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.
Global Baptists Pass Resolution Denouncing Doctrine of Discovery
During the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance in Stavanger, Norway, members of the body’s general council on Tuesday (July 4) passed a resolution on repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery.
‘The Devil Is Going To Be in the Details’ of Public School Bible Courses in Missouri
A Missouri bill could encourage more public schools to teach the Bible. But designing a course that respects students’ First Amendment rights can be tricky.
Rev. Amos Brown, Vice Chair of California’s Reparations Task Force, Calls for Action
Rev. Amos C. Brown is a civil rights veteran and onetime student of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Now, the 82-year-old senior pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church is vice chair of California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.
The Supreme Court Rules for a Designer Who Doesn’t Want To Make Wedding Websites for Gay Couples
In a defeat for gay rights, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled Friday that a Christian graphic artist who wants to design wedding websites can refuse to work with same-sex couples.
France’s Highest Administrative Court Says the Soccer Federation Can Ban Headscarves in Matches
The ruling is likely to refuel the lingering debate on secularism — still volatile more than a century after the 1905 law on separation of church and state that established it as a principle of the French Republic.
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.
Supreme Court Solidifies Protections for Workers Who Ask for Religious Accommodations
The Supreme Court on Thursday used the case of a Christian mailman who didn’t want to work Sundays to solidify protections for workers who ask for religious accommodations.
Arizona’s Oak Flat Is Sacred Land to Some Native Americans, but It’s Endangered by a Plan for a Mine
A religiously diverse coalition — Christian, Muslim, Sikh, and other Native American groups — has backed the Apache Stronghold by filing amicus briefs.
Review & Giveaway: Spiritual Care
Sociologist Wendy Cadge's "Spiritual Care: The Everyday Work of Chaplains" is an in-depth study that fills a gaping hole in understanding how religious care is provided within the United States.