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Featured
White Christian Support for Trump Falls but Still Tops That of Americans Overall
A new Pew Research survey found that Trump’s approval ratings have dropped among major religious groups. But White Christians support the president more than other Americans.
Oklahoma Board Rejects Jewish Charter School, Braces for a Court Battle
The same board had supported opening a Catholic charter school in recent years, but a deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court allowed the state Court decision against it to stand.
Michael W. Smith Worshipwashes Trump’s Profanity and Lies
After President Donald Trump rambled, lied, and cursed for 77 minutes at the National Prayer Breakfast, a prominent Christian musician went to the piano to bless it.
Church
Episcopal Church Refuses To Resettle White Afrikaners, Ends Partnership With US Government
‘In light of our church’s steadfast commitment to racial justice and reconciliation and our historic ties with the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, we are not able to take this step,’ the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church said in a letter.
A New Jersey Church Wanted To Build a Homeless Shelter. Now the Town Might Take Its Property.
A long-simmering dispute over a proposed homeless shelter at a New Jersey church turned ugly last week, as leaders of Toms River voted to try to seize the church’s property.
SBC Membership Drops to Its Lowest Number in 50 Years. But Baptisms Are on the Rise.
The Southern Baptist Convention lost 259,090 members in 2024 — the 18th consecutive year of membership decline — according to the denomination’s Annual Church Profile report, released Wednesday.
Nation
From Vaccines to Gender: How Christian ‘Momfluencers’ Are Reshaping the American Right
By appealing to maternal concerns about what kids eat or learn and offering a sense of clarity, community, and stability, conservative influencers are creating an on-ramp for political engagement framed as part of a spiritual war.
Bible Sales Keep Growing, Even As Many Americans Lose Their Religion
About 18 million Bibles have been sold this year, part of a five-year boom in Bible sales.
As ICE Descends on Charlotte, Faith Leaders Draw on Other Cities’ Actions to Aid Immigrants
As many as 500 people, a mix of clergy and other volunteers, have appeared at the training sessions on how to counter ICE.
World
Their Churches No Longer Feel Safe. Now Nicaraguans Are Taking Their Worship Home
Several evangelical pastors, Catholic priests, and human rights organizations have denounced the surveillance, harassment, and the imprisonment of Nicaraguan faith leaders in recent years.
African Faith Leaders and Environmentalists Push for Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
An event advocating for the treaty was organized as part of the Season of Creation, an event observed annually by Christian denominations and Christian climate activists from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4.
Remembering Jesus Amid Drumbeats of War
This issue of A Public Witness reflects on the current escalation of violent hostilities between Israel and Lebanon and the historic Christian population caught in the crossfire.
Editorials
The Danger of Succumbing to Our History
Last week, Southern Seminary President Al Mohler sparked controversy as he reversed course and endorsed President Donald Trump’s reelection. But should we really expect anything different from a man who continues to affirm the theology of slaveholders who damned people to hell on Earth just because of the color of
Living in Post-Easter Pain
Easter came and went over the weekend, and we find ourselves in much the same place as if nothing changed. But, what if Easter isn’t the end of the story? What if life's victory over death has begun, but isn’t yet complete?
Faith as a Plague Passes Over
A common temptation in reading the Bible is to put ourselves in the sandals of the good guys. While it’s good to be inspired by the faithful characters in the Bible, if that’s the only roles we see ourselves playing, we miss a more accurate picture of our own faults
Word&Way Voices
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.
A Kansas City Lament
Kansas City pastor Darron Edwards shares his thoughts on the mass shooting at the Super Bowl victory rally and suggests possible paths forward.
E-Newsletter
The Supreme Court Case That Could Dismantle Church-State Separation
This issue of A Public Witness looks at the dustup over St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in Oklahoma and the religious freedom arguments before eight black-robed justices.
‘Baptizing America’ Wins Top Award From Religion Communicators Council
Our ‘A Public Witness’ newsletter also garners two Best in Class awards in the Specialized Writing and Artwork categories, and Unsettling Advent wins top editorial series for the fourth straight year.
Review & Giveaway: Blessed Minds
A congregational pastor who also serves as the UCC’s Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice, Sarah Griffith Lund has long been a voice helping Christians gently and wisely wrestle with neurodiversity.
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Southern Baptists, the Pentagon, & UFC
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about the Southern Baptist Convention's push against women in ministry, the Pentagon changing how it codes the faith of military members, and the latest in… -
Southern Baptists, Women in Ministry, & a Billboard
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Meredith Stone, executive director of Baptist Women in Ministry. The conversation includes discussion of efforts in the Southern Baptist Convention to further target women serving in churches and how BWIM is advocating for women (including with a billboard to greet SBC messengers next week in Orlando,… -
Divergent Visions for Rededicating the Nation
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about Rededicate 250, gerrymandering, Adam Hamilton's Senate campaign in Kansas, and the MAHA movement. You can watch a video version of the conversation here. Here are a few pieces… -
The Christian Past That Wasn't
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Warren Throckmorton, a retired professor who has spent years debunking false claims by Christian Nationalist pseudo-historian David Barton. Throckmorton is the author of the new book, The Christian Past that Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths that Hijack History. You can watch a video version of… -
Trump vs. Leo
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about President Donald Trump's attacks on Pope Leo XIV, Leo's witness against the Iran war, Trump's AI image of himself as Jesus, and the electoral… -
Fight Like Jesus with Jason Porterfield (Reissue)
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Jason Porterfield about his book Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace. This episode originally aired in 2023, except for a new introduction noting a violent prayer by Pete Hegseth during a recent Pentagon worship service and Palm Sunday comments by Pope Leo XIV. Note: Don't forget… -
Pete Hegseth's Crusader Bible (A Trick of State)
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor considers Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's use of the English Standard Version of the Bible, patriarchy in the faith communities Hegseth has been a part of, and his Christian Nationalism. It also reveals that Hegseth's ESV Bible includes two Crusader symbols stamped onto the cover (and that match… -
An Unholy War
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about the Iran war, Christian opposition to the war, and viral claims of military leaders claiming this will bring "Armageddon." It also includes consideration of… -
Rewriting the Ten Commandments (A Trick of State)
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor looks at legislation across the country that purports to want the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. But the version mandated by lawmakers cannot be found in any Bible. Kaylor unpacks where the edited language came from, why such legislation is an attack on religious liberty, and the… -
198. American Christianity Divided in Responses to ICE
This episode of Dangerous Dogma features a conversation between Word&Way Editor Brian Kaylor, Lutheran minister and journalist Angela Denker, and Disciples pastor and author Beau Underwood. The conversation includes discussion about ICE actions in Minneapolis, how many clergy are leading protests against ICE while others are supporting ICE, and new research worried about the loss…
Books
Our 2023 Books of the Year
For this issue of A Public Witness, Brian and Beau briefly highlight 15 of their favorite books beyond those from our monthly giveaway reviews.
Review: Unexpected Abundance
In "Unexpected Abundance: The Fruitful Lives of Women Without Children," Episcopal priest Elizabeth Felicetti deepens our understanding of the many ways to be fruitful.
Review: Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You
In "Speak with the Earth and It Will Teach You: A Field Guide to the Bible," Daniel Cooperrider analyzes the Bible's treatment of the environment and intersperses his own reflections on experiences in nature.
Review & Giveaway: 24/7 Politics
This issue of A Public Witness delves into Kathryn Cramer Brownell’s new book “24/7 Politics: Cable Television & the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News” exploring why our current media landscape looks the way it does.