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Featured
Pennsylvania Faith Groups Build Altar at ICE Office in Protest of Immigration Arrests
The clergy-led gathering stood in defiance of ICE policies, drawing on shared interfaith values and representing Jewish, Mennonite, Catholic, Baptist, and Unitarian congregations.
Shannon Fleck, Who Took On Christian Nationalists in Oklahoma, Named Faithful America Leader
Fleck, a former probation officer turned pastor, was one of the leading voices against efforts to put Trump Bibles in schools.
Arkansas Religious Leaders Fight Ten Commandments Bill Rushing Toward Governor’s Desk
Arkansas became the latest flashpoint in church-state politics this week as legislation introduced less than a month ago now only needs one more round of voting to make it to the desk of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Church
United Methodist Building Celebrates a Century of Presence on Capitol Hill
The building, built in 1923, was funded entirely by women.
Settlement Talks With Johnny Hunt Fail. SBC and Former President Likely Headed to Trial.
A defamation lawsuit filed by Hunt has cost the nation's largest Protestant denomination $3 million so far. A trial date is set for Nov. 12 in Nashville.
After a Crackdown on Sexuality, Two Dozen CRC Churches Head for the Exits
At its 2024 synod in June, the Christian Reformed Church instructed LGBTQ-affirming congregations to repent and comply with the denomination’s beliefs on sexuality. Some are now choosing to leave.
Nation
Challenging ICE’s Chilling Effect
As Trump claims he’s creating a task force to fight ‘anti-Christian bias,’ it is worth examining the various legal challenges that major Christian denominations have filed seeking protection from Trump’s administration.
Protesting Sean Feucht Down in New Orleans
When Christian Nationalism scholar and sociology doctoral fellow Karrie Gaspard-Hogewood saw that Feucht would be leading a Christian Nationalistic rally in her city, she decided to blow the whistle at him — literally.
27 Religious Groups Sue Trump Administration To Protect Houses of Worship From Immigration Arrests
More than two-dozen groups representing millions of Americans — including the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — filed a federal court lawsuit.
World
Christian Organizations Come Together to Take Boycott, Divestment Action As Rafah Campaign Continues
‘A core practice of nonviolent resistance, including within our tradition, is economic non-cooperation with injustice,’ the Christian organizations wrote.
Pope Apologizes After Being Quoted Using Vulgar Term About Gay Men in Talk About Ban on Gay Priests
The incident underscored how the church’s official teaching bumps against the reality that there are gay priests and plenty of LGBTQ+ Catholics who want to be fully part of the life and sacraments of the church.
From Schools to the Olympics, How France’s Staunch Secularism Affects Religion in Public Life
As the world’s eyes turn to France, host of the summer games in two months, their unique approach to the role of religious symbols in the public realm is getting more scrutiny.
Editorials
I Just Don’t Know What Will Happen
Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on the sudden ending of the Gospel of Mark and what it means to have faith during a time of uncertainty like the coronavirus pandemic.
Playing the Cello
Between a global pandemic, massive protests against racial injustices, and a divisive election, Editor Brian Kaylor argues that 2020 is a year that demands more cellos.
Building Tombs for the Prophets Our Ancestors Killed
Editor Brian Kaylor reflects on the passing of Baptist civil rights giants C.T. Vivian and John Lewis, and what it would mean to really honor the legacy of those two and their fellow Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr.
Word&Way Voices
What It Means to Love Your Neighbor
Edward Walsh reflects on his experiences in the Middle East and what following the teachings of Jesus should look like in this time of conflict.
The Gift Youth Sports Offers the Church
Contributing writer Sarah Blackwell champions the idea that churches can offer counter-cultural recreational programs to put youth sports back at the right size and scale.
Chicago Community and Evanston Church Step Up to Assist Resettled Venezuelan Families
While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lampooned sanctuary cities by sending buses full of desperate people seeking safety for themselves and their families, he did not anticipate that they would be received with open hearts, houses, and churches.
E-Newsletter
Stopping the ‘Jezebel Spirit’
This issue of A Public Witness looks at the origins of the unbiblical phrase ‘Jezebel Spirit’ and the danger it poses in today’s politics.
Trump Invokes Patron Saint of Far-Right Catholics
This issue of A Public Witness unpacks the devotion to Saint Michael the Archangel, why Donald Trump recently posted about him, and what it means for our politics today.
When Christian Nationalism Becomes Public Policy
This issue of A Public Witness explores alarming new moves to implement Christian Nationalistic ideas in Indiana and Oklahoma before considering a glimmer of hope in Texas.
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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: Dancing in My Dreams
In "Dancing in My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner," author Ralph H. Craig III illuminates the often overlooked spiritual dimensions of the Queen of Rock and Roll's life.
Review: Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology
As part of a series on "Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies in Religion and Theology," author José Francisco Morales Torres makes the case that wonder is not something we produce or seek but rather something that captivates and takes hold of
Review: Worship and Power
"Worship and Power: Liturgical Authority in Free Church Traditions" examines how Baptist, Pentecostal, Mennonite, and Disciples of Christ churches can effectively worship amid decentralized guidance.
Review & Giveaway: Spiritual Care
Sociologist Wendy Cadge's "Spiritual Care: The Everyday Work of Chaplains" is an in-depth study that fills a gaping hole in understanding how religious care is provided within the United States.