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This issue of A Public Witness digs into the hotly debated 'render therefore unto Caesar' Bible verse to consider its usage in a recent notable legal opinion.

In an open letter, the Chicago pastor compares the California pastor to King opponents George Wallace and J. Edgar Hoover, calling MacArthur 'them in postmodern dress.'

This issue of A Public Witness unpacks the unique angle explored in the latest Mike Graves book “Jesus’ Vision for Your One Wild and Precious Life: (on Things Like Poverty, Hunger, Polarization, Inclusion, and More).”

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Dangerous Dogma

Church

Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer movement in Kansas City, said he’d had moral failings more than two decades ago but said many of the allegations against him are false.

'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.

Nation

Training sessions in Tallahassee and in Orlando will feature curriculum companies whose products could enhance those wishing to teach Black history in schools and churches.

Trump’s biggest applause lines came when he promised to promote school vouchers, seal the United States’ southern border, and prevent transgender women from participating in women’s sports.

Justice Parker sprinkled his legal opinion with a litany of religious sources, from classic Christian theologians like St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, to a modern conservative Christian manifesto, the Manhattan Declaration, that opposes “anti-life” measures.

World

Leaders of Jordan’s Council of Churches issued a similar statement on Nov. 5, calling for the cancellation of Christmas celebrations in the kingdom.

Church leaders are conducting weekly workshops to train traditional and church leadership in how to promote peace in their communities.

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

Editorials

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor responds to Paige Patterson claiming during a sermon that a “lynch mob” was out to get him. Kaylor notes that not only is Patterson inaccurately using the metaphor, but Patterson’s words are an injustice to real victims.

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.

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

This issue of A Public Witness offers a crash course lesson from one of the preeminent experts on Ukrainian religious freedom to consider what’s happening in the besieged nation and how religious freedom rights are undermined by Russia.

This issue of A Public Witness features a guest post from Holly Hollman, general counsel and associate executive director at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, reflecting on why the Religious Freedom Restoration Act still matters.

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.

Sign up to receive full essays in your inbox!

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

Jonathan Root's Oral Roberts biography offers insights into a significant element in American Christianity as well as a cautionary tale about crass materialism.

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