Learning from the Pope’s Apology
In this issue of A Public Witness, we look at what led to a historic apology by Pope Francis before reflecting on what it means to offer a corporate apology and what steps must come afterward.
The 2024 Evangelical Primary
In this issue of A Public Witness, we look at the enduring influence of White evangelicals within the GOP power structure, the early stages of the 2024 presidential campaign, and what it tells us to expect in the months and years ahead.
Review: That We May Be One
Robert D. Cornwall reviews That We May Be One: Practicing Unity in a Divided Church by Gary B. Agee. In this book, Agee reminds us that unity is not easy to achieve and that shortcuts that avoid difficult conversations about issues such as race and
Paul Raushenbush: ‘Christian Nationalism Is a Threat to the American Way of Life’
The Interfaith Alliance is one of a constellation of nonprofit organizations on the political left, promoting religious pluralism and democracy. This week the alliance announced that the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, an interfaith leader, journalist and American Baptist minister, would become its new president and CEO,
Indigenous Canadians Wary, Hopeful as Pope Prepares Apology
With attention focusing on the former school in the prairie town of Maskwacis as Pope Francis visits Monday to apologize for abuses in a system designed to sever Native children from their tribal, family, and religious bonds, Indigenous Canadians are voicing a range of skepticism,
Bart Barber Wants the Southern Baptist Convention To Regain Its Rural Soul
While Bart Barber has been involved with Southern Baptist Convention polity for years — he was the head of the resolutions committee that selected and shaped many of the proposed reforms — Barber is the first SBC president in nearly two decades not to emerge
Badge of Honor
As theologians and politicians proudly declare this allegiance, it marks a critical shift in the public debate about Christian Nationalism and its dangers to democracy and Christianity. So, we look at the growing trend of people calling themselves a “Christian Nationalist” and consider why this
As Monkeypox Spreads, Global Organizations Mobilize Faith Networks To Fight Stigma
Faith leaders from a range of religions are teaming up with WHO officials to help prevent monkeypox as outbreaks of the disease occur across the globe. Religions for Peace Secretary-General Azza Karam said “theologies of compassion” that developed in response to HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and COVID-19
Religious Liberty Has a Long and Messy History – And There Is a Reason Americans Feel Strongly About It
At the close of its recent term the Supreme Court ruled on the cases of Carson v. Makin and Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, rekindling controversy over one of the most enduring issues in American history: religious liberty. Another of this term’s blockbuster decisions, Dobbs
Excavation of Graves Begins at Site of Colonial Black Church
Archaeologists in Virginia began excavating three suspected graves at the original site of one of the nation’s oldest Black churches on Monday, commencing a monthslong effort to learn who was buried there and how they lived.