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In her new book, ‘Spellbound,’ the historian of religion traces the mysterious force that is charisma from the Puritans to Donald Trump.

Warren Throckmorton is concerned about the rise in citing pseudo-historian David Barton this year and next as we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026.

U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles wrote to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon asking her to investigate the prominent Christian college’s “Hope, Unity, and Belonging” program, which he claimed was diversity, equity, and inclusion in disguise.

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Church

On Thursday (Oct. 31), Curry, 71, completed his nine-year term as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and it’s his casual style and his capacity to adapt and improvise that may be his signature.

Fear of violence recently prompted Grace United Methodist Church’s pastor to join Choices and Voices for Peace, a coalition of faith leaders from across the state.

The site of colonial America's break with the Church of England and the mother church of the nation’s first Black denomination sit less than a mile from each other.

Nation

Two other states, Louisiana and Arkansas, have similar laws — but Louisiana's is on hold after a federal judge found that it was “unconstitutional on its face.”

The fast, initiated by Veterans for Peace, an anti-war organization, and a dozen Christian organizations, intends to raise awareness of the famine looming over Gaza.

This issue of A Public Witness sails over to the church-state crash in the Department of Transportation to consider the problems with this made-for-TV controversy.

World

This issue of A Public Witness looks at responses to Richard Dawkins recently claiming the label 'cultural Christian' despite his past tirades against religion to consider what this reveals about the unChristian nature of Christian Nationalism.

The pontiff, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, has been battling respiratory problems all winter.

'Usually people are joyful today and kids are excited. But when you compare children here who have water and food and a family to what’s happening in Gaza, how can you be happy?' said Fayaz Dakkak, a Palestinian storeowner.

Editorials

Mysterious people with political connections arrived from a country off in the East. They brought news the ruler did not like.

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.

We celebrate many early Baptist giants. Thomas Helwys. Roger Williams. John Leland. Adoniram and Anne Judson. Luther Rice. But there’s one we generally don’t know: Jack.

Word&Way Voices

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.

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.

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

We’re excited to announce that Unsettling Advent is returning with new themes: rulers clinging to power, dangerous pregnancies, and violence in Lebanon.

While Donald Trump’s win understandingly dominates the headlines, it’s also important to consider the results in the numerous other federal, state, and local races.

This Election Day issue of A Public Witness considers the idea that where you vote might influence how you vote.

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Recent Episodes

Books

In "The Desert of Compassion: Devotions for the Lenten Journey" author Rachel M. Srubas draws on the images of the desert, which she knows so well as a pastor in southern Arizona, to provide the reader/spiritual seeker with a rich

Barbara Mahany's "The Book of Nature: The Astonishing Beauty of God’s First Sacred Text" serves to remind us that before there was scripture, there was nature. It was nature that spoke to humanity about the presence of God the creator.

Jeremy Fuzy reviews "Second Thoughts about the Second Coming: Understanding the End Times, Our Future, and Christian Hope" by Ronald J. Allen and Robert D. Cornwall. This book explores the apocalypse from a mainline Protestant perspective.

Christian ethicist Robin Lovin’s "What Do We Do When Nobody is Listening: Leading the Church in a Polarized Society" joins a growing number of important books warning of the threat tribalism poses to democratic society.