Historic American Church Set to Integrate its Slavery Ties
The great contradiction of Boston’s Old North Church is that a site pivotal to the freedom of the nation is the same place where slave owners and traders once worshiped.
With Black Flags, Sri Lanka Christians Protest Bombing Probe
Sri Lanka’s Christian community hoisted black flags at churches and homes on Saturday to express anger over the government’s investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks, which killed 269 people.
SBU Picks New President with History at Controversy-Plagued Institutions
On Friday, Southwest Baptist University announced its new president to lead the school after its previous president resigned amid an ongoing nearly three-year conflict over power and theology. Rick Melson, vice president for advancement at Cedarville University in Ohio, will become SBU’s 26th president.
Back-to-School Time Influences Congregations’ Decisions on Masking & Meeting
The return to in-person school in many communities across the country means many houses of worship are grappling with whether children — especially those under 12 who do not have access to a COVID-19 vaccine — should be exposed to adults, vaccinated and unvaccinated.
Conference Explains the Threat of White Christian Nationalism
Indiana University’s Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture recently held an online mini-conference examining “White Christian Nationalism in the United States.” Two separate panels sought to understand this potent and problematic cultural identity.
As U.S. Bishops Reject Exemptions, Pope Francis Dubs COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Act of Love’
Pope Francis issued a message on Wednesday encouraging Catholics to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, calling it “an act of love,” as part of a global effort to reduce the onslaught of the pandemic and convince vaccine skeptics.
The Fall of a Nation
In this issue of A Public Witness, we consider the failure of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan amid the unfolding humanitarian crisis. And we offer some lessons we hope Christians will consider from this war miscast as a crusade.
Gina Stewart Becomes First Woman Elected to Lead U.S. Black Baptist Organization
In a pathbreaking decision, the Rev. Gina Stewart has been elected as the first woman president of the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Society, marking the first time a female has been chosen for the highest post of a Black Baptist organization.
Refugee Aid Groups Criticize Biden for Stumbles in Evacuating ‘Desperate’ Afghans
As most Americans absorbed the shock of the Taliban’s full takeover of Afghanistan over the weekend, officials at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service followed the rapidly deteriorating situation with resignation, knowing it could have gone differently.
Many Bible Belt Preachers Silent on Shots as COVID-19 Surges
Across the nation’s deeply-religious Bible Belt, a region beset by soaring infection rates from the fast-spreading delta variant of the virus, churches and pastors are both helping and hurting in the campaign to get people vaccinated against COVID-19.