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Perkins, as much an organizer as a clergyman, was often one of the few Black leaders in predominantly white evangelical settings. Throughout his life, Perkins has overcome the deaths of loved ones and his onetime hatred of white people, who included police who took the life of his brother and, years later, nearly killed him.

The Christian flag that became the focus of a free speech legal battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court was raised — briefly — outside Boston City Hall on Wednesday to cheers and songs of praise. The flag-raising took place about three months after the Supreme Court ruled the city discriminated against a group's “religious viewpoint” in 2017.

In this issue of A Public Witness, we take off on an Australian adventure. We kick things off like kangaroos to discover the relationship between church and state for the Aussies. Then we curl up like koalas to reconsider the wild text known as the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer practice and the new debate around it offers fertile ground for thinking about faith and government.

The conference, meeting for the first time in 14 years, was supposed to be an attempt to bring the Anglican Communion together — to pray, listen and discuss issues that affect the church and the world. More than 650 bishops registered to attend, including more than 100 from the Episcopal Church. They represent some 85 million Anglicans worldwide.

Nicaraguan authorities ordered the closure of six radio stations belonging to the Roman Catholic Church on Monday and surrounded one with riot police, church officials said. 

For many Ukrainian Orthodox Christians, and clergy in particular, the question of religious identity in relationship to the Russian Orthodox Church is both personal and political. What is a chaplain’s answer to men and women who have chosen to defend a country under siege since February?

In this edition of A Public Witness, we interrogate the encroaching secularism Samuel Alito fears. Then we cross-examine recent Supreme Court rulings to identify how Alito’s logic is already at work. Finally, we appeal the verdict rendered by some in the media that Alito and other justices are taking the high court in a “pro-religion” direction. 

House Democrats are asking the IRS to review the tax-exempt status of a prominent conservative advocacy group recently reclassified as a church, arguing the organization may be exploiting the designation to avoid scrutiny. Lawmakers say that while the FRC often appeals to faith and advocates for a “biblical worldview,” the status change “strains credulity.”

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview: A Decolonized Approach to Christian Doctrine by Randy S. Woodley. This book serves as a helpful introduction for those who are not familiar with an indigenous/Native American vision of Christianity and the ways it can differ from Western theology.

Imagine being a person with a disability at an unremarkably common worship service. Even if a worship space has ramps, accessible seating, large-print programs, and a separate room for those feeling overstimulated, the theology of many Christian services itself can offer little besides condemnation and exclusion.