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Nostalgia for a ‘Christian America’ overlooks the realities of religion in the founding era — which included taxes, jail time, exile, and even public hangings for anyone who defied state-run churches.

This issue of A Public Witness journeys to the Big Apple to consider two coincidentally timed appeals: Rev. William Barber II at Riverside Church and the Trump campaign at Madison Square Garden.

In “Hope Is Here!: Spiritual Practices for Pursuing Justice and Beloved Community,” Luther E. Smith Jr. prepares us to engage racism, mass incarceration, environmental crises, divisive politics, and indifference.

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Dangerous Dogma

Church

Once relegated exclusively to gay bars and nightclubs, drag is increasingly in the open these days — at libraries, music festivals, and, yes, churches.

Two commissions overseeing research into the denomination's part in the assimilationist schools are asking Episcopal bishops to grant access to archives in their regions and to recruit research assistants of their own.

The announcement comes less than two weeks before the election of the denomination’s next leader.

Nation

This issue of A Public Witness unpacks how Kamala Harris’s decision to skip the Al Smith Dinner — and the legacy of Smith (the first Catholic nominee for president) — offers important insights into this year’s campaign.

Last week it was revealed that Robinson had posted regularly at a porn site called Nude Africa. In those posts he called himself a “Black NAZI,” praised Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf,” and wrote “(s)lavery is not bad.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act passed with widespread bipartisan support in December 2022 and was widely considered a victory for women who are low-wage workers.

World

The starring role in a June auction at Christie's will be taken by the Crosby-Schoyen Codex, the oldest known book in private hands. Written on papyrus in the Coptic language, it contains the oldest complete version of the First Epistle of Peter and the Book of Jonah.

The Rev. Hkalam Samson is a prominent advocate for the human rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar and in 2019 was part of a delegation that met President Trump at the White House.

This issue of A Public Witness reflects on Genocide Awareness Month and how we can’t stop atrocities if we refuse to see them.

Editorials

Houses of worship should not be hit with harsher pandemic rules than similar organizations. But religious gatherings should not be exempt from the same life-saving health rules to which similar gatherings are subjected. Simply put, there shouldn’t be a pandemic privilege for religion.

Editor Brian Kaylor writes that even even as we return to a “normal” in the upcoming months as vaccinations roll out, he hopes churches do so while building on the lessons learned during this time of social distancing and virtual life.

Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on a comment by Joe Biden at a memorial service on Tuesday to those who died from COVID-19: “To heal we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember. But that’s how we heal.”

Word&Way Voices

We live in a time of great precariousness and it is important to be reminded that the only kingdom sure to last is the kingdom of God.

Often it doesn’t seem like Jesus was terribly concerned with politics, and certainly not with obtaining earthly power. But he was playing the long game of spiritual, social, and yes, political transformation.

Kicking off this week's theme — Advent in a time of political anxieties — Rev. Dr. Kristel Clayville contemplates how changes in our political leadership trickle down to our everyday decisions.

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness asks you to keep your eyes open and head straight so you can read about the Seven Mountains theology and how it’s seeping into the National Day of Prayer with a more violent twist.

This issue of A Public Witness tackles Chicago Bears stadium pastor Rev. Charlie Dates and offers some postgame analysis about what went wrong with his recent prayer controversy.

This issue of A Public Witness looks at the problems with recent public school chaplaincy bills by considering what a chaplain really is and what religious freedom actually looks like.

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Podcasts

In episode 17 of Dangerous Dogma, Beau Underwood, Word&Way VP & senior editor, takes over the microphone to interview host Brian Kaylor about communication, religion, politics, storytelling, and more.

In episode 16 of Dangerous Dogma, Brad Lyons, president and publisher of Chalice Press, talks what he has learned in the world of religious publishing, his books on spirituality and national parks, and why he does not like Amazon.

In episode 15 of Dangerous Dogma, Jessica Johnson, a visiting scholar in religious studies at the College of William & Mary, talks about her book 'Biblical Porn: Affect, Labor, and Pastor Mark Driscoll's Evangelical Empire.'

In episode 14 of Dangerous Dogma, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) talks about faith and politics as a United Methodist minister and U.S. congressman. He also discusses his experience on Jan. 6, attacks on voting rights, and the importance COVID-19 vaccination.

Books

In "Jesus the Refugee: Ancient Injustice and Modern Solidarity," D. Glenn Butner Jr. draws on scripture, theology, and legal analysis to provide a compelling and important look at one of the major crises of our time.

In "The Word Made Fresh: Preaching God's Love for Every Body," George A. Mason offers us a collection of progressive sermons preached during his thirty-year ministry at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.

Ryan Burge’s "The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going" shines new light on our transformational moment in American religious life.

The book "Theology and Star Trek" explores how creator Gene Roddenberry may not have wanted to include God-talk in his franchise, but the rich science fiction universe still provides numerous opportunities for theological reflection.