Sign up to receive full essays in your inbox!
Featured
In Win for Faith Groups, Federal Judge Rules Trump Must Begin Admitting Some Refugees
The judge’s ruling follows weeks of courtroom clashes between the government and three religious groups — HIAS, Church World Service, and Lutheran Community Services Northwest.
Supporting Church-State Separation With Faithful Challenges to Christian Nationalism
This issue of A Public Witness takes you inside the Summit for Religious Freedom to hear from leading advocates about what is needed in this moment and how Christians can help.
Review: Latter-Day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies
In “Latter-Day Saint Theology Among Christian Theologies,” Grant Underwood asks the question: How do the beliefs of Latter-day Saints compare with traditional Christian theology?
Church
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.
Religious Traditions Can Help With Holiday Blues, Mental Health Experts Say
'During the holidays, we are practicing relational spirituality and engaging in our awakened brain,' said one professor of psychology.
Black Denomination Upholds Stance Against Same-Sex Marriage. A Gay Pastor in Its Ranks Seeks Change
Rev. Jennifer S. Leath hopes to help her denomination avoid the schisms that ruptured many mainline Protestant denominations as they dismantled LBGTQ+ bans.
Nation
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.
Martin E. Marty, Religion Historian and ‘Churchman in the Most Serious Way,’ Dies at 97
Marty was a giant in the study of American Christianity and the fundamentalist movement in major faiths around the globe. He was also a warmhearted friend, mentor and pastor to many.
World
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.
Sudanese Anglican Cathedral Is Now a Graveyard for Civil War Victims, Archbishop Says
The Sudanese civil war is the world’s largest displacement crisis today.
Members of Shuttered Rwandan Churches Gather in Homes as Leaders Quietly Protest
After a crackdown on unapproved churches, Christian leaders say the government's move encroaches on religious freedom and applies regulations unequally.
Editorials
Which Cloud of Witnesses?
Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on the painting behind Georgia Governor Brian Kemp during the signing ceremony for a new law making it harder for people to exercise their right to vote.
We Can’t Massage Away the Scandal of the Gospel
Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on the quick move by a Baptist church in Georgia to kick out the man who killed eight people at three massage parlors. And Kaylor wonders where Jesus would have instead shown up in Atlanta on Sunday.
Urged to Pay Biblical Reparations, Jesuits Launch Fundraiser
Editor Brian Kaylor responds to a “reparations” plan unveiled by the Society of Jesuits on Monday due to their legacy of owning and selling enslaved persons. While Kaylor applauds reparations efforts, he argues this plan falls short.
Word&Way Voices
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.
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.
Hateful Faith and Violence Against Palestinians in the ‘Holy Land’
Liberation theologians Allan Boesak and Wendell Griffen make the case that people who care about love, justice, and peace should be disgusted by U.S. complicity in the Israeli oppression of Palestinians.
E-Newsletter
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.
Former President Jimmy Carter Dies at 100
This issue of A Public Witness reflects on the moral exemplar Jimmy Carter offered not only after his presidency but also during his underappreciated time in the Oval Office.
2024 in Review
In this review of 2024, we count down our most popular pieces and reflect on some other highlights from the year.
-
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…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
-
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"…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
-
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…Audio Player
Books
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.
Baptizing America
Word&Way’s own Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood wrote a new book, “Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism,” which is available for pre-order now.
Review: Reviving the Ancient Faith
James L. Gorman’s fresh edition of Richard T. Hughes’s classic work, "Reviving the Ancient Faith: The Story of Churches of Christ in America," illuminates the influential Stone-Campbell religious movement.