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Flushing Remonstrance on Display for First Time in 7 Years at New York Public Library
The 17th-century letter is widely considered to have inspired the religious freedom clause in the First Amendment.
Clergy Hold Vigil Backing Legal Fight Against ICE Raids in Houses of Worship
This issue of A Public Witness goes inside the ‘Sensitive Locations, Sacred Spaces Prayer Vigil’ to look at the faithful effort to block ICE raids in houses of worship.
Catholic Bishops End Refugee Aid Partnerships With US Government, Citing Funding Cuts
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is ending a half-century of partnerships serving refugees and migrant children, saying the “heartbreaking” decision follows the Trump administration’s abrupt halt to funding.
Church
Churches Consider What Sanctuary Might Look Like in Trump’s Second Term
The news that Trump may rescind a policy discouraging immigration officials from arresting people at churches is making some church leaders reconsider sanctuary.
Winter Solstice Is Having a Moment — in Churches, Too
In mainline Christian circles, winter solstice celebrations and longest night services are growing in popularity.
Pennsylvania’s Bethlehem: The City Founded by Moravians on Christmas Eve Keeps Its Traditions Alive
The Moravian Church is one of the world's oldest Protestant denominations. Its name comes from the historical provinces of Bohemia and Moravia in what is now the Czech Republic.
Nation
Setting the Standard for Christian Nationalism in Schools
This issue of A Public Witness cracks opens the books to study problems with the new social studies standards where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain.
Survey: US Religious Groups Support LGBTQ+ Rights, Divide on Medical Care for Trans Minors
Most US religious groups remain broadly supportive of non-discrimination laws and policies toward LGBTQ+ people. Far fewer support gender-transition medical care for minors.
Trump Admin Cancels Grants to Refugee Aid Agencies, Despite Legal Battles
Leaders of the faith-based refugee resettlement organizations, which constitute seven of the 10 groups that partner with the government to perform the task, condemned the decision.
World
Aiding Flood Victims in South Sudan, Faith Leaders Work on Long-Term Solutions
With more than 750,000 people displaced by annual flooding, churches in the country have become involved in constructing dikes to safeguard thousands of lives at risk.
Hundreds March in Brazil to Support Religious Freedom As Cases of Intolerance Rise
Experts say that while most neo-Pentecostal proselytizing is peaceful, the spread of the faith has been accompanied by a surge of intolerance for traditional African-influenced religions.
Takeaways From AP’s Report Updating the Cult Massacre That Claimed Hundreds of Lives in Kenya
The evangelical leader of Good News, Paul Mackenzie, is accused of instructing his followers to starve to death for the opportunity to meet Jesus.
Editorials
Thank God. Love Neighbors. Get Vaccinated.
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!
Crucified Between Two Proud Boys
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).
It’s Ever Given for Greed to Crash
Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on the Ever Given container ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal. And he connects this modern parable to biblical stories about Egyptian pharaohs and other rulers seeking more wealth and power.
Word&Way Voices
Donald Trump, Bible Salesman
Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy explores the various meanings behind Trump’s recent endorsement of Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA Bible.’
A Century Ago, One State Tried to Close Religious Schools − A Far Cry From Today
On April 2, Oklahoma’s Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could allow a Catholic charter school to open — which critics say would demolish the line between church and state in education.
Let’s Not Destroy What We Helped Build
Contributing writer Sarah Blackwell explores what our role is as Christians when it comes to public schools.
E-Newsletter
Johnson Wins Speakership, Reads Fake Prayer From Thomas Jefferson
Mike Johnson previously claimed the founders intended the U.S. to have a Christian government using spurious quotes from President John Quincy Adams and Alexis de Tocqueville.
How to Make Your Voice Matter More
In this season of New Year’s resolutions, here are four ways you can leverage your voice to make a difference.
Tributes to Jimmy Carter
This issue of A Public Witness offers short highlights from four notable reflections on the life of James Earl Carter Jr.
