News

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.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews The Pastor’s Bookshelf: Why Reading Matters for Ministry by Austin Carty. When it comes to reading, Carty wants clergy to know that only reading ministry-related books is not a sufficiently healthy diet and suggests they read a wide variety of books including fiction.

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.

Faith-led advocacy group the Poor People’s Campaign is pushing for a broad-based meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss poverty, arguing the White House has not adequately responded to requests for a summit despite the president endorsing the group while running for office and speaking at their events.

Gunmen opened fire on worshipers and detonated explosives at a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria on Sunday, leaving dozens feared dead, state lawmakers said. 

After a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, several pastors around the country challenged their conservative counterparts with this question: Are you pro-life if you are pro-gun?

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 In a separate vote, Mennonite Church USA also repealed instructions to pastors not to officiate at marriages between people of the same sex.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.