News

As Twitter’s new owner bumbles along and risks destroying the very network he just purchased for $44 billion, we thought we’d take a look at why this matters — even to people not on Twitter. In this issue of A Public Witness, we look at the erratic chirping happening right now at Twitter. Then we suggest what might be lost if the blue bird app goes the way of Myspace or Friendster.

Pastor Dawn Darwin Weaks explores what it was like for a once large and vibrant church community to decide to make a major change. With only a few dozen active people left, they made the choice to relocate, rename, and relaunch together. Before the 116-year-old congregation gathered for worship in a new space, they performed one last ritual in order to truly let go.

Phoenix pastor Caleb Campbell has a theory about the growing number of Americans who are labeled as Christian nationalists. Most would rather go to Cracker Barrel than storm the Capitol. Many see themselves as good Christians who love their country. But somewhere along the way, they began to think being a good American and being a Christian were one and the same.

For months, we’ve documented the appearances, rhetoric, and political activities in religious settings of candidates running for office on a platform of Christian Nationalism. Many voters rejected this worldview to a shocking degree in Tuesday’s midterm elections. In this edition of A Public Witness, we take a look back at our earlier reporting on various races, and we consider the ongoing test facing American democracy.

As the Supreme Court hears Brackeen v. Haaland, what is at stake for most interested parties is the decades-old Indian Child Welfare Act. The act was meant to stop Native American families from being separated by child welfare agencies and private adoption services and instead seek placement for children within a federally recognized tribe. But some also see it as case about religious liberty.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "How to Inhabit Time: Understanding the Past, Facing the Future, Living Faithfully Now" by James K. A. Smith. This book explores how we experience time and with past and future framing our life experience, the question we face concerns how we might live faithfully in the present. Smith argues that divine grace allows us to overcome the realities of the past even if we can’t erase that past.

Political operatives were keeping an eye on Mastriano because of how the Pennsylvanian deployed Christian nationalist themes to secure the hard-line religious right base. Mastriano broke out of the Republican primary pack by cloaking himself in one of the most vocal strains of Christian nationalism: anti-pandemic restrictions, pro-conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and dubious of separation of church and state.

In this issue of A Public Witness, Brian takes us inside the latest iteration of the ReAwaken America Tour that occurred Nov. 4-5 in Branson. Based on what he heard from the stage and what he saw walking around inside the event, it was clear they see this as a church gathering. So, Brian shares highlights of the event by considering it in the form of a church service.

Andrea Marta of Faith in Action argues that this year we are increasingly seeing how white Christian Nationalism is dominating midterm election campaigns and contributing to voter suppression tactics. While advocacy efforts cannot be limited to the ballot box, voters of faith, especially Black and Brown voters, will ensure elected officials are held accountable and everyone’s sacred right to vote is protected.

The ad is the latest sign that DeSantis may be making a play to become the anointed candidate of conservative religious voters. Doing so would likely challenge the electoral ambitions of former-President Donald Trump, who may end up facing off against DeSantis in the Republican presidential primaries.