Church

In this issue of A Public Witness, we recount the politics animating the SBC, hop on the virtual bus to follow Tom Ascol’s campaign, and then consider what his victory could mean well beyond Southern Baptist life. 

Randy Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, called on the SBC to “break all ties” with the investigative firm Guidepost Solutions, which produced the long-awaited sexual abuse report, after the company posted on Twitter its support for LGBTQ+ Pride month.

The first transgender bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has resigned amid criticism over the decision to remove the pastor of a Latino congregation on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December. Questions remain about the timing of the resignation.

In this issue of A Public Witness, we sign up for a quick history of VBS before heading to Zoomerang to experience a unique VBS for today’s culture wars. Finally, we pack up for the day by reflecting on what this means for churches.  

A group of church members at First Baptist Church in Bossier, Louisiana, has sued the church, claiming the pastor diverted money from missions to a conservative Baptist group. The pastor says Satan is trying to destroy the church.

After more than four decades, the pastor of one of the nation’s largest and most influential churches is ready to step down. And he has named a young couple to take his place.

The governing body of the largest Mennonite denomination in the United States passed a resolution on Sunday (May 29) confessing to “committing violence against LGBTQ people” and committing to LGBTQ inclusion. In a separate vote, Mennonite Church USA also repealed instructions to pastors not to officiate at marriages between people of the same sex.

For decades, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has urged its members to study, dialogue and act to prevent gun violence going back to the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. Other mainline denominations have also joined, like the Episcopal Church’s Bishops United Against Gun Violence.

As racism and violence against Asian Americans began to spike during the COVID-19 pandemic, groups like the Asian American Christian Collaborative formed to fight back with information and advocacy. Still, some Asian American Christian leaders believe there is more the church can be doing to address racism and violence against Asian Americans.

Since San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone barred House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from receiving the Eucharist in his jurisdiction last Friday, three other bishops from the conservative wing of the U.S. Catholic Church have followed.