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In this issue of A Public Witness, we take you to church to hear from Democratic gubernatorial nominees Charlie Crist in Florida, J.B. Pritzker in Illinois, and Stacey Abrams in Georgia. And then we consider the problems emerging from this campaign tactic. 

China’s discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity, the U.N. human rights office said in a long-awaited report Wednesday, which cited “serious” rights violations and patterns of torture in recent years. The report seeks “urgent attention” from the U.N. and the world community to rights violations.

Parents of children enrolled in Maine religious schools fought all the way to the Supreme Court for the state to treat tuition reimbursements the same as other private schools. But only one of the religious high schools has signed up to participate this fall, after Maine’s attorney general warned that the schools would have to abide by state antidiscrimination laws, including those that protect LGBTQ students and faculty.

In this issue of A Public Witness, we introduce you to the man behind the microphone of the Todd Starnes Show before listening to his sermon Sunday. Then we offer a warning about risking the Church’s witness by elevating partisan voices like Starnes in pulpits.

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "Bonhoeffer’s Religionless Christianity in Its Christological Context" by Peter Hooton. This book centers on the writings that appeared near the end of Bonhoeffer’s life that sought to envision what a non-institutionalized Christianity might look like. This exploration helps us understand how Bonhoeffer can be helpful to our current conversations in a world that is increasingly polarized.

The National Association of Evangelicals unveiled a sweeping report Monday on climate change, laying out what its authors call the “biblical basis” for environmental activism to help spur fellow evangelicals to address the planetary environmental crisis. But the authors admit persuading evangelicals is no small task, considering the religious group has historically been one of the demographics most resistant to action on the issue.

Botrus Mansour describes the work it took to transform his grandparents' 140-year-old house into a wedding chapel for those who want to tie the knot in the town where Jesus turned water into wine performing his first miracle in Galilee. This symbol of rich Palestinian Christian heritage represents more than just a tourist business or museum — it is part of a community that has chosen to be the living stones of this biblical land.

A  meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, appears to be scrapped after the cleric, who has been widely criticized for his justifications for the invasion of Ukraine, pulled out of a meeting of religious leaders in Kazakhstan next month. Francis, who is slated to attend the gathering, was said to be hoping for an encounter with Kirill on the sidelines of the event.

If Dr. Mehmet Oz is elected to the U.S. Senate this fall, he’ll be the first Muslim ever to serve in the chamber. It’s something he hardly brings up while campaigning, his Democratic opponent isn’t raising it and it’s barely a topic of conversation in Pennsylvania’s Muslim community. Even if Muslims know that Oz is a fellow Muslim, many may not identify with him culturally or politically.

In this issue of A Public Witness, we offer a review for the test about the cultural and political forces targeting public education. Then we open up a new chapter about how Christians have added to this political polarization before answering the essay question about the consequences of such politicking.