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Tuesday's Briefing: A Televangelist's Death, a Recovered Icon, and Pets at the Altar

By The FaithDaily Desk

Good morning. The most consequential item came from Christianity Today, which reported the death of Jim Bakker. Bakker, a pioneering televangelist later caught in scandal and financial crimes, died Oct. 5 at the age of 86, according to a statement from his second wife, Lori Bakker. She did not share his cause of death. Christianity Today noted that Bakker rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s as the host of a popular television programme.

Two reports turned on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, which falls on Oct. 4. Religion News Service, in its Photos of the Week selection, marked the 800th anniversary of the saint's death. Religion News Service, carrying an Associated Press report from Manila, described a Philippine church where priests bless pets for the feast, remembering Francis for his humility, compassion and love for all living things.

From the Orthodox tradition, Charisma News reported that an icon missing from a Florida church for over a century has surfaced abroad. The outlet said Mayor John Koulianos of Tarpon Springs, Florida, encountered the lost icon of St. Nicholas while on vacation on the Greek island of Aegina, where it hung on a back wall of another church.

Charisma News also reported that more than 1,000 Christian leaders, community leaders and influencers from 117 countries were arriving in Israel for the Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit, to stand with survivors of Oct. 7, visit massacre sites and carry their testimonies home. The outlet attributed the account to Israel365 News.

In other reporting, Charisma News covered new data, drawn from a CBN interview with Billy Hallowell, indicating that 58% of practicing Christians say they have experienced spiritual attacks. Religion News Service reported that the Unitarian Universalist Association had released a statement on faithful dissent, noncompliance and civil disobedience. And Religion News Service highlighted a new documentary, "The Gospel According To…," featuring Black queer Christians speaking about faith, homophobia and life in the Black Church.

The day also brought reflection. Religion News Service published Tomer Persico on what it means to be made in God's image, and, via The Conversation, a history of the golden roses popes have bestowed over a thousand years. The Gospel Coalition offered a podcast with Jonathan Cheng on North Korea and a review of Jen Wilkin's children's book on Genesis 2.

Zoom out: The day's dispatches ran from the death of a disgraced televangelist to pet blessings, a recovered icon and a gathering in Israel, touching several Christian traditions at once.

What we're following

Religion News Service: Photos of the Week: Pet blessings for St. Francis feast day Read it
Charisma News: Icon Missing from Florida Church for 100 Years Turns Up on a Back Wall in Another Country Read it
Christianity Today: Died: Jim Bakker, Pioneering Televangelist Later Caught in Crimes Read it
The Gospel Coalition: How North Korea Became the Most Religious Place on Earth with Jonathan Cheng Read it

Sources

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