News

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 In a separate vote, Mennonite Church USA also repealed instructions to pastors not to officiate at marriages between people of the same sex.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

In this issue of A Public Witness, we recall an earlier “satanic panic” before looking at the hellish impact that demonizing our political opponents has on democracy.

Perfect for Father’s Day, a review of Dear Son: Raising Faithful, Just, and Compassionate Men by Jonathan Hall and Beau Underwood. And learn how to win the autographed copy we will give away.

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.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Stepmother: Redeeming a Disdained Vocation by Dorothy C. Bass. The book delivers a deeper understanding of complex family relationships and seeks to redeem a “disdained vocation” through exploring life experiences and offering a word of grace and encouragement to those who find themselves serving as stepmothers.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered under the scorching Texas sun Friday to protest outside the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting, just days after 21 people died in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that has reignited a national debate on gun rights.

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.

In this edition of A Public Witness, we look at the principalities and powers preventing us from doing something about gun violence, along with the Christian leaders aiding and abetting their cause. Then we denounce the idolatry that demands we sacrifice our children.