{"id":90620,"date":"2026-04-20T06:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=90620"},"modified":"2026-04-16T18:37:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:37:29","slug":"monday-miscellany-4-20-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.<\/p>\n

Evidence Young Men Really Are Returning to Church<\/h4>\n

There has been lots of anecdotal evidence about a revival of Christianity, particularly among young men, but hard evidence has been inconclusive.\u00a0 But now Gallup<\/a> has some firm numbers that support at least some of the anecdotes.<\/p>\n

\n

According to 2024\/2025 data from a new Gallup poll<\/a>, which has been tracking religion in the U.S. with these same questions since 2000, 40% of men between the ages of 18 and 29 attend church at least monthly.\u00a0 That is up from 33%, a number that had been stable from 2016 through 2023, a 7% increase.<\/p>\n

Attendance for women in the same age group is up 3%, from 36% in 2023 to 39% in 2024\/25.\u00a0 That is statistically about the same as for the men.<\/p>\n

The poll also asked subjects whether religion is \u201cvery important\u201d to them.\u00a0 Of the young men 18-29, 42% said that it was.\u00a0 In the previous Gallup poll covering 2022\/23, only 28% said that it was, a jump of 14%.<\/p>\n

Though young women\u2019s church attendance is about the same as men\u2019s, the importance they are placing on religion is much less, with only 29% saying that religion is \u201cvery important,\u201d down from 32% in 2022\/2023.<\/p>\n

In every other demographic besides the 18-29 year olds, women are more interested in religion than men are.\u00a0 Also, the trend lines for both attendance and the importance of religion are down for every other demographic, which no doubt accounts for the conflicting studies about American religion.\u00a0 Nevertheless, some cohorts have higher rates than for young adults.\u00a0 For example, 51% of women and 49% of men over 65\u00a0 go to church once a month or more, though this is down from 70% and 61% in 2000.<\/p>\n

Why Public School Boards Are So Liberal<\/h4>\n

It has long been puzzling how and why public education has gotten so left wing, even in conservative states.<\/p>\n

Social scientist Stanley Kurtz has found an answer.\u00a0 In his National Review<\/em> essay entitled How Progressives Stole Our Schools, and How to Take Them Back<\/a>, he points out that most school board elections are \u201cnon-partisan,\u201d meaning that the political affiliations of candidates are not shown on the ballot.<\/p>\n

Also, most school board members are voted on in \u201coff-cycle\u201d elections.\u00a0 That is, not on the same dates as general elections, in which local, state, and national offices are filled.\u00a0 \u201cOff-cycle\u201d elections invariably have very low turn out.<\/p>\n

As a result of these two factors, as Kurtz explains, \u201clow-turnout, low-information, off-cycle school board elections are dominated by highly organized and self-interested teachers\u2019 unions.\u201d\u00a0 Unions in general and especially the teachers\u2019 unions lean hard to the left.\u00a0 Thus, in school board elections, teachers\u2019 unions and their progressive allies come out to vote, while most ordinary citizens don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The result is that a great many conservative districts are run by progressive Democratic school boards. . . .That ed school\u2013produced progressive education establishment now dominates local, state, and national education bureaucracies, even in red districts and states.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

His solution?\u00a0 Conservative states should make school board elections partisan and schedule them along with all of the other partisan elections.<\/p>\n

That is to say, the only way to get politics out of public education is to bring\u00a0politics into public education.\u00a0 But that\u2019s democracy for you.<\/p>\n

The AI That Can Hack into Everything and Bring Down the Financial System<\/h4>\n

Anthropic, known for its AI system named Claude, has come out with Claude Mythos, which is so powerful that it can hack into virtually any and every computer system and website.<\/p>\n

This was discovered prior to the release of Mythos.\u00a0 According to Forbes<\/a>, it found \u201cvulnerabilities in every major operating system and every major web browser. Fully autonomously. No human guidance needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

This was so alarming that Anthropic considered Mythos to be too dangerous to release.\u00a0 Instead, it sent the program to 40 tech companies\u2013including Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and the Linux Foundation.\u00a0 Also major banks such as\u00a0 JPMorgan Chase and the federal government.\u00a0 The idea is for these key players to use Mythos to discover\u00a0 their own vulnerabilities so as to find a way to fix them, guard against Mythos-enabled\u00a0 attacks, and figure out an approach to cyber-security that can resist AI-driven break-ins.<\/p>\n

This led Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to meet with representatives of the nation\u2019s banks to discuss the Mythos threat and the possibility that it could bring down our entire financial system<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":65538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,13,14,19,36,39,44],"tags":[18284,18281,18278,18275,1861,18272],"class_list":["post-90620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church","category-economics","category-education","category-government","category-politics","category-religions","category-technology","tag-ai-risk-to-cybersecurity","tag-anthropics-mythos","tag-progressivism-and-education","tag-public-school-boards","tag-religion-demographics","tag-young-men-returning-to-church"],"yoast_head":"\nMonday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cranach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-20T10:00:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-16T22:37:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/305\/2023\/03\/cranach-seal.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"250\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"276\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/\",\"name\":\"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-20T10:00:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-16T22:37:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\"},\"description\":\"Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\",\"name\":\"Cranach\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\",\"name\":\"Gene Veith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gene Veith\"},\"description\":\"Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a writer and retired literature professor, serving as Provost Emeritus at Patrick Henry College. He has authored over 25 books on Christianity and culture, literature, classical education, and theology. Dr. Veith previously held academic and editorial roles at Concordia University Wisconsin and WORLD Magazine. A respected voice in Lutheran and classical education circles, he holds a Ph.D. in English and several honorary doctorates. He and his wife, Jackquelyn, live in St. Louis and have three children and twelve grandchildren.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gene_Edward_Veith\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/author\/geneveith\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26","description":"Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26","og_description":"Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/","og_site_name":"Cranach","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-20T10:00:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-16T22:37:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":250,"height":276,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/305\/2023\/03\/cranach-seal.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Gene Veith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Gene Veith","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/","name":"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-20T10:00:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-16T22:37:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1"},"description":"Evidence young men really are returning to church.\u00a0\u00a0Why public school boards are so liberal.\u00a0 And the AI that can hack into everything and bring down the financial system.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2026\/04\/monday-miscellany-4-20-26\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Monday Miscellany, 4\/20\/26"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/","name":"Cranach","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1","name":"Gene Veith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Gene Veith"},"description":"Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a writer and retired literature professor, serving as Provost Emeritus at Patrick Henry College. He has authored over 25 books on Christianity and culture, literature, classical education, and theology. Dr. Veith previously held academic and editorial roles at Concordia University Wisconsin and WORLD Magazine. A respected voice in Lutheran and classical education circles, he holds a Ph.D. in English and several honorary doctorates. He and his wife, Jackquelyn, live in St. Louis and have three children and twelve grandchildren.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gene_Edward_Veith"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/author\/geneveith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1281"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}