free reviews and columns:

• IRENA’S VOW—Ed writes, “Director Louise Archambault drew on a script by Dan Gordon, based on his Broadway play focusing on the young Polish nurse Irena Gut Opdyke.”
• ONE LIFE—”Director James Hawes’s, film straddling two time periods, focuses upon a part of the Kindertransport during World War II and the man mainly responsible for its success.”
• CABRINI—This film “is probably the best defense of immigrants that you will see in this or any year.”
• BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE—“Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s film focuses upon a couple of years of the singer/composer’s life, with flashbacks to his teenage years.”
• ORDINARY ANGELS—Ed recommends this faith-based drama.
• ARTHUR THE KING—”Simon Cellan Jones bases his new film on the book Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home.”
• PERFECT DAYS—Ed urges us not to miss Wim Wender’s Oscar-nominated film.
• THE TASTE OF THINGS—Ed writes, “You do not have to be a Foodie to enjoy director Tran Anh Hung’s fabulous film about a French epicure and his female chef.”
• DRIVING MADELEINE—Ed writes, “For me it is a delightful visual parable on the rewards of kindness.“
• THE ZONE OF INTEREST—Ed gives 5 stars to this unusual and haunting Holocaust drama.

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