Below are this week's Articles of Interest as compiled by Mr. Van Baker. This collection of articles is cultivated by Mr. Baker with the goal of highlighting some of the trends, upheavals, and things to watch for in our society. These articles are not necessarily the express views of the United Church of God, Mr. Baker, or me as the pastor, but they are informative of what is occurring in our nation and culture. In accordance with Christ's warning to correctly discern the times (Matthew 16:1-4), it is wise to be aware of what is going on around us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why the shofar matters now: A call for unity, strength, and hope – The shofar’s blast is more than a call; it’s a symbol of Israel’s resilience, unity, and hope, echoing through times of grief and awakening hearts for the future.
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-865652

Ancient Discovery in Jerusalem Points to the Pool of Siloam – Archaeologists in Jerusalem's City of David have unearthed a massive ancient structure that sheds new light on the pages of the Bible, once again pointing to the truth of the biblical account.
https://cbn.com/news/israel/ancient-discovery-jerusalem-points-pool-siloam-where-jesus-performed-miracle

Daily Life in Ancient Israel – What was life like for the tribes of Israel in the time of the Biblical Judges, the period archaeologists call Iron Age I (1200–1000 B.C.E.)?
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/daily-life-in-ancient-israel/

Germany Revives Conscription to Strengthen Military – The government has made it clear that providing Ukraine with security guarantees requires increasing military manpower. The conscription bill, approved by the German government in mid-August, would draft 110,000 men and assign them to Bundeswehr reserve units. The bill must still be approved by the German parliament. Germany ended compulsory military conscription in 2011— though “suspended” is how the government refers to the 2011 decision. Defense officials have concluded that voluntary recruitment will not meet Germany’s current defense requirements and definitely doesn’t meet NATO and EU defense requirements.
https://strategypage.com/htmw/htworld/articles/20250901102925.aspx#gsc.tab=0

[No] Are The "Nones" Replacing Religion With Spirituality? One of the things that we often hear when we tell folks that we are working on a project that is studying the growing number of Nones in the United States is something along the lines of, “Oh, I’m not that religious, but I consider myself highly spiritual.” It’s a concept that we talk about a lot in social science. So much so that we have a term for it: SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious). It’s been written about for decades by scholars of American religion and it’s become part of the lexicon among religious leaders throughout the United States. But there’s a blanket statement we see bandied about a lot that we want to challenge in this post. It’s, “Oh, the decline of religion is probably not a problem because all kinds of Nones are just replacing church with yoga, meditation, crystals, etc.” But the data tells a different story: the Nones just aren’t that "spiritual," either.
https://religionunplugged.com/news/nones-replacing-religion-with-spirituality

Mainline Protestantism’s Fall? Mainline Protestant denominations have been declining for sixty years and some of these denominations will not meaningfully much longer exist. But will all their congregations recede or die with them? In the old days, many congregants were deeply committed to the denominations, reading their publications, attending their conferences, heeding their pronouncements, financially supporting them generously and appreciating the wider identity they offered, often across generations. Many congregants across decades left their mainline denominations with sadness as those denominations further liberalized and failed to offer a compelling spiritual message. Many did not leave, but their children and grandchildren were not interested in the mainline denominations, leaving institutional religion altogether, or joining more evangelical churches that often were nondenominational.
https://juicyecumenism.com/2025/08/25/mainline-protestantisms-fall/

Why language surrounding tech is sounding increasingly religious – As the technology — and investment dollars — powering AI have advanced in recent years, so too have the stakes behind it. “It really is godlike,” Geoffrey Hinton- frequently dubbed the “Godfather of AI” - said. Hinton is among a growing number of prominent tech figures who speak of AI using language once reserved for the divine.
https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-apocalypse-dfb0aa9e5e96c583461bdd56fb21568a

Wild pigs are turning "electric blue" in California – Hunters and trappers in California have been shocked to discover neon blue flesh beneath the skin of feral pigs, National Geographic reported. The alien-like coloration has come from the animals ingesting rat poison used by ranchers and farmers. Despite much recent publicity involving the blue-fleshed swine, the issue is not new, nor has it been limited to feral pigs.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hunter-discovers-wild-pigs-turning-234000490.html