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This issue of A Public Witness takes off on a quest to understand what the recent Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Brent Leatherwood debacle tells us about religion and politics.

As Netanyahu slammed protesters in front of Congress, thousands gathered outside, many accusing him of war crimes.

The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act bars governments from imposing land use regulations that put a substantial burden on religious exercise without a compelling reason for doing so.

This issue of A Public Witness conjures up the righteous indignation of Charlton Heston as Moses to look at the dangerous push for the Ten Commandments in public schools.

Dangerous Dogma

Church

This issue of A Public Witness takes off on a quest to understand what the recent Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Brent Leatherwood debacle tells us about religion and politics.

The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act bars governments from imposing land use regulations that put a substantial burden on religious exercise without a compelling reason for doing so.

The kerfuffle over Leatherwood's status, which played out in competing press releases from ERLC leaders, is the latest controversy for the SBC's public policy arm.

Nation

As Netanyahu slammed protesters in front of Congress, thousands gathered outside, many accusing him of war crimes.

As the GOP pivots to an unpredictable general election season, the party is doubling down on its commitment to Christian Nationalism.

This issue of A Public Witness details the religious background of Kamala Harris, now one of the two leading contenders to be the 47th president of the United States.

World

False charges of forced conversion are used to target Christians, who cite attacks on church properties and institutions, the harassment of pastors, and raids on private parties.

Rev. Hkalam Samson, a human rights advocate from Myanmar’s Kachin ethnic minority, was first arrested in December 2022.

The letter comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the U.S., where he is expected to address Congress on Wednesday and meet with President Joe Biden on Thursday.

Editorials

While messengers to last week’s annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention debated how to treat churches with women in pastoral roles, Baptist Women in Ministry showed up to offer a counter witness.

The thinning of the UMC’s conservative ranks makes this week’s conference a perfect time to address the issue.

Missing in all the jokes and news reports about the Trump Bible is that this isn’t the first time a presidential stamp of approval was sought for the Good Book.

Word&Way Voices

Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy explores how for many conservative evangelicals, fellow Americans and other Christians have come to be seen as evil enemies.

Contributing writer Greg Mamula walks through the various biblical, theological, and civic concerns raised by Louisiana’s attempt to mandate display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom.

Faithful America’s Rev. Nathan Empsall makes the case that Christian Nationalism poses multiple threats to the common good, but perhaps none are more dangerous than its misuse of Christianity to incite violence.

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness takes off on a quest to understand what the recent Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Brent Leatherwood debacle tells us about religion and politics.

Theologian and pastor Ross Kane articulates a vision of how Christians can engage in public life that begins with the premise that all politics is local.

This issue of A Public Witness details the religious background of Kamala Harris, now one of the two leading contenders to be the 47th president of the United States.

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Podcasts

We had a lot of great podcast conversations this year. So let’s count down the top 10 most-downloaded of episodes of Dangerous Dogma in 2023.

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.

Books

Theologian and pastor Ross Kane articulates a vision of how Christians can engage in public life that begins with the premise that all politics is local.

In "Judaism Is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life," Shai Held explores how a dramatic misinterpretation of the Jewish tradition has shaped the history of the West.

In "Claiming the Courageous Middle: Daring to Live and Work Together for a More Hopeful Future," Shirley A. Mullen tackles the political and cultural polarization has led to suspicion and animosity in our churches.

In "The Emancipation of God: Postmarks on Cultural Prophecy," Walter Brueggemann grinds away at biblical texts that have been muffled, silenced, and disabled to free the text from its cultural entrapments.