News - Word&Way

News

HomeNews (Page 142)

For decades, Missouri executions played out in similar fashion. But that is changing now as spiritual advisors are present in the room, like Rev. Darryl Gray in November and Rev. Lauren Bennett in January.

Biden’s remarks occurred on the day when there were two prayer breakfast events for the first time since Dwight Eisenhower became the first president to make an appearance. Besides the gathering at the Capitol, one hosted by “The Family” met where the breakfast has been held since the 1980s.

As Missouri plans another execution on Feb. 7 in a case with a strong innocence claim, Rev. Lauren Bennett’s story offers a look inside the execution chamber. Last month as she ministered deep in the valley of prison until the shadow of death passed over, she found herself wrestling with the nature of God and humanity.

Jewish and Christian clergy have taken an active role in protesting what one advocacy group has called the “most dangerous” session of the Missouri Legislature for the LGBTQ community it has seen in years. All told, Missouri lawmakers have introduced 27 anti-LGBTQ bills — more than any other state.

A new exhibition at a London library explores the Anglican Church’s role in the 18th-cenury slave trade. It coincides with a new report setting out that role in hard facts and figures.

The Progressive National Baptist Convention plans to use a new $1 million grant to fund a five-year training program for ministers of the historically Black denomination as they adapt their preaching in an age changed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A court date has been set for a trial involving former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson, the school, and an alleged sexual abuse survivor. A former SWBTS student filed suit against them in March 2019 alleging negligence, violation of privacy, and liability.

Given the questions about the event throughout its seven-decade history, the National Prayer Breakfast deserves greater attention. So in this issue of A Public Witness, Brian Kaylor recalls its history and recent controversies before considering what this year's new changes could mean.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "A Gift Grows in the Ghetto: Reimagining the Spiritual Lives of Black Men" by Jay-Paul Michael Hinds. This book reimagines the ghetto, a place of separation and abandonment, in terms of the wilderness that Ishmael experienced after Abraham expelled him and his mother from their home.

White conservative evangelicals, who make up most of the religious right movement, largely oppose government regulation to protect the environment, including efforts to curb human-caused climate change. Contrary to popular perception, however, this hasn’t always been the case.