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In the wake of gun violence that left three adults and three children dead, the students and their families have formed tight bonds out of their shared suffering.

The percentage of Americans who never attend services outnumbers those who go every week, according to a new report.

The lawsuit, filed by former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Adam Greenway, is the latest of the seminary's long-term fiscal woes.

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Dangerous Dogma

Church

More than 4 in 10 of clergy have seriously considered leaving their congregations at least once since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than half thought seriously of leaving the ministry.

In 2004, Southern Baptists voted to allow their insurance and retirement agency to work with other churches. The latest denomination to sign up is the Global Methodist Church, made up of former United Methodists.

Divisions over marriage, sexuality, and inclusion of gays and lesbians are proving insurmountable for the foreseeable future in many sectors of Christianity.

Nation

This issue of A Public Witness takes you inside the Poor People’s Campaign and its recent rallies around the country hoping to put issues of poverty on the public agenda in this election year.

The fine is by far the largest ever levied under a law that requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to collect data on campus crime and notify students of threats.

Using public funds to pay for religious school tuition — especially with generous income limits or none at all — remains controversial as proponents gain ground in Republican-majority states.

World

Officials in Jesus's traditional birthplace decided to forgo celebrations due to the Israel-Hamas war.

The prayers may be too little too late on an issue that has long alienated the church from politicians and peers.

Francis added his voice to increasing calls for binding, global regulation of AI in his annual message for the World Day of Peace, which the Catholic Church celebrates each Jan. 1.

Editorials

In day 9 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on racial injustices in the U.S. and how this helps us understand the birth of Jesus.

In day 1 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on starting Advent amid a second year of COVID surges and deaths.

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on the news that an actor who plays the part of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar was arrested for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Word&Way Voices

Rev. Carlos L. Malavé of the Latino Christian National Network contrasts our propensity for fear and fighting violence with more violence with an alternative reality revealed to us through this liturgical season.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood reflects on how there is nothing pure about the death penalty process. It ensnares us all. So, where does hope fit in?

Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy makes the case that the current progression in transgressive rhetoric is not a Trump problem — it is a human problem. And even more disturbing it is a Christian problem.

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness looks back at Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Baptists penned 202 years ago this week and explores why prominent figures deliberately misrepresent the metaphorical “wall of separation” between church and state.

In this review of 2023, we count down our most popular pieces and then reflect on some other highlights from the year.

This issue of A Public Witness shares some of the meaningful insights we’ve learned from Unsettling Advent this year on the topics of state executions, political anxieties, and bloodshed in Israel.

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Podcasts

Teddy Wilson, a reporter who runs the newsletter Radical Reports, talks about his research and reporting on political and religious extremism. He also discusses Christian Nationalism, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and his Substack newsletter.

In episode 66, Wendy Cadge, founder and director of the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, talks about the work of chaplains. She also discusses issues she has written about, including the evolution of the role of chaplains, unique positions like humanist chaplains, and the work of chaplains

In episode 65, Jemar Tisby talks about his books How to Fight Racism and The Color of Compromise. He also discusses his response to a recent controversy at Grove City College, his new "Those Meddling Kids" video series on anti-CRT

In episode 64 of Dangerous Dogma, Bob Smietana, a national reporter for Religion News Service, talks about his new book Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters.

Books

In "After Botham: Healing From My Brother's Murder by a Police Officer," Allisa Charles-Findley challenges us to listen to the cries of those who have experienced grief and to puts forth a call to join the struggle for justice.

In "Eucharist and Unity: A Theological Memoir," Keith Watkins offers a personal angle on the interrelated themes of ecumenism, modern American religious history, practical theology, and communion.

In "Saving Faith: How American Christianity Can Reclaim Its Prophetic Voice," Randall Balmer argues that any attempt to arrest the decline of Christianity in America must first reckon with the past.

In "Religious Liberty in a Polarized Age," author Thomas C. Berg makes the case that religious freedom for all is part of the cure for our political division.