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Featured
Review: Knock at the Sky
In “Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible,” Liz Charlotte Grant interprets the Bible’s inspired book of beginnings as a work of art.
Most Greenlanders Are Lutheran, 300 Years After a Missionary Brought the Faith to the Remote Island
Most Greenlanders are proudly Inuit, having survived and thrived in one of the most remote and climatically inhospitable places on Earth. And they’re Lutheran.
On Capitol Hill, Faith Leaders Mark Ash Wednesday With Criticism of Trump and GOP
The Lenten season that began on Wednesday, normally one of introspection and personal spiritual observances, has become a season of resistance this year.
Church
Fire Severely Damages Historic First Baptist Dallas Church Sanctuary
A fire all but destroyed the historic church sanctuary at First Baptist Dallas, sending smoke billowing over the city but causing no deaths or injuries, Dallas firefighters said.
United Methodists Elect a Third Openly Gay, Married Bishop
Kristin Stoneking will replace Bishop Karen Oliveto, the denomination’s first openly gay married bishop, who, at age 66, is retiring.
How a Perfect Storm Sent Church Insurance Rates Skyrocketing
The same factors that have caused a crisis in the homeowner's insurance market are also affecting churches, who have to choose between paying for insurance or running programs.
Nation
119th Congress Adds 2 Hindus, 2 Nones, Remains Mostly Christian
Despite America's shifting religious landscape, the faith of the country's representatives has changed little.
Johnson Wins Speakership, Reads Fake Prayer From Thomas Jefferson
Mike Johnson previously claimed the founders intended the U.S. to have a Christian government using spurious quotes from President John Quincy Adams and Alexis de Tocqueville.
How Religion, Wellness Bros, and Conspiracies Made Some Americans Doubt Seed Oils
Clean eating and spiritual health have often been linked in American culture.
World
Western Churches Called for Cease-Fire. Palestinian Christians Heard Empty Words.
Palestinian Christians have felt abandoned by global Christian church leaders’ statements on the Israel-Hamas war, with some viewing the war as a moment for Western denominations to reckon with their colonialist past.
Pope Francis Condemns Saturday’s Israeli Attack on Christian Church As Act of Terrorism
'It’s war, it’s terrorism,' Pope Francis said.
With the Encouragement of Pope Francis, Vatican Allows Blessings for Same-Sex Couples
'God never turns away anyone who approaches him!' read the document issued by the Vatican's doctrinal department.
Editorials
Experiment in Cooperation
One hundred years ago, a bold experiment died. But it could be more than a historical footnote; it should serve as a prophetic whisper that things are not as they should be.
Impeaching King Herod
Mysterious people with political connections arrived from a country off in the East. They brought news the ruler did not like.
Printing Truth
In a Polish museum dedicated to the “Warsaw Uprising” of 1944, one room stood out in particular for me — the one dedicated to the role of the press. In the midst of the fighting, a vibrant free press community continued.
Word&Way Voices
Lebanon: Who’s Two Timing Who?
Nabil Costa details a ludicrous conflict that surfaced when the caretaker Prime Minister, in a surge of “altruistic” enthusiasm to ease Ramadan’s rituals on the fasting populace, decided to postpone daylight saving time.
Dehumanizing ‘Conversions’ and the Church
Darron LaMonte Edwards argues that Christians should be opposed to harmful conversion therapy, which is more concerned with changing who a teen is sexually attracted to than with modeling how to live faithfully.
Work That Matters
Angela Denker writes about not wanting to waste the time she has on this earth and the strong desire to engage in important work. The ironic part, though, is that real meaning often comes in the minutia.
E-Newsletter
Unbaptizing America
“Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism” has officially launched — check out the conversation we had to celebrate with Dr. Diana Butler Bass, Rev. Adriene Thorne, and Dr. Andrew Whitehead.
The Barmen Declaration Turns 90
As we mark the anniversary of a powerful confessional statement, this issue of A Public Witness considers how it still speaks to us today with a deep theological assessment of the dangers of uniting church and state.
Reconsidering the Bible Photo Op
This Saturday marks four years since the photo op where Trump awkwardly held a Bible outside a church after police teargassed BLM protesters. Despite all the attention to evangelicals, if you look at the photos all you will see is the influence of mainline Protestantism.
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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: The Messiah Confrontation
Robert D. Cornwall reviews "The Messiah Confrontation: Pharisees Versus Sadducees and the Death of Jesus" by Israel Knohl translated by David Maisel. This book makes the case that the trial of Jesus should not be a point of contention between
Review: Strength for the Fight
Robert D. Cornwall reviews "Strength for the Fight: The Life and Faith of Jackie Robinson" by Gary Scott Smith. The book not only serves to demonstrate the importance of religion in this story but also comes at the right moment,
Review: The First Advent in Palestine
Robert D. Cornwall reviews "The First Advent in Palestine: Reversals, Resistance, and the Ongoing Complexity of Hope" by Kelley Nikondeha. This book is an expression of Nikondeha’s attempt to put the biblical Advent stories in a Palestinian context.
Review & Giveaway: Freeing Jesus
A review of Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence by Diana Butler Bass. And information on how to win an autographed copy of it.