News with Nuance: Sept. 13, 2024

Your Friday dose of News with Nuance: the week's biggest stories, unpacked + more ..

Hi Readers,

This is our first edition of News with Nuance since July 26, and oh - just a few things have happened in our lives and in our world since then. So buckle up …

For new subscribers, and returning readers who need a refresher, News with Nuance is our biweekly News post that comes out on the second and fourth Friday of each month, with the exception of my August Substack sabbatical. Typically, News with Nuance is available only to paid subscribers, with a free preview for all subscribers. Today’s edition is free in its entirety for everyone, so that you can all see what News with Nuance has to offer - and because I think these stories are really important to share! (A reminder that I don’t want money to be a barrier for anyone: if you’d like a paid subscription but can’t afford it, just send me a message).

In each edition of News with Nuance, you’ll read two top highlighted stories, with headlines, nuance and reflection from me, and then a pull-out quote that well-summarizes why I thought we should highlight this story. While each edition of News with Nuance varies by its focus on national, global, and local news - my consistent focus is that the stories lifted up here go beyond salacious headlines to bring humanity, truth, and purpose to the top stories of the day. In my long career as a news-reader, I’ve found that too often our hectic and rapacious news cycle sacrifices the humanity of the people within the stories, focusing instead on gotcha quotes, and meme-able snippets. I understand why that is, especially in a media age that awards clicks and rage. But News with Nuance is my small effort at pushing back against those tendencies, to see the human beings within the trend stories and snark. When we do so, we gain empathy for one another. I find myself with renewed patience and energy to engage with the news each time I write one of these newsletters, even though putting it together sometimes feels draining and overwhelming.

My hope for you is that as you read these newsletters, you have a similar experience. From the top headlines to the focus on Christian Nationalism and rebuilding trust, I hope you end up not only well-informed but also as though you have a grasp of some overarching narratives; you’ve gained some helpful tools and statistics to push back against conspiracy theories and fear, and you’ve seen yourself and your neighbors in stories of strangers. As we rebuild this trust and empathy, we begin to regain energy for looking beyond narrow self-interest into the wellbeing of our communities, and of one another.

So let’s get to the news — with nuance …

This image is not connected to the story below; instead it’s a joyful story from 2021 in the Dallas Morning News about a Haitian immigrant family and their transition to America, aided by fellow immigrant families, most of them from Mexico. As I go on below to share about the dehumanizing and racist stories being told in right-wing media about Haitian families, I wanted to share instead an image of Haitian immigrant joy - and remind people of the powerful, courageous, and inspiring stories of immigrants in our midst. You can read the whole story from 2021 here.

The Headline: Haitian Americans fear for their safety after Trump repeats false claims about immigrants and pets

On Thursday, two days after the U.S. Presidential debate during which former president Donald Trump repeated lies about Haitian immigrants in Ohio supposedly (and this is absolutely ludicrous) eating peoples’ pets, I got a couple of messages from a pastor friend of mine and his spouse. They had read the brief column I’d written about the debate, in which I’d decried the dehumanizing and racist language used about Haitian immigrants, and they told me they’d spent the past few days in sadness and frustration as a family. Their adopted daughter was born in Haiti. And even though this couple was not themselves Haitian, they acutely felt the ways in which their daughter was facing prejudice and ridicule on a national stage. They wanted to protect their daughter, to stand up for her family members who are still in Haiti; and at the same time, what could they do against the purveyors of these claims, among them a former President, a vice presidential candidate, multiple U.S. senators, and one of the richest men in the world? Like many other Americans with ties to Haiti, and like Haitians themselves, these friends of mine were desperate for the world to see the richness and beauty of Haitian culture: to see the courage and resilience of a people who had been taken advantage of time and time again by wealthy and violent outsiders, whose resources, both natural and borne of human labor, had been pillaged and destroyed. This was a country that had been founded by the blood and sacrifice and brilliance of formerly enslaved people; a country that was the only one to be founded in the wake of a successful rebellion of enslaved people, after which Haitians won their independence from French colonizers.

So sure, there’s a place for mockery of these ridiculous claims: for memes of cats and dogs looking scared when Donald Trump takes the stage. But more importantly, there’s a place for reiterating the dignity and courage of Haitian people, for refusing to submit to the claim that immigrants somehow degrade America, when in truth it is especially recent immigrants of whom America has most to be proud.

