Monday digest

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New today from the Century:

• The editors on the pope's joyous gospel: "As Francis sees it, the joy of the gospel is rooted in an experience of God's love in Jesus. And this gospel gets people involved in the world's messiness."

• Carol Howard Merritt on Rick Warren and the contraception mandate

• Merritt on the virtues of debt

• Jason Byassee on Twelve Years a Slave: "The movie pulls no punches. As a white southerner, I found myself objecting that it couldn't have been as bad as this all the time. But these horrors happened, and we have yet to face them squarely."

• Daniel Harrell blogs the lectionary

In the news:

• Early-returning Mormon missionaries often face stigma
• Catholic high school fires teacher who applied for gay marriage license