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Anthony Flew, 81, a British philosopher who has long championed atheism, has changed his mind about the existence of God, at least in a limited way. “I don’t believe in the God of any revelatory system, although I am open to that,” Flew told the journal of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, Philosophia Christi. Flew, a prolific writer, first disclosed his new views in a discussion with several others at New York University organized by the Institute for Metascientific Research. “I think that the most impressive arguments [for God] are those supported by recent scientific discoveries,” he said, even contending that the argument for “intelligent design” is “enormously stronger than it was when I first met it.”

The suicide death of musical conductor Johnnie Carl, 57, at the Crystal Cathedral church complex in Garden Grove, California, “deeply saddened” the senior pastor, Robert Schuller. “Johnnie was a beloved member of our church family and a close personal friend,” Schuller said in a statement. Carl, who had struggled with depression, killed himself December 17 in a bathroom at the facility after a nine-hour standoff with police. Carl had been on the staff of the cathedral for almost 30 years and was known worldwide as a composer and conductor. He arranged more than 3,500 musical pieces, according to church officials.