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Featured
‘Cast Aside the Clouds’ Removes the Veil on Baha’i Persecution in Iran
Set in modern-day Tehran, the new film premiering in Chicago this weekend is both a forbidden love story and a depiction of the steadfast faith of the Baha’i community amidst ongoing oppression.
When Denominations Address Christian Nationalism
The Reformed Church in America is the latest group to speak out against the ideology, with regional United Methodist bodies and two Presbyterian denominations among those also addressing the issue this summer.
Astronaut Victor Glover Is Still Trying to Find the Spiritual Words to Describe His Moon Mission
'At the end of it, when we were just responding totally instinctually, we talked a lot about God,' Glover told RNS in a recent interview, referring to the Artemis II crew.
Church
‘A Lie From the Pit of Hell’: Episcopal Leaders Push Back on Rumors of Fatal Decline
More than 850 Episcopal Church leaders gathered in Charlotte to talk about the future of the church and what the denomination still has to offer.
Singing Protests Gain Momentum As Non-Violent but Emotionally Stirring Rebukes to ICE
'We're going to sing and sing and try to touch the hearts of the ICE agents,' said the Rev. Jacqueline Lewis, senior pastor at Middle Church in New York.
Hundreds of United Methodists Rally to Dismantle ICE Outside Capitol
The day of action, titled “Faithful Resistance,” was planned months ago, and organizers settled on their schedule before the date for this week’s State of the Union was announced.
Nation
Did the Founders Create a Christian Nation? No, but Religion Did Shape Their Thinking
‘Most — nearly all — serious historians agree that America was not founded as a Christian nation in any meaningful legal, philosophical, or constitutional sense,’ says the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Anti-Christian Bias Task Force Blasts Biden for Targeting ‘Traditional Christians’
Many Christian leaders have criticized the report, saying it's narrowly focused on concerns of conservative evangelicals and obscures Trump’s own conflicts with other faith groups, including entire denominations.
Marching Against an ‘Illegal and Unholy War’
This week, Rev. William Barber II gathered in front of the White House along with dozens of other clergy to protest the conflict that the Trump administration started against Iran.
World
A Doomsday Prediction About the Rapture Is Spreading on TikTok
The Rapture is near — at least according to a viral apocalyptic prophecy by one South African man. Here’s a look at the theological concept of the Rapture and its role in history.
Orthodox Patriarch Defends Recognition of an Independent Ukrainian Church
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has long been critical of the Russian Orthodox Church and its support for the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Priceless Archaeological Artifacts in Gaza Saved in Frantic Rescue
‘It’s not just about Palestinian heritage or Christian heritage, it’s something important to the world heritage here, protected by UNESCO,’ explained Kevin Charbel, the emergency field coordinator for Première Urgence Internationale.
Editorials
Unsettling Advent, Day 1
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.
Judas Arrested for Capitol Insurrection
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.
Do Not Conform?
Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on the choice of Robert Jeffress as the keynote preacher for the 2021 Missouri Baptist Pastors’ Conference organized with the theme of Romans 12:2, a passage where Paul warned against conforming to the patterns of this world.
Word&Way Voices
That’s What Moses Said: Exploring ‘The Promised Land’
Described as ‘Michael Scott meets Moses,’ the new workplace comedy from Mitch Hudson tells the story of the exodus from Egypt and the Israelites’ life in the wilderness with humor and grace.
Jordan Shines as a Beacon of Tolerance for Baptists and All Believers
Within a single week, two historic milestones took place in Amman: the European Baptist Federation celebrated its 75th anniversary and the Baptist World Alliance appointed its first Ambassador to the Middle East.
Suggestions for God Month in Texas
In the latest effort to sidestep the separation of church and state, Republicans in the Texas legislature want an official month dedicated to God.
E-Newsletter
White House Commission Caught in Ugly Dispute Over Antisemitism
Given the importance of promoting religious liberty and addressing religious bigotry, this issue of A Public Witness delves into the debates swirling around the White House’s “Religious Liberty Commission.”
At Labor Department Prayer Service, MAGA Preacher Says Employees are Working for God and Trump
Leon Benjamin, a charismatic preacher who frequently spoke at the ReAwaken America Tour, attended the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and even walked with the crowd to the Capitol grounds.
At National Prayer Breakfast, Hegseth Says US Soldiers Gain Salvation by Dying for ‘Christian Nation’
Coverage of Thursday’s event has largely focused on Trump’s rambling remarks — but the much more problematic and dangerous comments actually came later from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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The State of the Senate, from SC to ME to TX to KS
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham as well as issues of faith and morality in Senate races in Maine, Texas, and Kansas. You can… -
Southern Baptists, the Pentagon, & UFC
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about the Southern Baptist Convention's push against women in ministry, the Pentagon changing how it codes the faith of military members, and the latest in… -
Southern Baptists, Women in Ministry, & a Billboard
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Meredith Stone, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry. The conversation includes discussion of efforts in the Southern Baptist Convention to further target women serving in churches and how BWIM is advocating for women (including with a billboard to greet SBC messengers next week in Orlando,… -
Divergent Visions for Rededicating the Nation
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about Rededicate 250, gerrymandering, Adam Hamilton's Senate campaign in Kansas, and the MAHA movement. You can watch a video version of the conversation here. Here are a few pieces… -
The Christian Past That Wasn't
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Warren Throckmorton, a retired professor who has spent years debunking false claims by Christian Nationalist pseudo-historian David Barton. Throckmorton is the author of the new book, The Christian Past that Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths that Hijack History. You can watch a video version of… -
Trump vs. Leo
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about President Donald Trump's attacks on Pope Leo XIV, Leo's witness against the Iran war, Trump's AI image of himself as Jesus, and the electoral… -
Fight Like Jesus with Jason Porterfield (Reissue)
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Jason Porterfield about his book Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace. This episode originally aired in 2023, except for a new introduction noting a violent prayer by Pete Hegseth during a recent Pentagon worship service and Palm Sunday comments by Pope Leo XIV. Note: Don't forget… -
Pete Hegseth's Crusader Bible (A Trick of State)
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor considers Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's use of the English Standard Version of the Bible, patriarchy in the faith communities Hegseth has been a part of, and his Christian Nationalism. It also reveals that Hegseth's ESV Bible includes two Crusader symbols stamped onto the cover (and that match… -
An Unholy War
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about the Iran war, Christian opposition to the war, and viral claims of military leaders claiming this will bring "Armageddon." It also includes consideration of… -
Rewriting the Ten Commandments (A Trick of State)
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor looks at legislation across the country that purports to want the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. But the version mandated by lawmakers cannot be found in any Bible. Kaylor unpacks where the edited language came from, why such legislation is an attack on religious liberty, and the…
Books
Review: Religion in the Lands That Became America
In this new book, Thomas A. Tweed offers a sweeping retelling of American religious history that shows how religion has enhanced and hindered human flourishing from the Ice Age to the Information Age.
Review: Bearing Witness
Questions about slavery and abolitionism stand at the heart of Daniel Lee Hill’s book, "Bearing Witness: What the Church Can Learn from Early Abolitionists." Hill seeks to retrieve resources from America's abolitionists, while thinking theologically about the church's public witness
Review: Green Street in Black and White
In the novel “Green Street in Black and White: A Chicago Story,” Dave Larsen takes us back to a 1960s summer of social upheaval, when youthful mischief collided with the weight of adult fears.
Summer Reads 2025
We’ve once again asked several Word&Way writers to recommend books perfect for wherever you find your happy place this summer.