She was 19. I was 22. We said “I do” in a little church east of Oklahoma City exactly 33 years ago today. Happy anniversary to my wife, Tamie!
While you do the personal math on the above numbers, it’s time for another edition of Weekend Plug-in.
As always, I appreciate you reading this newsletter.
Pope Francis arrived in Hungary this morning, “walking, rather than using a wheelchair as he has on the last four foreign trips,” the National Catholic Reporter’s Christopher White notes.
Check out White’s advance coverage of the pope’s trip.
Meanwhile, let’s jump right into the rest of the week’s top headlines and best reads in the world of faith.
What To Know: The Big Story
Is this heaven?: No, it’s Iowa. But not the one with Kevin Costner.
“The Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Spring Kick-off event on Saturday represented the first cattle call of the year, a forum for GOP candidates to court an indispensable voting bloc,” Christianity Today’s Kelsey Kramer McGinnis explains.
The key takeaway of McGinnis’ interviews with voters: “The world feels out of control. They want someone who will fix it.”
Trump vs. Pence: At New York Magazine, political columnist Ed Kilgore writes about former President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence and the “struggle for the souls of Iowa evangelicals.”
In (somewhat) related news, Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election, The Associated Press’ Eric Tucker reports.
Among Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition attendees, “Trump remained a hero to many in the crowd though interviews with nearly two dozen attendees demonstrated the opportunity — and obstacles — for those seeking to challenge him,” according to AP’s Michelle L. Price.
Eat mor chikin: The Des Moines Register’s Katie Akin and Galen Bacharier summed up the Iowa event this way:
A bevy of Republican presidential hopefuls courted Iowa's religious conservatives Saturday night, pledging their opposition to abortion and transgender medical care for minors.
About 1,000 Iowa Republicans attended the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition spring kickoff event in Clive. The smell of Chick-fil-A boxed dinners filled the crowded venue as attendees waited to hear speeches from declared and potential 2024 candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence and, over a live video call, former President Donald Trump.
The Republicans’ first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses in Iowa are set for Feb. 5, 2024 — about nine months away. In case you missed it, the Democrats have “nixed Iowa from the premier spot on the party’s nominating calendar.”
Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads
1. Faith lifts Pittsburgh Jews: “Three Jewish congregations, resolute in their defiance of the hatred that tried to destroy them, are still waiting for justice,” The Associated Press’ Peter Smith writes.
“But united in their horror and grief, they haven’t been standing still as the criminal case for the massacre that changed everything has crawled through the federal court system.”
Jury selection started this week in the 2018 attack that claimed the lives of 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life synagogue, Smith and his AP colleague Mark Scolforo report.
2. Surprising surge: “A greater share of young adults say they believe in a higher power or God,” the Wall Street Journal’s Clare Ansberry reports.
“About one-third of 18-to-25-year-olds say they believe — more than doubt — the existence of a higher power, up from about one-quarter in 2021, according to a recent survey of young adults. The findings, based on December polling, are part of an annual report on the state of religion and youth from the Springtide Research Institute, a nonpartisan nonprofit.”
The increase is a response to the pandemic, say young people, theologians and faith leaders interviewed about the trend.
CONTINUE READING: “Faith And Freedom: For GOP Presidential Candidates, It's Cattle Call Time Again” by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.