Since the 1880s, Southern Baptists Have Argued Over the Role of Women
Since 2000, official Southern Baptist doctrine limits the role of pastor to men. But that doctrine had never been enforced at the national level until recently.
State Lawmakers Push for Priests to Report Abuse Learned About in Confessional
Catholic leaders are pushing back against efforts to alter state laws that exempt clergy from reporting child abuse they hear about during the sacrament of confession, arguing the changes will force priests to choose between the law and their faith.
A Moral Reckoning 20 Years in the Making
This edition of A Public Witness revisits how too many American Christians decided to support an unjust war and considers what lessons the American Church can learn two decades later in the hopes of not repeating a sin of such consequence.
Review: Preaching and Praying as Though God Matters
"Preaching and Praying as Though God Matters: In the Post-establishment Church" by Ronald P. Byars seeks to provide us with a word that ties preaching and worship together, with special attention given to the Lord's Table.
Pope Francis at 10 Years: A Reformer’s Learning Curve
Pope Francis celebrates the 10th anniversary of his election Monday, far outpacing the “two or three” years he once envisioned for his papacy and showing no signs of slowing down.
For FBI Legend J. Edgar Hoover, Christian Nationalism Was the Gospel Truth, Argues New Book
In 'The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover,' Stanford professor Lerone Martin details how the longtime FBI director shaped the belief in America as a Christian nation.
French Church Abuse Victims Get Reparations, and Recognition
France’s Catholic bishops’ conference agreed to provide reparations after a 2021 report estimated some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other church-related figures in France.
Jesus Hates Cable News
In light of the growing controversy about Fox News, we are offering A Public Witness readers a piece originally published as the cover story of Word&Way magazine in October 2021 but which has never been published online.
In North Idaho, Religious and Secular Activists Work to Fight Christian Nationalism
Devotees of far-right politics have flocked to this part of Idaho and the surrounding states for decades, and for as long they have met resistance — including from faith leaders.
Old-School Christian Nationalism’s Avatar of Racism, Antisemitism, and Conspiracies
The early version of Christian nationalism turned the fear of communism into an excuse to embrace prejudice and forfeit American democracy. While Rev. Gerald L.K. Smith’s name is mostly forgotten, his ideas — and the strategies he used to promote them — still haunt America