The Quote:

"We have to be careful where we go," said Viles Dorsainvil, 38, who says the Haitian community center he heads in Springfield has received threatening phone calls. The hostility has prompted one friend working at an Amazon warehouse to consider leaving, he said.

"He said that things are getting out of hand now; the way people are treating us, making bad comments about us," Dorsainvil said.

Trump's Tuesday remark that "they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats" is the latest in a long line of lies about immigrants that have defined his political career. It followed a similar false claim spread by his running mate, U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, on social media about Springfield's new residents.

…

The Haitian Times reported that some Haitian families in Springfield, Ohio, were keeping their children home from school, while other sources told the newspaper that they were subject to bullying, assaults and intimidation in front of their homes amid racist rhetoric amplified by social media.

Story by Ted Hesson, Andy Sullivan and Gabriella Borter, Reuters

Plus this:

I thought of this quote from Presidential Medal of Freedom winner Toni Morrison as I watched some news outlets - and individuals - being drawn into traps of attempting to “disprove” and “fact check” this ridiculous and racist rumor:

As a woman in ministry, who has been asked more times than I can count to “prove” my right to stand in a pulpit, and who has spent hours diligently compiling biblical evidence only to be questioned and denied the right of minister once again, I can relate. Morrison, especially when it comes to racism, makes a very important point.

The Headline: Parental stress is a significant public health issue, surgeon general says in new advisory

The new surgeon general’s warning, on the perils of parental stress in today’s America, came out just six days before my kids’ first day of school. Just six days before my father-in-law died of cancer. Six days before I held my kids as they cried in grief. Six days before I had to guide both of them home alone after first days in new school buildings, while my spouse traveled two states away to be with his bereaved mom. So yes, this article was particularly timely for me.

Sometimes it’s easy for older generations to point to younger generations and accuse them of whining or being somehow soft (and I know this is true, because I’ve already found myself - as an elder millennial - doing the same thing to Gen Zers from time to time). So it would be easy to dismiss this warning as yet another time when people just need to kind of “get it together” and figure it out on their own.

But as Surgeon General Vivek Murphy, a parent of young children himself, points out: that’s the very problem. We’ve been focused far too much on asking parents to “do it themselves.” We’ve failed to surround one another with love and support, especially in times of need. And also new parents have been hesitant and unwilling to ask for that support in times of need, instead painting pictures of ourselves and our lives on social media that look flawless and magical: denying our own truths and also making our fellow parents feel even worse.

In times like these, I’m especially grateful for the ways my work as a visitation pastor allows me time and relationships with elderly adults. In their wisdom, patience, and love, I feel my chest loosen - and I’m able to see a bigger picture, a world rich with memories and love.

The Quote:

The advisory describes how mothers and fathers now work many more hours than in 1985 but also spend many more hours every week on primary child care — and that doesn’t count their total time spent with children. “Demands from both work and child caregiving have come at the cost of quality time with one’s partner, sleep, and parental leisure time,” the advisory says. The strain is even greater on parents caring for aging parents or other loved ones.

At the same time, a “culture of comparison” — often perpetuated online — around milestones, parenting and achievements, “has left many families feeling exhausted, burned out, and perpetually behind,” Murthy wrote in the 36-page advisory.

The advisory cited a 2023 survey of adults from the American Psychological Association that found 33% of parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared with 20% of other adults.

What’s needed is a culture shift, the advisory says: “It’s time to value and respect time spent parenting on par with time spent working at a paying job, recognizing the critical importance to society of raising children.” Parents and caregivers need societal support and to be able to talk openly about the stress of parenting. Like an earlier surgeon general’s advisory, it says more connection is needed to combat loneliness and isolation among parents.

Story by Jamie Gumbrecht, CNN

A few more must-read stories from the past several weeks …

Mother of Georgia suspect is said to have called school before shooting, warning of ‘emergency’

Why I left the network: a ProPublica deep dive into the difficulties of finding a mental health provider who takes your insurance

The asymmetric fraying of America’s social fabric

These reviled birds of prey literally save people’s lives

Needed: more poll workers

“Learned Helplessness” and the 2024 Election

From the Paris Olympics, re-upping this piece I wrote on the indomitable and inimitable Simone Biles at the previous Olympics, and how she reminded American Christians what really matters most

Poverty’s impact on human biology has “unanticipated persistence,” damaging cells in a way that endures even after they are transplanted into others

Police departments are offering big raises. Does it work?

