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The judge said the law is ‘unconstitutional on its face’ and plaintiffs are likely to win their case with claims that the law violates the First Amendment.

An investigation found that he failed to tell police about serial physical and sexual abuse by a volunteer at Christian summer camps as soon as he became aware of it.

In the last two years, the number of religious activists who are being held as political prisoners has sharply increased — part of a broader escalation of a campaign of repression that has also led to the arrests of journalists and other opposition figures.

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Dangerous Dogma

Church

Kristin Stoneking will replace Bishop Karen Oliveto, the denomination’s first openly gay married bishop, who, at age 66, is retiring.

The same factors that have caused a crisis in the homeowner's insurance market are also affecting churches, who have to choose between paying for insurance or running programs.

This issue of A Public Witness takes you to church to consider the dangers of transforming Sunday worship into a campaign rally.

Nation

An Oklahoma Department of Education bid proposal for 55,000 Bibles seems tailor-made for the 'God Bless the USA' Bible due to its mix of religious texts and historical documents. The bid could make the Trump-endorsed Bible an even bigger hit.

The charismatic exuberance and focus on the supernatural contrast in tone with the relatively restrained approach of groups such as Southern Baptists, though they have allied in their opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights.

This issue of A Public Witness unpacks the devotion to Saint Michael the Archangel, why Donald Trump recently posted about him, and what it means for our politics today.

World

He recalled that Saturday marked the 10-year anniversary of a peace prayer he hosted in the Vatican gardens, attended by then-Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

‘You don’t throw away the relationship of your sibling because you do not agree on an issue,’ said a former UMC bishop from Nairobi.

As we mark the anniversary of a powerful confessional statement, this issue of A Public Witness considers how it still speaks to us today with a deep theological assessment of the dangers of uniting church and state.

Editorials

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reacts to recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on coronavirus restrictions and worship. He argues a majority of the justices wrongly compare worship gatherings to commercial activities.

Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on getting his second COVID-19 vaccine and recent polling showing that White evangelicals are the least likely demographic to get vaccinated. Thank God, love neighbors, and get vaccinated!

Editor Brian Kaylor tells the Good Friday story as if set this year in Richmond, Virginia. As the Bible tells the story, Barabbas and the two men crucified along with Jesus are insurrectionists (not thieves).

Word&Way Voices

What does it mean to enter the Christmas story anew in these moments, as so many are desperate for God’s saving presence? To wrestle with this question is to live into this sacred season.

Former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church Rev. Hanna Massad writes that we find solace in knowing that, like Mary and Joseph, we have a place of refuge — the “ark of the cross.”

Rev. Alex Awad, a retired minister who served as pastor at East Jerusalem Baptist Church and a professor at Bethlehem Bible College, reflects on modern-day Herods and how the Christmas story gives oppressed people around the world hope.

E-Newsletter

“Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism” has officially launched — check out the conversation we had to celebrate with Dr. Diana Butler Bass, Rev. Adriene Thorne, and Dr. Andrew Whitehead.

As we mark the anniversary of a powerful confessional statement, this issue of A Public Witness considers how it still speaks to us today with a deep theological assessment of the dangers of uniting church and state.

This Saturday marks four years since the photo op where Trump awkwardly held a Bible outside a church after police teargassed BLM protesters. Despite all the attention to evangelicals, if you look at the photos all you will see is the influence of mainline Protestantism.

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Podcasts

In episode 32 of Dangerous Dogma, Obery Hendricks, a visiting research scholar at Columbia University, talks about his new book Christians Against Christianity: How Right-Wing Evangelicals Are Destroying Our Nation and Our Faith.

In episode 31 of Dangerous Dogma, Daniel K. Williams, a professor of history at the University of West Georgia, talks about his new book The Politics of the Cross: A Christian Alternative to Partisanship. He also discusses issues of abortion, marriage,

We had a lot of great podcast conversations this year. So, let’s count down the top five most-downloaded of episodes of Baptist Without An Adjective and the top ten most-downloaded episodes of Dangerous Dogma. 

In episode 30 of Dangerous Dogma, Bruce Chilton, professor of religion at Bard College, talks about his new book The Herods: Murder, Politics, and the Art of Succession. He also discusses the political issues at play in New Testament stories like

Books

In "Pluralism in Practice: Case Studies of Leadership in a Religiously Diverse America," Elinor J. Pierce invites close reading, reflection, and discussion on the dilemmas and disputes of our multireligious society.

In "God's Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible," Esther J. Hamori offers an entertaining deep dive into the creaturely strangeness of scripture.

In his timely new book, noted scholar David Gushee brings his incisive ethical lens to defending democratic commitments and articulating the need for Christians to recommit themselves to its practices.

In "Every Step Is Home: A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska," globetrotting travel writer Lori Erickson explores spiritual sites and experiences closer to home.