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In the midst of this Holy Week, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker had the chance to interview two authors of seemingly divergent books on White Christian Nationalism in America.

The monthly church attendance of Black Protestants declined 15% from 2019 to 2023, a larger drop than any other major religious group.

The biggest change came among those who said they quit their religious upbringing because of its treatment or teachings of LGBTQ people.

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Dangerous Dogma

Church

The Progressive National Baptist Convention, the denominational home of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., publicly endorsed calls for a ceasefire in Israel-Gaza on Monday.

Revelations about the decadeslong abuse by a prominent SBC leader have led to fears that the denomination's sex-abuse reforms are doomed to fail.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has been sending thousands of migrants to cities like Chicago, Illinois. Many churches in the Windy City are stepping up to help care for the migrants.

Nation

A strong majority of Americans, and majorities of many religious groups, still broadly support LGBTQ rights.

Catholics, including El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, have rallied around the volunteer-run network of migrant shelters, describing Ken Paxton’s legal actions as violating religious freedom.

But those who know Tom Parker say his IVF concurring opinion was not simply a heartfelt expression of faith, but part of a strategy the chief justice has used to create legal precedent for conservative causes.

World

Vatican officials said about 70,000 people filled St. Peter's Square for Francis' noonday speech and blessing. They included many people flying Palestinian flags, as well as some Ukrainian ones.

Palestinian Christians have felt abandoned by global Christian church leaders’ statements on the Israel-Hamas war, with some viewing the war as a moment for Western denominations to reckon with their colonialist past.

'It’s war, it’s terrorism,' Pope Francis said.

Editorials

In day 18 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on the news of a camel escaping from a live nativity in Kansas.

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor offers some seasonal advice to the music director at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, ahead of Sunday’s worship service that will include former President Donald Trump.

In day 18 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on violent insurrections during the time of Jesus’s birth and what that can teach us today.

Word&Way Voices

Many things have changed since ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her’ was written, but not who receives the harshest punishments: those with the least social power.

Rev. Angela Denker explores the phenomenon of non-ordained men married to women who are pastors. So simple. So revolutionary. So threatening to many American Christians.

Pastor and hospice chaplain Melissa Bowers reminds us that in the long, horrifying legacy of state-sanctioned murder in the United States, a tiny pinprick of light has broken through.

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness takes a look at past efforts from Christian clergy to bless weapons of war before returning to a current conflict to hear from a pastor in the little town of Bethlehem.

This issue of A Public Witness analyzes two dozen Trump rally prayers to consider key themes and what this means for our current religious-political moment.

This issue of A Public Witness introduces you to six ministers who have been charged for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, offering insights into the dangerous ways Christian Nationalism distorts the Christian witness.

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Podcasts

In episode 71 of Dangerous Dogma, Sarah Posner, author of God's Profits and Unholy, talks about covering religion and politics. She also discusses issues of Christian Nationalism, the U.S. Supreme Court, Donald Trump, and ongoing threats to democracy.

Bekah McNeel, an education journalist, talks about her new book Bringing Up Kids When Church Lets You Down: A Guide for Parents Questioning Their Faith. She also discusses the impact of COVID-19 on education, debates about critical race theory, and reacting to the Uvalde, Texas,

In episode 69, Jack Jenkins, a national reporter for Religion News Service about his work reporting on religion and politics on both the right and left. He also discusses his book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and

In episode 68, Angela Denker, a Lutheran pastor and journalist, talks about her book Red State Christians: A Journey into White Christian Nationalism and the Wreckage It Leaves Behind. She also discusses Lutherans, racism, and the need for pastors to speak

Books

In "bell hooks' Spiritual Vision: Buddhist, Christian, and Feminist," Nadra Nittle offers readers a window into religion's role throughout the prominent social critic's writings.

In "My Body, Their Baby: A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy," Grace Kao assesses the ethics of surrogacy from a feminist perspective, concluding that certain kinds of arrangements should be embraced.

In "Songs I Love to Sing: The Billy Graham Crusades and the Shaping of Modern Worship," Edith L. Blumhofer explores the stories behind some of the most beloved modern hymns.

In his new book "The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: And the Path to a Shared American Future," Robert Jones argues that truly understanding the sordid racial history of the United States requires reckoning with the Doctrine of Discovery.