This Week in Christian Nationalism and Religious Extremism

While this newsletter won’t focus overall on Christian Nationalism, each Friday I will include a brief update from that week, as it’s both a continuing focus of my work and also, I think, a critical threat to both American democracy and the faithful witness of Jesus’ Gospel, which exists independently of the United States!

In one sentence: Christian Nationalism is a version of the idolatrous Theology of Glory, which replaces the genuine worship of God with worship of a particular vision of America, often rooted in a revisionist history of white people in the 1950s, before the Civil Rights movement or the women’s movement. Christian Nationalism supports a violent takeover of government and the imposition of fundamentalist Christian beliefs on all people. Christian nationalism relies on a theological argument that equates American military sacrifice with Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. It suggests that Christians are entitled to wealth and power, in contrast to Jesus’ theology of the cross, which reminds Christians that they too have to carry their cross, just as our crucified savior did.

This Week: (or really the past several weeks)

Post-Roe health provider survey finds abortion bans create bad outcomes and distress

A related note to the above story: I was very grateful during Tuesday night’s debate to hear Vice President Kamala Harris defend the right to abortion on the basis of the humanity of pregnant women and their families, verses the relative humanity of a developing fetus. For too long, I think that abortion advocates have agreed to play by the nonsensical “rules” of the anti-choice movement, granting humanity to developing cells - but denying the human needs of pregnant women and girls and their families. This dehumanization of women and refusal to listen to the real stories of the carnage and destruction wrought by anti-abortion laws has allowed the anti-choice movement to claim the mantle of Jesus while lifting up ideologies that are the very opposite of what Jesus taught: love, care, dignity, truth for every single human being, an attention paid to the health and wellbeing of the entire community, the functioning of all creation. American Christians here could learn from Jewish teachings on abortion, especially when it comes to Hebrew Bible texts.

Right-wing influencers were duped to work for covert Russian operation, US says

As the Republican Party descends (sadly) further and further into conspiracy theory madness, we’re reminded that those with the loudest megaphones are very often totally ignorant and uncaring about the truth of the ideas they spread on the Internet, going so far as to accept money from Russian government sources aimed at infiltrating and destroying the United States.

Speaking of grifters …

Love in the Time of Hillbilly Elegy: On JD Vance’s Appalachian Grift

Beware the end-game of religious fundamentalists …

Speaking of the Rev. Ben Cremer, he and I appeared together here in August on NPR’s Extremely American podcast, discussing the rise of Christian Nationalism and violent masculinity among adherents of Doug Wilson’s Christ Church, based in Moscow Idaho, and home to well-documented cases of sexual abuse (cc:

Sarah Stankorb

)

Trump held a rally in one of America’s other hotbeds of white supremacism + racist hatred:

‘We love Hitler. We love Trump.’: White supremacists march through Howell

And while today mainline churches are often thought of as liberal, this article reminds us of their historical connection to Christian Nationalist forerunners, like J.Edgar Hoover, who used his law enforcement agency to harass the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

DC church wrestles with FBI connection

Women have long made up the majority of American churchgoers (as a Pastor, I can attest to the importance of elderly women and widows in keeping small churches going through their volunteer work and leadership). But that’s changing.

With church advertisements like this one, it’s no wonder why Gen Z women are abandoning the Church:

This thread expands on the above theme, and exposes one of militant masculinity’s foremost prophets, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) as a fraud and grifter.

Beware those who, like Hawley, couch laws targeting minorities and marginalized people under the guise of “religious liberty.” The truth is that legislation like that proposed in Trump administration official’s Project 2025 is disastrous for religious liberty, ushering in a government takeover of religion.

I was honored to contribute to this article from

Word&Way

, pushing back against conspiracies and threats lodged at VP candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s Lutheran Church:

Political Attacks on Walz’s Church? Good Grief.

Meanwhile, in Iowa:

Iowa’s six-week abortion ban is now in effect

I’m looking forward to traveling to Iowa next weekend for the Southeastern Iowa Synod’s Fall Conference, where we’ll unpack together the theological basis for Christian Nationalism, and find ways to rebuild trust and understanding, while telling the truth about its dangers and heresies, in the local church. Here’s hoping to cross paths with Iowa luminary

lyz

!

