Russell Moore Defamation Lawsuit Withdrawn by Georgia Pastor Mike Stone
Lawyers for Georgia Baptist pastor Mike Stone filed paperwork Thursday to voluntarily withdraw a complaint filed in federal court against Russell Moore, the former head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.
Bah! Humbug! Italy Bishop Tells Children Santa Doesn’t Exist
A Roman Catholic diocese in Sicily publicly apologized to outraged parents after its bishop told a group of children that Santa Claus doesn’t exist. The diocese said the bishop was trying to underline the true meaning of Christmas.
New Advent Album by The Porter’s Gate is Balm for a Pandemic-Weary World
The newest album by The Porter’s Gate is a far cry from the peppy “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”-type Christmas tunes. Drawing heavily from biblical Scriptures and written with congregational worship in mind, Advent Songs is meant as a hope-filled response to 2021’s weighty realities.
New Podcast ‘Hark!’ Explores the Stories Behind the Most Beloved Christmas Carols
Many people don’t know the stories behind their favorite Christmas carols. That’s where ‘Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols’ comes in, a new podcast that explores the meaning and making of some of the best-known and most-loved Christmas carols.
Review: The Immaculate Mistake
Voices Editor Jeremy Fuzy reviews a new book by Rodney Kennedy, The Immaculate Mistake: How Evangelicals Gave Birth to Donald Trump. Kennedy utilizes his identity as a scholar of rhetoric and a Baptist preacher to draw out new understandings of the relationship between evangelicals and Trump.
Some Pastors Fear Talking About Vaccines. Other See Them as a Blessing.
Fewer than half of churchgoers say their clergy (44%) have spoken about vaccines. One exception: historically Black churches, where two-thirds of churchgoers say pastors have encouraged their people to get vaccines. And some have even led their churches to set up on-site vaccine clinics.
A Virus of Religious Intolerance
This edition of A Public Witness unpacks troubling examples of when a person’s religious identity became grounds for others to question their fitness for public office.
Court Suggests Religious Schools OK to Get Maine Tuition Aid
The Supreme Court appeared ready Wednesday to rule that religious schools can’t be excluded from a Maine program that offers tuition aid for private education.
Our 2021 Books of the Year
In this issue of A Public Witness. Here’s the table of contents: 1. Five books featured on Dangerous Dogma, 2. Five books recommended by Brian (that haven’t yet led to podcast episodes), 3. Five books recommended by Beau, and 4. A heartwarming conclusion.
Trump Preacher Calls Biden Administration ‘Ungodliest’ in U.S. History
A preacher who campaigned for Donald Trump claimed during a sermon Sunday (Dec. 5) attacked President Joe Biden’s administration as “ungodly.” Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, also mocked Biden’s Catholic faith during the sermon.