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This issue of A Public Witness goes to church with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to contrast his recent “sermon” with how the stories of the first Christmas deal with politicians.

As the world-famous Paris landmark's reopening draws closer, people are beginning to picture their return to the place they call home and are impatient to breathe life back into its repaired stonework and vast spaces.

Jews have long played a role in shaping how Americans celebrate Christmas. For Christian Nationalism leader Andrew Torba, their contributions are a sign of a plot to remove Jesus from the Christmas story.

This issue of A Public Witness introduces you to the 56th speaker of the House — the founding dean of a failed Baptist law school, an attorney for three firms devoted to advancing Christian Nationalism, a crusader for prayer in public schools, an evangelist proclaiming the U.S. is “a Christian nation,” and proponent for partisanship in churches.

Dangerous Dogma

Church

This issue of A Public Witness goes to church with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to contrast his recent “sermon” with how the stories of the first Christmas deal with politicians.

As the denomination evaluates its Title IV clergy misconduct policy, abuse survivors say the process needs to be trauma-informed.

‘The Philadelphia Eleven’ depicts the buildup toward the so-called irregular ordination at which four bishops ordained 11 women as priests without the denomination’s approval.

Nation

The Freedom from Religion Foundation says that the Goddard school district ended unconstitutional practices after receiving their letter.

Jews have long played a role in shaping how Americans celebrate Christmas. For Christian Nationalism leader Andrew Torba, their contributions are a sign of a plot to remove Jesus from the Christmas story.

The movie profiles queer families and individuals living in the Midwest, grappling with their identity in a conservative and traditional environment.

World

As the world-famous Paris landmark's reopening draws closer, people are beginning to picture their return to the place they call home and are impatient to breathe life back into its repaired stonework and vast spaces.

A tiny Christian minority sitting on one of the Holy Land's most valuable pieces of real estate has rebelled against a real-estate deal that would sacrifice nearly 25% of its land in Jerusalem.

The lush Cedars of God Forest, some 2000 meters (6,560 feet) above sea level near the northern town of Bcharre, is part of a landscape cherished by Christians.

Editorials

Brian Kaylor reflects on state executions during Christmastime and the modern parallels with a biblical character we often leave out of our nativity sets and pageants.

Lawmakers are arguing that if the federal government can restrict structures in the Rio Grande, then they could use the same Act everywhere because of Noah’s flood. Putting aside the legal silliness of the appeal to Genesis, this issue of A Public Witness joins the 22 Republican representatives in their

Focusing almost entirely on the SBC not only minimizes the theological (and political and racial) diversity of Baptists, but it also privileges a patriarchal body over others.

Word&Way Voices

Many things have changed since ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her’ was written, but not who receives the harshest punishments: those with the least social power.

Rev. Angela Denker explores the phenomenon of non-ordained men married to women who are pastors. So simple. So revolutionary. So threatening to many American Christians.

Pastor and hospice chaplain Melissa Bowers reminds us that in the long, horrifying legacy of state-sanctioned murder in the United States, a tiny pinprick of light has broken through.

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness goes to church with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to contrast his recent “sermon” with how the stories of the first Christmas deal with politicians.

For this issue of A Public Witness, Brian and Beau briefly highlight 15 of their favorite books beyond those from our monthly giveaway reviews.

This issue of A Public Witness looks back at the attacks on Syrian refugees in 2015 and the abysmal U.S. record on assisting refugees since then to help us consider what to make of efforts to ban refugees from Gaza today.

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Podcasts

In episode 104 of Dangerous Dogma, Jay Augustine, senior pastor at St. Joseph AME Church in Durham, North Carolina, talks about his book When Prophets Preach: Leadership and the Politics of the Pulpit. He also discusses preaching about current events,

In episode 103 of Dangerous Dogma, Craig Lamar Brown and Andrea Summer talk with about their movie Between Mercy and Me. They also discuss issues of racism, church worship, and creating music and movies. 

In episode 102 of Dangerous Dogma, Amanda Tyler, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, talks about attending the ReAwaken America Tour and a Pastors for Trump meeting at Trump Doral in Miami, Florida.

In episode 101 of Dangerous Dogma, Nijay Gupta, a professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, talks about his book Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. He also discusses issues related biblical translations,

Books

For this issue of A Public Witness, Brian and Beau briefly highlight 15 of their favorite books beyond those from our monthly giveaway reviews.

In "Unexpected Abundance: The Fruitful Lives of Women Without Children," Episcopal priest Elizabeth Felicetti deepens our understanding of the many ways to be fruitful.

In "Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible," Daniel Cooperrider analyzes the Bible's treatment of the environment and intersperses his own reflections on experiences in nature.

This issue of A Public Witness delves into Kathryn Cramer Brownell’s new book “24/7 Politics: Cable Television & the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News” exploring why our current media landscape looks the way it does.