Jesus & Gerrymandering
In this issue of A Public Witness, we count the fights over redistricting and the relative quietness from Christians amid this partisan fight. Then we map out what values Christians should push amid redistricting squabbles.
Missouri Governor’s ‘Christian Values’ Statement Questioned
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has no “litmus test for appointments,” his spokeswoman said Friday, despite a statement earlier in the week indicating he would only nominate a state health director who shared his “Christian values.”
Francis Collins on COVID-19 Politics: ‘The Culture War is Literally Killing People’
Former National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins said he is “heartbroken” that more of his fellow White evangelicals have not received the COVID-19 vaccines. He added that many White evangelicals have been “victimized by the misinformation and lies and conspiracies that are floating around,
Thy Kingdom Come?
In this issue of A Public Witness, we recite the ways the Lord’s Prayer has been co-opted at political rallies across the country. Then we meditate on what is happening and the inherent politics of the Lord’s Prayer.
Ordinance Limiting Oregon Church Meal Services Violates Religious Freedom, Lawsuit Says
An Oregon church is suing the coastal city of Brookings, arguing that an ordinance restricting the church’s meal program for the unhoused violates its right to religious freedom. St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon filed the lawsuit against the city on Jan.
Rockin’ in the World?
In this issue of A Public Witness, we open up the book on recent efforts to ban or deplatform unwanted perspectives. Then we turn the pages on the ways these efforts often backfire, proving to be a harmful approach for dealing with noxious opinions.
Morality Isn’t a Spectator Sport
We kickoff with a look at the health-related controversies that have swirled around the NFL. We then ask for an official review from Christian thinkers past and present. Finally, we send up a Hail Mary that encourages followers of Jesus to think about their sports
How the Capitol Attacks Helped Spread Christian Nationalism in the Extreme Right
With so many ideological strands animating the far-right — including racism, antisemitism, and fervent nationalism — a shared affinity for Christian Nationalism has come to serve as a unifying element, scholars of extremism say. And as Christian Nationalism’s presence grows, experts are concerned it could expand
S.D. School ‘Prayer’ Bill Rejected by House Republicans
A Republican-dominated South Dakota House committee on Friday rejected Gov. Kristi Noem’s proposal to require public schools to have a moment of silence to start the day. The Republican governor first billed the proposal at a conservative Christian conference in Iowa last year as “putting prayer back in schools.”
A Banner Moment for Christian Nationalism
In this issue of A Public Witness, we tune into the oral arguments in Shurtleff v. City of Boston. We also judge the effort to undermine the Jeffersonian-called separation of church and state by conservative Christians and unlikely allies like President Joe Biden and the ACLU.