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In “Pilgrim: A Theological Memoir,” Tony Campolo traces his evolution as a believer, scholar, and evangelical leader who continually sought to engage thoughtfully with the challenges of his time.

A discussion centered on whether the federal government should be dispensing foreign aid, which government officials referred to as ‘philanthropy.’

One theologian said Africa’s celebrations of the Christian framework would exhibit the continent’s rich theological heritage and highlight new ways of thinking about faith unbound by colonial legacies.

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Church

The new denomination, with 4,715 congregations, will meet to adopt a constitution and iron out its governance structure.

Brittany Packnett-Cunningham’s rise to be one of her generation’s best-known racial justice activists reflects the promise and power of the ministry of her late father, who was senior pastor of St. Louis’ historic Central Baptist Church.

Less than two months after the Southern Baptists’ policy arm issued an embarrassing retraction of an announcement of its leader’s firing, it gave him a strong vote of confidence this week.

Nation

In the category, Carter beat out Barbra Streisand, George Clinton, Dolly Parton, and producer guy Oldfield.

Airport chaplain Nace Lanier, among the first to respond to the midair collision near Washington's airport, joined a team ‘to holistically care for the hurting and confused.’

A small but influential group of evangelicals argues that enforcing the law is as important as mercy, and has come to see Christian charities as the enemy.

World

During the annual gathering of the Baptist World Alliance, members of the body’s general council unanimously passed a resolution on religious nationalism that specifically denounced Christian Nationalism. Two other unanimous resolutions addressed issues of world hunger and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Many who opposed Daniil, the new Patriarch of All Bulgaria, worry that his election represents a sharp turn away from the policies of his predecessor, Neophyte I, who is remembered as a unifier.

This comes nearly a year after one of the worst mob attacks on Christians in the country.

Editorials

After the Oklahoma City bombing, Billy Graham offered words on hope and justice. A quarter-century later, his son instead inflames partisan divides following an attack on the U.S. Capitol. Like the sons of the biblical prophet Samuel, Franklin appears unable to carry the mantle of his father.

After White Supremacists stormed the U.S. Capitol, waving both Confederate and Christian flags during their insurrection, the nation needs Christian leaders who can bring healing, truth-telling, and justice. Al Mohler is not such a leader for this moment. He needs to step aside.

Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on how many White evangelicals moved in less than five years from condemning Donald Trump as a dangerous man to backing Trump’s assault on American democracy.

Word&Way Voices

Rev. Nathan Empsall, executive director of Faithful America, writes that we begin to calm our anxieties only when we learn to accept the presence of divine mystery in our lives.

Rev. Janna Louie, chief of staff for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, reflects on Psalm 80 and how anxieties can be transformed by collective grief and lament.

Word&Way trustee and scholar of American evangelicalism William Trollinger argues that Johnson’s association with Ark Encounter makes sense given the strong connection between Young Earth Creationism and Christian Right politics.

E-Newsletter

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.

This issue of A Public Witness listens in on the anti-Amendment 3 sermon effort across the Show-Me State.

This issue of A Public Witness looks at how Trump, along with several pastors and conservative Christian activists, lied about shouts of “Lies!” at a recent Harris rally — and his supporters responded by taking the Lord’s name in vain.

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Recent Episodes

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.