UCC Elects First Woman — and First Woman of African Descent — To Lead Denomination
That Thompson is the first woman to lead the denomination may be surprising given the denomination’s progressive stances on women’s rights and many other issues.
Blessing in a Schism
This issue of A Public Witness attends multiple disaffiliation blessings — from Southern Baptist to United Methodist and Mennonite — to consider different models for denominational partings.
For Church Worship Teams, Auto-Tune Covers a Multitude of Sins. Especially Online.
The boom in livestreaming and the ubiquity of Auto-Tune and other technologies have led churches to up their game when it comes to sound technology. But has it gone too far?
William Barber Departs Pulpit of Greenleaf Church With an Ode to the Power of Disability
The sermon, which capped his 30-year tenure as pastor of the Disciples of Christ church in Goldsboro, North Carolina, was unusually personal.
SBC Saved From … Hearing a Woman Preach God’s Love
This issue of A Public Witness adds historical context to the contentious meeting of the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. to consider what the debate about women in ministry means for that body and the broader Christian witness.
Southern Baptists Refuse To Take Back Megachurch Because It Has Women Pastors
Saddleback had been the denomination’s second-largest congregation and until recently was widely touted as a success story amid larger Southern Baptist membership declines.
SBC Messengers Reelect Texas Pastor Bart Barber to a Second Term as President
Barber's reelection seems to indicate that Southern Baptists approve of the direction the convention is going and marks the third time a candidate backed by the Conservative Baptist Network has been defeated.
Preachers Confront Christian Nationalism
This issue of A Public Witness examines sermons preached on Sunday across the country to highlight what pastors participating in Faithful America's pre-Flag Day event had to share about the dangers of Christian Nationalism.
Before Advocating for Women in Ministry, Rick Warren Split With SBC Over Global Fellowship
Rick Warren has been mounting a public campaign as he urges Southern Baptists to not kick out churches for ordaining women ministers. While his advocacy sparked recent profiles, that coverage leaves out an earlier time when Warren publicly broke with the SBC over its attempt
Reparations Campaign Takes New Forms With Bible Study, Juneteenth March
'The case for restitution and restoration is laid out across the Old Testament and New Testament,' reads the introduction of the National Council of Churches' study.