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The commercialized American church has arrived at a form of religious life in which institutional maintenance and spiritual fidelity become indistinguishable, and where questioning the institution is easily recoded as questioning God.

Translating the Bible into Cherokee began early in the 19th century, shortly after Protestant missionaries arrived in the Cherokee Nation – centered mainly in what are now western North Carolina, north Georgia, and eastern Tennessee.

In some ways, the debate over Paine's legacy today is a proxy for a much larger debate over whose vision gets to govern.

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Church

Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church of North America, faces allegations of sexual harassment, bullying, and plagiarism. The list of charges is the latest in a string of crises to rock the small, conservative denomination.

Morris Chapman, a longtime leader of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, died Monday. He was 84.

In the mid-1970s, a group of high schoolers and their former youth pastor started a church in a movie theater and named it Willow Creek. American religion hasn’t been the same since. The church celebrates its 50th anniversary Oct. 11-12.

Nation

Not since the Civil Rights Era has the religious left so publicly and collaboratively protested in the name of a social question they regard as a spiritual one.

The high court unanimously ruled in the case of Gabriel Olivier, who says his religious and free speech rights were violated when he was arrested for refusing to move his derisive preaching away from a suburban amphitheater.

The defense secretary’s tattoos of the Jerusalem Cross and “Deus Vult” are frequently invoked as literal signs of his Christian Nationalism — and rightly so. But the same symbols on his Bible were overlooked until now.

World

The religious freedom watchdog urged the new Trump administration to appoint a new ambassador-at-large to address religious restrictions and persecution around the world.

In Africa’s most populous nation, a deadly cycle of violence has unfolded for several years, with Christian clergy and laypeople as well as moderate Muslims falling victim to murder and kidnapping.

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.

Editorials

Before janitors could even remove the litter and excrement from the Capitol after last week’s attack by a pro-Trump mob, some politicians and preachers started issuing calls for unity and reconciliation. But, Editor Brian Kaylor argues, skipping past truth-telling and accountability would be an injustice.

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.

Word&Way Voices

Exploring Advent in a time of violence in Lebanon, Wissam Nasrallah reflects on how caring for others requires stepping into the messiness of their lives.

Exploring Advent in a time of violence in Lebanon, Daoud Kuttab reflects on how war and suffering are never part of God’s will for his children.

Exploring Advent in a time of violence in Lebanon, Mae Elise Cannon reflects on what it means to wait in hope.

E-Newsletter

While some scholars argue over which theological positions to include in a definition of “evangelical,” religious studies professor William Stell finds such “belief-based models” too vague and problematic.

With the execution of Lance Shockley approaching, this issue of A Public Witness unpacks the debate over his religious freedom rights for his final moments.

This issue of A Public Witness looks at Lance Shockley’s extensive history of Christian leadership while in prison, as well as the role restorative justice should play in our criminal legal system.

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Recent Episodes

Books

In “A Visible Unity: Cecil Robeck and the Work of Ecumenism,” Josiah Baker explores the efforts of Pentecostals towards reconciliation as something significant for how we understand the church.

In “American Christian Nationalism: Neither American nor Christian,” Michael W. Austin offers us a better form of civic engagement.

The upcoming election is certainly important, but the journey of addressing Christian Nationalism in our churches and nation will continue in the weeks, months, and years to follow.

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.