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Featured
Faith Leaders Join ‘No Kings’ March Against Trump Administration Agenda
A diverse group of faith leaders gathered in Manhattan on Saturday morning (Oct. 18) to offer prayers at an interfaith prayer vigil before joining a massive “No Kings” march in Times Square.
When Frogs (and Other Creatures) Challenge Imperial Power
This issue of A Public Witness hits the streets to consider what some recent creative protests can teach us about how to prophetically resist authoritarianism.
New Oklahoma Schools Superintendent Rescinds Mandate for Bible Instruction in Schools
The directive last year from former Superintendent Ryan Walters drew immediate condemnation from civil rights groups and prompted a pending lawsuit from a group of parents, teachers, and religious leaders.
Church
Black Ministers Denounce Project 2025, Urge Collective Black Resistance
The ministers’ statement also criticized White evangelicals, whom it described as ‘drunk on the religion of White Christian Nationalism.’
Sermons About That Sermon
This issue of A Public Witness looks at numerous sermons by Episcopal and other mainline preachers across the country as they reflected on Luke 4, Bishop Budde, and showing mercy.
After Helene, One Asheville Church Finds a Way To Step Up
In less than four months, Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church has doled out more than $3.5 million in rent support to hundreds of people who have walked through its doors.
Nation
‘There Really Is No Escape’: Faith Leaders Help Immigrants Face Court As ICE Arrests Rise
Clergy are accompanying immigrants to court appointments to provide comfort and information and, in cases where their worst fears are realized, to pick up the pieces of a shattered American dream.
Literally Misreading the Bible
This issue of A Public Witness looks at how one Calvinist voice with connections to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is publicly doing violence to Scripture to justify some disturbingly unChristlike behavior.
Gerrymandering the Bible
The opening chapter to “The Bible According to Christian Nationalists,” which officially releases in eight weeks, is fortunately (and unfortunately) quite timely. We are sharing an excerpt from it here.
World
Our Lord in the Attic
This issue of A Public Witness explores how a hidden 17th-century church in Amsterdam can teach us lessons about the need for religious freedom and a pluralistic public square.
With Cheekiness and Fawning Excitement, Comedians Meet Pope Francis
Despite their cultural and religious differences, a rowdy pack of more than 100 comedians from around the world embraced the ‘warmth and openness’ they experienced.
Pope Francis Becomes First Pontiff to Address a G7 Summit, Raises Alarm About AI
He offered an ethical take on an issue that is increasingly on the agenda of international summits, government policy, and corporate boards alike.
Editorials
We Need Just Mercy
Why should a person be punished because our lawmakers were slow to recognize their error? If a sentence is wrong, then it is wrong. We shouldn’t measure truth or justice by a calendar.
Refusing the King’s Food
Daniel knew the danger of refusing an order from the king. But Daniel knew he must do what's right, regardless of the social pressures or the political consequences.
Faith in an Age of Elmer Gantrys
On a recent road trip, I listened to Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis. I’d heard the lead character, Elmer Gantry, used as an insult about fraudulent clergy, Soon I heard something that almost caused me to swerve off the highway.
Word&Way Voices
Unsettling Advent 2023, Day 12
Many churches hold Blue Christmas services that allow people a sacred space for mourning. Perhaps the laments that come from political loss also need to be acknowledged in this season of anticipation.
Unsettling Advent 2023, Day 10
We live in a time of great precariousness and it is important to be reminded that the only kingdom sure to last is the kingdom of God.
Unsettling Advent 2023, Day 9
Often it doesn’t seem like Jesus was terribly concerned with politics, and certainly not with obtaining earthly power. But he was playing the long game of spiritual, social, and yes, political transformation.
E-Newsletter
ICE’s Cold Shoulder to Churches
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.
Lutherans Hammer Against Misinformation by Michael Flynn and Elon Musk
The first week of the new Trump administration was filled with attacks on the religious liberty rights of Episcopalians and Catholics. Over the weekend, another Christian group found itself in crosshairs: the ELCA.
John Danforth, Former GOP Senator and Episcopal Priest, Calls Bishop Budde ‘Prophetic’
Few people have thought as much about faith and politics as Danforth, who served as Missouri’s attorney general, special counsel for the DOJ, special envoy to Sudan, and ambassador to the UN for George W. Bush.
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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… -
197. Anna Piela and Michael Woolf on Confronting Islamophobia in the Church
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with American Baptist ministers Anna Piela and Michael Woolf on Islamophobia, immigration, and how Christians can better engage with interfaith efforts. Anna and Michael are coauthors of the new book, Confronting Islamophobia in the Church: Liturgical Tools for Justice. Watch a video version of this conversation here.… -
196. Martha Bardwell on Faith Communities Responding to ICE in Minneapolis
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Martha Bardwell, pastor of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on how faith communities are responding to ICE violence in the Twin Cities and the ICE killing of Renee Good. Watch a video version of this latest conversation here. The episode includes a discussion on… -
195. Attacking Venezuela & Gambling on Jesus
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 consideration of the U.S. attack on Venezuela and how Christians are responding, Pete Hegseth's pledge to change the military chaplaincy program, and how people are now… -
194. Dangers of Faith in the Pentagon & AI in Faith
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 consideration of U.S. strikes against Venezuelan boats, Pete Hegseth's Christian prayer services at the Pentagon, the use of AI in churches, and alarms about AI Christian… -
193. News Roundup: Elections, Government Shutdown, & Clergy Challenging 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 consideration of religious attacks in elections this week, impacts of the ongoing government shutdown on churches, and clergy protesting against ICE. Watch a video version of… -
192. Hannah Kardon, United Methodist Pastor Arrested During Anti-ICE Protest
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with Hannah Kardon, a United Methodist minister in the Chicago area. Kardon was violently arrested during a protest outside an ICE facility on Oct. 17. Video of the incident can be viewed here. Other issues discussed in this episode include ICE actions at churches, the legal pushback… -
191. William Stell on Evangelicals & Antigay Christianity
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with William Stell, a religious studies professor and author of the forthcoming book, Born Again Queer: A History of Evangelical Gay Activism and the Making of Antigay Christianity. Kaylor is also joined by guest cohost Jared Burkholder, scholar in residence at Moravian Theological Seminary. This is the…
Books
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.
Review: Oral Roberts and the Rise of the Prosperity Gospel
Jonathan Root's Oral Roberts biography offers insights into a significant element in American Christianity as well as a cautionary tale about crass materialism.