{"id":7941,"date":"2026-04-10T18:01:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7941"},"modified":"2026-04-10T18:02:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:02:24","slug":"tgfi-volume-550","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2026\/04\/10\/tgfi-volume-550","title":{"rendered":"TGFI, Volume 550: Christianity in space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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You\u2019ve heard of TGIF? This is TGFI: Things Glen Found Interesting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues likely to be of interest to Christians in college. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions, so if you read something fascinating please pass it my way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  1. There\u2019s No Separation of Church and Space<\/a> (Bethel McGrew, Wall Street Journal): \u201cIt has long been an inconvenient fact for angry atheists that some of America\u2019s most intrepid space explorers are devout religious believers. Buzz Aldrin performed the first Holy Communion on the Moon, though at the time he was told to keep the moment private. The activist Madalyn Murray O\u2019Hair had sued NASA a few months earlier over Apollo 8\u2019s Christmas Eve broadcast of the Genesis creation narrative.\u2026 Atheist biologist P.Z. Meyers recently suffered a flashback to that moment as he contemplated the terrifying prospect of an Easter mini-sermon from Artemis II pilot Victor Glover. Watching the Apollo 8 broadcast as a child was \u2018one of the nails in the coffin\u2019 of his religious upbringing. For an atheist, mixing space exploration and religion borders on sacrilege.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Things That Are Getting Better<\/a> (Aaron Renn, Substack): \u201cWe have managed to find a cure for about 90% of cystic fibrosis cases, a condition that was previously debilitating and fatal. We now have gene therapy treatments that are enabling some children born deaf to hear. In a slew of other areas from premature births to cancer, we\u2019ve made real progress even if long promised fundamental breakthroughs remain elusive. GLP\u20111 treatments promise to basically cure obesity. Life expectancy, which was falling, has now risen back to an all-time high.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Ranked: America\u2019s Biggest Christian Groups<\/a> (Julie R. Peasley, Visual Capitalist): \u201cThe comparison highlights a key divide in how these groups are structured. Catholics lead by membership, while the Southern Baptist Convention leads by church count. Non-denominational churches also rank near the top on both measures, reflecting how the composition of American Christianity has shifted over time.\u201d