A Call for ‘Biblical’ Genocide
This issue of A Public Witness considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reference to Amalek from Deuteronomy and unpacks what it means when politicians invoke such passages during war.
Review: God’s Monsters
In "God's Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible," Esther J. Hamori offers an entertaining deep dive into the creaturely strangeness of scripture.
In Vatican Summit’s Closing Document, Agreement That Synodality Is Church’s Future
Pope Francis’ synod on synodality never sought to answer the church’s hot-button questions, but it achieved its goal of promoting dialogue.
Residents of Maine Gather To Pray and Reflect, Days After a Mass Shooting Left 18 People Dead
Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre, but have increasingly been focused on Robert Card’s mental health history.
Mike Bickle, Leader of IHOP Movement, Accused of Sexual Abuse
Former IHOP leaders say several women have credibly accused Bickle of clergy sexual abuse. Leaders of the Kansas City-based prayer group say they are aware of the allegations.
As Turkey’s Christians Celebrate a New Church, Religious Minorities Still Call for Respect
Though he has allowed new houses of worship to be built and old ones to be reopened, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan needs to do more, observers say, to restore respect for a truly pluralistic society as much as for church property.
Charlottesville’s Robert E. Lee Statue Melted Down
‘It’s taking that culture of death and repurposing it for the sake of life, telling this very long story of resistance to that white supremacist culture,’ said the Rev. Isaac Collins, a Methodist minister who attended the melting.
Chaos Erupts Over SBC Legal Filing in Louisville Abuse Lawsuit
A friend-of-the-court filing has led to questions of whether the Southern Baptist Convention has changed its ways in dealing with abuse.
Christian Nationalism in the Speaker’s Chair
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
Poll: More Religious Americans Support the Use of Political Violence
One-third of white evangelical Protestants support the idea, significantly more than any other religious group.