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Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy makes the case that the quest for secular political power has led to a conservative evangelical rejection of the clear teachings of Jesus.

Beau Underwood reviews The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy, which Matthew Boedy wrote to alert those who were ignorant or complacent about what was going on and what was at stake.

Written by Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) pastors and scholars, this collection of essays explores the mainline Protestant denomination’s diverse history, theology, worship, and mission.

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Church

This issue of A Public Witness seeks sanctuary to understand the history of how ICE interacts with houses of worship and the pushback against Trump’s changes from various Christian groups.

Robinson has defended the gesture, with which he concluded his speech at the National Pro-Life Summit last week, as an ‘attempt at dry wit.’

The Eaton fire consumed the sanctuary of Altadena Baptist Church, one of at least a dozen houses of worship destroyed in the fires in Los Angeles County.

Nation

A federal judge temporarily halted a law requiring public schools to display a version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom, echoing faith leaders and others who argue the statute violates the First Amendment.

This issue of A Public Witness recommends two films and one miniseries exploring important issues of Christian Nationalism and religious abuse.

Sixteen volumes go missing after a Kentucky church urges members to check out then never return library books about LGBTQ+ people.

World

The largest ecumenical body in the United States included a panel about the ongoing tragedies in Armenia, Haiti, and Sudan as part of their recent Impact Week.

There are 182,000 Christians in Israel, 50,000 in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and 1,300 in Gaza, according to the U.S. State Department. The vast majority are Palestinians.

Buildings have sunk into the Atlantic Ocean, an increasingly common image along the vulnerable West African coast.

Editorials

In a time of a national census and a deadly epidemic, a ruler who cares more about himself than the people can be dangerous. At least that’s the lesson in the biblical texts from the end of King David’s rule.

Two hundred years ago this month, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 — and the related Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 — shaped the nation in ways that continue to haunt our politics, justice system, and even churches. And it offers critical lessons for us today.

Bob Dylan famously declared, “The times they are a-changin’.” In the world of journalism that sure feels spot on. Nearly every week another story hits about some publication going out of print or even out of business. And nearly every week it seems there’s also another attack on press freedom

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

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’s refusal to defend her fellow Lutherans is quite telling for understanding how some politicians are prioritizing politics and religion today.

This issue of A Public Witness explores what Trump’s outburst about taking over the Gaza Strip reveals about the oligarchic values of the new administration as well as the immorality of prominent MAGA Christians.

In a month, the season of Lent will start and run through Easter on April 20. We have the perfect devotional book that calls for unsettling the biblical stories about Jesus’s teachings, ministries, death, and resurrection.

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Recent Episodes

Books

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.

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.