For Pride Month 2024, we’ve got a colorful array of books to encourage inclusion
OUR COVER STORY THIS WEEK is designed so that our thousands of readers concerned with inclusion can share the link—and the accompanying video and book list—with family and friends. We’ve heard from many of you over the years that books like Changing Our Mind and Letter to My Congregation have helped thousands of families—especially those involved in the lives of their congregations—to “love their children more,” as Dr. David Gushee puts it in his talks about Christian inclusion.
Please, take a moment to read our Pride Month Cover Story, and think about who you know who might welcome a link to this story. Consider posting a link to this story on social media or, if you prefer, send a link through email. (There are convenient social-media sharing buttons with the Cover Story.) That simple act of sharing this news might wind up helping a divided family through the long process of reconnecting with separated loved ones.
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June also is ‘Cancer Survivors Month’
Spread this Good News, too
OUR RESIDENT EXPERT ON CANCER SURVIVAL, of course, is Howard Brown—author of Shining Brightly and an internationally known activist on behalf of cancer patients. He’s a two-time survivor of advanced stage IV cancer himself. Coming on Wednesday this week to mark National Cancer Survivors Month—Howard is welcoming the “Iron Dad,” aka Paul Weigel, to Howard’s popular weekly podcast. Paul is an 11-year survivor of cancer and is nationally known for his motivational speaking and programs in which he talks about the role of Iron Man competitions as one of his sources of personal resilience. Please, visit Howard’s website—ShiningBrightly.com—and check out both Howard’s memoir as well as (on Wednesday) the new podcast with Paul Weigel. These are great resources to share with friends (and their families) who are wrestling with the challenges of cancer.
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Shavuot
THIS ANCIENT JEWISH FESTIVAL honors God’s gift of wisdom in the Torah. In Israel, it’s celebrated for one day; in the rest of the world—for two days.
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Muslim families focus on pilgrims making the Hajj
AROUND THE WORLD, this week, Muslim families will be focused on friends and loved ones making the pilgrimage known as The Hajj. Stephanie Fenton has our story.
For an inspiring personal story about this remarkable journey made by millions of Muslims over the centuries, read Victor Begg’s memoir, Our Muslim Neighbors, which is available in hardcover, paperback and Kindle versions.
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Are you ready for Father’s Day?
CHECK OUT STEPHANIE FENTON’s Father’s Day column, which includes links to some delicious holiday recipes as well as tips for enjoying this family celebration.
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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
And Other Important News—

Clicking on this photo of young women forced to live in a “boarding school” in Alaska will take you to one of our own recent ReadTheSpirit stories about Native American issues.
More Journalists Are Reporting on the Historic Horrors of Native American ‘Boarding Schools’
OUR OWN COMMUNITY OF WRITERS has been reporting on the challenges and the cultural riches of Native American life for years. Then—over the past couple of years—North American church and government officials have begun public inquiries into the historic horrors of so-called “Indian Boarding Schools.” This was a long campaign to force indigenous children to live in schools where they were brutally made to abandon their Native culture.
Click on the photo above to read one of our own widely shared stories about related issues.
We’re also sharing this news item, this week, to let our readers know about two major reports from the staff of The Washington Post. These are in-depth, “interactive” online reports that all Americans should see. The two are headlined:
First of two reports from The Washington Post: They took the children—The hidden legacy of Indian boarding schools in the United States
And, second: ‘In the Name of God’
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Nope! AI is not ready for covering the complexity of religious diversity.
HAVE YOU HEARD THE STORY OF THE “AI PRIEST” who crashed and burned within two days of debuting on the Internet? Turns out, AI still is not The Ultimate Source of Truth. Our Front Edge Publishing column, this week, shares this story of the now-infamous “Father Justin.” Special thanks in this case to our friends at National Catholic Reporter and Bill Tammeus.
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Click on this image to learn more about the June 2024 issue of Visual Parables Journal, packed with film reviews and discussion questions about movies, including The Old Oak, Nowhere Special, Back to Black, the Ascent and more.
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 SOUND OF HOPE—Ed recommends this film, writing, “Director/co-writer (with his wife Rebekah) Joshua Weigel tells a story that we’d say is too Pollyannish, but for the fact that it is based on a true story.“
- IF—”Writer/director John Krasinski’s fantasy offers a great opportunity for a family with children to enjoy an outing at the local theater.”
- NOWHERE SPECIAL—“Writer/director Uberto Pasolini gives us one of the most poignant father-son films you are likely to see this year—or any year.”
- BACK TO BLACK—Ed is lukewarm in his review of this Amy Winehouse biopic.
- KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES—”The Planet of the Apes franchise has come a long way since the 1968 film in which human actors had to use head masks and hairy body suits to portray the apes.”
- UNSUNG HERO—Ed recommends this “song-filled” film, which is based on the life of contemporary Christian singer, author and actress Rebecca St. James.
- THE OLD OAK—”Films like Ken Loach’s The Old Oak are why I am still so passionate about well-crafted films, especially those dealing with the down and out, those oppressed by the powerful.“
- THE ASCENT—As he likes to do, Ed reaches back across the decades to recommend this 1977 film from Ukraine.
- SUZUME—”Director/writer Makoto Shinkai and his team of animators provide a mythological interpretation for the hundreds of earthquake tremors Japan suffers each year.”
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