And in Texas, a reminder to beware of those calling for more religion in our public schools:

Texas’ Christian-influenced curriculum spurs worries about bullying, church-state separation

Read more about the takeover plans here (and don’t believe Trump’s disavowals: this was written by those who will actually govern, should he become President again, while Trump golfs):

Inside the Trump Plan for 2025

A New Section here at News with Nuance: Rebuilding Trust

(For a while here, I was calling this section The Resistance, as in resistance to Christian Nationalism. But I think that term was a little bit too loaded with partisanship. So instead, I’m calling this section: Rebuilding Trust. In this section, you’ll read stories where ordinary people are pushing back against the onslaught of Christian Nationalism in America, to reclaim a narrative of hope, consideration, love, and truth)

It’s well-past-time for a “post-Trump” ethos:

Talique Taylor

wrote on X that “People saying the church shouldn’t be political reeks of anti Blackness,” and I thought his comment was worth reiterating here. For a long time I was persuaded by fellow clergy’s claims that pastors must be “apolitical.” But historically, those claiming that status were white ministers who ignored the call to preach in support of ending slavery, and in favor of Civil Rights. Overwhelmingly in American history, it has been the Black Church leading the way on movements for justice and equality, and those movements necessarily ran through politics, legislation, and politicians. So I think Taylor is right here - and it’s important to push back on those who claim that the Church shouldn’t be political.

Meanwhile, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) shared this about a Pro-Life agenda, echoing VP Harris’ debate statement the defense of abortion is actually defense of human lives and dignity. (These statements also remind me of liberal Catholic activists, and their commitment to Catholic social teachings)

Minnesota should codify our educators’ right to assign materials that challenge

I wrote about inclusivity and overcoming polarization at the Minnesota State Fair in August

Robert P. Jones

shared the newest data from Public Religion Research Institute’s polling on religion in America, and it’s worth a deep dive:

11 Facts and Charts from PRRI's 2023 Census of American Religion

I’m always inspired every time a public figure takes the time to humbly admit they were wrong, especially about conspiracy theories that cause such deep damage.

OK … taking a moment here now … can we have some fun? I have a few things to share about the nomination of MN Gov. Tim Walz as VP candidate - and why it means a lot to Midwestern (Lutheran?) folks like me. I think his nomination speaks to an openness among national Democrats to expand the Party’s reach beyond recent Democratic strongholds, and to imagine what voters in the rural Midwest have in common with voters on the coasts: to lift up the value of Americans who come from middle-class backgrounds, who didn’t attend Ivy League or private schools, who count public school teachers among our family members and heroes. Here we go - feel free to scroll on by if you’re over it!

It’s probably worth noting that Tim’s sister said these folks were distant cousins. But still.

It’s also worth noting that I’ve spoken to rural pastors who didn’t have this experience with Walz; instead he was unresponsive in a time when they needed government help for issues in their rural communities. That being said - my genuine hope is that Walz is represented more accurately by this care for people who are often forgotten among politicians asked to focus more on wealthy donors. And the pastors I spoke to agreed, with grace, that sometimes everyone drops the ball - and their general impression of Walz is that he’s a competent governor who wants to get things to done that positively impact all his constituents, no matter where they live.

THAT’S MY DAD

I wrote in my State Fair piece about how moving it was to see Gus Walz’s pride in his dad at the DNC. And I think too that Walz (and his son’s) demonstration of a masculinity that is gentler, more emotional, and willing to be vulnerable, is very much needed by American men (I have spent a lot of time researching what’s going on with white men and boys in America!)

I wrote for the Minnesota Star Tribune about the refreshing friendship dynamics of Tim and Gwen Walz’s marriage

And despite lots of articles (ahem, Christianity Today) making wild claims about the so-called “radicalism” of my denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,

Brian Kaylor

sets the record straight regarding Lutherans (like Walz) in Congress:

What Congress Reveals About Lutheran Denominations

More good news, Minnesota Christian Nationalist candidate Steve Boyd was defeated in his congressional primary. I talked to the Minnesota Star Tribune about Boyd here.

Don’t miss this dynamic about Walz’s selection among younger voters and Evangelicals: (thanks,

Anand Giridharadas

)

And as so many Midwestern and red-state Democrats know, it’s not just Walz. Others are waiting in the wings:

Don’t miss the male fashion angle with Walz, well-explained in this piece from men’s style guru Derek Guy:

Tim Walz’s Camo Cap Is More Important Than You Think

Walz and Harris are both Mainline Protestants, representing a voting bloc that could well be decisive in swing states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania in November:

Why the swing state faith voters who really matter in 2024 aren’t evangelicals

Former geography teacher Walz really hates those red state/blue state maps and the way they inaccurately represent American voters

Five faith facts about Harris pick Tim Walz, a ‘Minnesota Lutheran’ Dad

Is Tim Walz the Midwestern Dad Democrats Need?