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183. Shannon Fleck of Faithful America
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Shannon Fleck, the new executive director of Faithful America. She discusses Christian Nationalism in Oklahoma and nationally. You can watch a video version of his conversation on YouTube. Fleck's predecessor, Rev. Nathan Empsall, previously appeared on episode 61 of Dangerous Dogma. He also wrote several columns… -
182. Ruth Braunstein on When the Wolves Came
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with sociologist Ruth Braunstein about her documentary podcast When the Wolves Came. You can also find her writings at her Substack newsletter Democracy Is Hard. Mentioned in the episode is Caleb Campbell, who previously appeared on episode 150 of Dangerous Dogma. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to… -
181. Angela Denker on Disciples of White Jesus
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with journalist and Lutheran minister Angela Denker about her forthcoming book Disciples of White Jesus: The Radicalization of American Boyhood. You can watch a video version of this conversation here. You can also hear an earlier conversation with Denker in episode 68, and a conversation with Caleb Campbell… -
180. David Swartz on Rebel on Main
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with historian David Swartz about his new narrative podcast project Rebel on Main, which offers a historical and contemporary exploration of a Kentucky county and its unusual Confederate statue. You can watch a video version of this conversation here. (You can also hear an earlier episode with… -
179. Munther Isaac on Christ in the Rubble
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, about his forthcoming book Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza. He also talks about Donald Trump's plan to "take over" Gaza, the importance of using the terms "genocide"… -
178. State Senator Shows How NOT to Read Proverbs
On Tuesday (Feb. 25), a session of the Oklahoma Senate transformed into a spontaneous Bible study. Or perhaps more of a Bible study cosplay demonstrating how not to read the Bible, specifically how not to read the Book of Proverbs. In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor unpacks the errors in how Proverbs was cited… -
177. Countering Sean Feucht with Karrie Gaspard-Hogewood
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Karrie Gaspard-Hogewood, a sociology doctoral fellow at Tulane University, about a protest march she organized to counter an event by Christian Nationalistic musician Sean Feucht in New Orleans on Feb. 8, 2025. You can learn more about Feucht at A Public Witness, including reports on his… -
176. Paul Raushenbush & Trump's Targeting of Christians
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Rev. Paul Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, about various ways the Trump administration has targeted Christian groups, including Episcopalians, Catholics, and Lutherans. You can read more about the recent attacks on Lutheran charity work in a report at A Public Witness and in a memo from… -
175. Mariann Budde, John Danforth, & Prophetic Preaching
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with John Danforth, a former U.S. Senator and Episcopal priest, about the controversy over Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde's sermon during an inauguration prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral. You can read more about the issue at A Public Witness, including a report on the sermon, a look… -
174. Joe Blosser on To Love Our Neighbors
Joe Blosser talks with Word&Way President Brian Kaylor about her new book To Love Our Neighbors: Radical Practices in Solidarity, Sufficiency, and Sustainability. He also discusses understandings of how a neighbor is, church food pantries, and economic neoliberalism. Note: Don't forget to subscribe to our award-winning e-newsletter A Public Witness that helps you make sense…
Books
Review: Reckoning With Power
In "Reckoning With Power: Why the Church Fails When It's on the Wrong Side of Power," David E. Fitch argues that the church should cooperate with God's power through presence among the least powerful.
Review: With the Best of Intentions
In "With the Best of Intentions: Interreligious Missteps and Mistakes" more than three dozen scholars and practitioners of many faiths explore cases of missteps and outright failures of interfaith encounters.
Love Letter/Review: The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy pens a love letter to Tim Alberta's "The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism" for its masterful understanding of the Trump alliance.
Review: Scenes With My Son
In "Scenes with My Son: Love and Grief in the Wake of Suicide," Robert Hubbard takes readers on a journey with a family shaken by mental illness so they can share in hard-won joys in defiance of depression.