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U.S. religious institutions enjoy tax exemptions, most notably from property taxes. Debate has raged for decades over whether the exemptions are fair.

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

This issue of A Public Witness digs into the recent Paul Pressler news and responses from leaders to investigate the roots of the SBC’s “conservative resurgence” and consider a more appropriate response than just continuing to water the tree.

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Dangerous Dogma

Church

'It's not about going from red to blue to purple,' Andrew Hanauer of One America Movement advises clergy. ‘It's about going above the partisan divisions.’

This issue of A Public Witness goes to church with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to contrast his recent “sermon” with how the stories of the first Christmas deal with politicians.

As the denomination evaluates its Title IV clergy misconduct policy, abuse survivors say the process needs to be trauma-informed.

Nation

Republican senators in Georgia also want to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms and allow religious chaplains to counsel teachers and students.

The Center for Renewing America is denying a report about plans to push Christian Nationalism should Trump win back the White House — but that doesn’t mean the group doesn’t endorse the ideology or want it to help shape public policy.

During this Lenten season, Faithful America is “giving up White Supremacy” through launching a new webinar series. The first installment featured a discussion with Jemar Tisby and Randall Balmer.

World

Pope Francis and the Vatican are pursuing peace in the globe’s two major conflicts, working through official and unofficial channels.

This issue of A Public Witness considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reference to Amalek from Deuteronomy and unpacks what it means when politicians invoke such passages during war.

Though he has allowed new houses of worship to be built and old ones to be reopened, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan needs to do more, observers say, to restore respect for a truly pluralistic society as much as for church property.

Editorials

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on recent violence between Israel and Hamas to argue that a ceasefire will not actually bring peace and justice to the people living in Gaza. Kaylor adds insights learned from Arab and Palestinian Christians.

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on legislation pushing the teaching of the Bible in public schools. He explores significant church-state problems that would arise from such efforts.

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on news that DNA evidence tested FOUR years after the execution of a Black man in Arkansas suggests the state killed an innocent man. Kaylor also highlights the Baptist prophet who tried to stop the execution.

Word&Way Voices

Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy argues that Rev. Mark Burns abused the Bible for secular political purposes during a recent ReAwaken America Tour event in order to foment violence and promote insurrection.

Russell Jackson makes the case that the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Executive Director, John Yeats, and its Executive Board have presided over the ruination of two of the three remaining universities affiliated with the MBC.

The recent Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Assembly demonstrated the growing commitment within the denomination to social justice and inclusion as key Gospel mandates.

E-Newsletter

We’re excited to announce that Unsettling Advent is coming back again with new themes. Once again, we’ve assembled a fantastic group of writers to help us all consider Advent in light of issues from the news this year: state executions, political anxieties, and bloodshed in Israel.

Our reporting the day after Mike Johnson’s election to speaker of the House was the first to look at his preaching. One church we included in that story has removed his messages from its online sermons page — but not before Brian saved both of them.

This issue of A Public Witness explores public comments implying the Old and New Testaments are pitted against each other — echoing an ancient heresy.

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Podcasts

In episode 51 of Dangerous Dogma, Bob Cornwall, author of Called to Bless, talks about considering the spiritual DNA of a church or individual. He also discusses why he reads books and how he writes reviews of them. You can

In episode 50 of Dangerous Dogma, Michael Livingston, interim senior minister at Riverside Church in New York City, talks about the history of Riverside and what it has been like to lead that congregation. He also discusses his time with

In episode 49 of Dangerous Dogma, Corey Nathan, host of the Talkin‘ Politics & Religion Without Killin‘ Each Other podcast, talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about his show and why he thinks people should find better ways to discuss

In episode 48 of Dangerous Dogma, Mark Noll, a prolific historian of U.S. Christianity, talks about his new book America’s Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911. He also discusses church-state relations, pluralism, and civil religion.

Books

In "Ancient Echoes: Refusing the Fear-Filled, Greed-Driven Toxicity of the Far Right," influential biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann speaks to ideologies and efforts that are rooted in appeals to fear of the other, the one who is different.

In "If God Still Breathes, Why Can't I?: Black Lives Matter and Biblical Authority," scholar Angela N. Parker compellingly makes the case that doctrines of biblical inerrancy and infallibility, which are prominent within evangelicalism and fundamentalism, serve as tools of

As the temperatures rise and vacations approach, this issue of A Public Witness includes some of our recommendations for great summer reads. Whether you find yourself on the beach, in a secluded cabin, or just in your own backyard, we

In "Trauma-Informed Evangelism: Cultivating Communities of Wounded Healers," authors Charles Kiser and Elaine A. Heath speak to the concerns of our day so that if we share our faith, we can bring into the conversation the realities of trauma that