Must-Reads on Substack

From

Word&Way

The Christians Who Matter Most in this Election (Hint: It’s Not White Evangelicals)

The Golden Rule According to the DNC

From

Jared Yates Sexton

At Long Last: Reactions From the Presidential Debate

How Truly Stupid Can It Get: Trump, RFK, and American Decline

From

Jemar Tisby, PhD

When Political Neutrality Becomes Idolatry

The Spirit of Justice

Are Black Christians Who Vote for Democratic Candidates, Christians?

Can a Right-Wing Promise Keepers Keep Its Promise of Racial Reconciliation?

How Mike Brown's Death Changed My Life

Megan Basham Needs to Learn More Black Church History

Slavery Was a White People Problem

From

lyz

The politics of pain

Ambition, the Midwest, and men

From

Jared Stacy

"Just Asking Questions"

From

Diana Butler Bass

The Heart of Debate

Please, Morning Joe, Just Stop!

From

Sarah Stankorb

Another Chance

From

Kevin M. Kruse

Fair and Balanced

From

Jo Piazza

Are Kids Bad for Your Health?

From

Lane Anderson

I spent 40 years as a "childless cat lady"—here's what they mean when they call us that

Patriarchy is bad for men and boys, too.

From

Kaya Oakes

So, you've been diagnosed with breast cancer

From

Maya C. Popa

We're Not Going Back

From

Erin Khar

Dopey Day 2024: Remembering Those We've Lost & Looking Toward the Future

From

Kristin Du Mez

Resilience, Redemption, & Respect

From

Glynnis MacNicol

(just read and devoured No One Tells You This; waiting to read I’m Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself asap!)

You Play the Girl

From

Chrissy Stroop

When it's Good to Be Wrong

From

Heather Cox Richardson

August 2, 2024

August 1, 2024

From

Elsa Cook

Considering Christ

From

Ryan Burge

(note the exception here!)

There Is Almost No 'Liberalizing Religion' in the United States

We made it! Welcome back. Feel free to digest this in several sittings! I’ll be back in two weeks with more News with Nuance. In the mean time, here’s my list of upcoming events. Hope to see you there!

https://www.angeladenker.com/upcoming-events

Thanks for reading,

Angela

A Few Notes:

First, a huge THANK YOU to all subscribers. I get a little email notification every time someone signs up, and every time I get one, I feel joyful and honored that you want to spend part of your day with this community. I mean it when I say: “I’m listening,” to you as well, and please don’t hesitate to share with me your thoughts + ideas for what you’d like to read in this space.

To PAID SUBSCRIBERS: I am humbled and honored that you’ve chosen to spend part of your limited budget on this newsletter. To borrow words from another newsletter I love, you are directly funding freelance journalism with your subscription, and I have to thank you more than ever for your continued support. Our world’s media and journalism is in a state of crisis, with fewer and fewer billionaires in control of global news outlets, and journalists being either laid off or threatened with violence for their work every single day; with fewer and fewer newsroom positions paying a living wage. I pledge to you to steward your paid subscription faithfully + use it to support honest, hard-working, and LOCAL journalism. One of my goals in this first year is to open this newsletter to other journalists, and pay them a fair wage for their work.

THANK YOU for your support. If you’re not a paid subscriber, please consider becoming one.

On free vs. paid-subscriber posts only: My plan right now is that the Friday + Sunday posts, focusing on news + spirituality, in that order, are available for subscribers only (I am going to continue sharing a sample, with a line where the paywall cuts off for our paid subscriber community). My plan is that the Tuesday blog-style posts will always be free, to enable as much access as possible, while creating a smaller and more intimate experience for paid subscribers, who are also able to comment and share in community in fuller ways.

Free Trial: Substack always offers a free week-long trial subscription to this newsletter, so you can get a taste of the Friday + Sunday posts and see if you’d like to subscribe!

If a paid subscription is a hardship for you, but you’d like access to the Friday + Sunday posts: PLEASE do not hesitate to reach out. I will be happy to provide a complimentary subscription for you.