Summer Reads 2022
In this issue of A Public Witness, we both join with six other people to each suggest two books for your consideration. We hope you’ll find at least one good book to help in your own formation this summer.
Will SBC Denounce Jan. 6 — or Affirm False 2020 Election Claims?
Last year, leaders at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting pulled a resolution that would have had messengers declare they “denounce the Capitol insurrection.” This year, messengers might elect a new leader who amplified false claims about the 2020 election.
#ChurchToo Revelations Growing, Years After Movement Began
Survivors of sexual assault in church settings and their advocates have been calling on churches for years to admit the extent of abuse in their midst and to implement reforms. In recent weeks #ChurchToo has seen an especially intense set of revelations across denominations and
Tom Ascol, Would-Be SBC President, Worries Churches have Lost Hold of the Bible
Tom Ascol has long argued Southern Baptist churches are filled with people who believe they are Christians but really aren't — a belief shaped by growing up with an abusive father who was also a church deacon.
How Christian Nationalism Paved the Way for Jan. 6
After Trump lost the election in November, a report from the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the Freedom From Religion Foundation concluded that Christian nationalism, also referred to as white Christian nationalism, was used to “bolster, justify and intensify the January 6 attack
Campaigning for SBC President on Trumpian Media
In this issue of A Public Witness, we recount the politics animating the SBC, hop on the virtual bus to follow Tom Ascol’s campaign, and then consider what his victory could mean well beyond Southern Baptist life.
Calls for SBC To Cut Ties With Guidepost Solutions Greet Firm’s Pride Month Tweet
Randy Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, called on the SBC to “break all ties” with the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions, which produced the long-awaited sexual abuse report, after the company posted on Twitter its support for LGBTQ+ Pride month.
Khalia Williams on the Practice of Worship
In episode 54 of Dangerous Dogma, Khalia Williams, associate dean of worship and music at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, talks about teaching and leading worship and co-director the Baptist Studies Program. She also discusses worship in light of COVID, race, location, and
New Vaccine May Be Option for Troops With Religious Concerns
A COVID-19 vaccine that could soon win federal approval may offer a boost for the U.S. military: an opportunity to get shots into some of the thousands of service members who have refused other coronavirus vaccines for religious reasons.
First Transgender Bishop of Largest Lutheran Denomination Resigns
The first transgender bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has resigned amid criticism over the decision to remove the pastor of a Latino congregation on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December. Questions remain about the timing of the resignation.