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What We Can Learn From AI Slop Images Celebrating Pentagon Worship Services
This issue of A Public Witness dives into the weird world of AI-generated social media content that lifts up a distorted view of Christianity.
With Three Prisoners Scheduled for Execution, Southern Churches Toll Their Bells
On the first day in 16 years that three death row inmates were scheduled to be executed on the same day, faith groups in Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Iowa tolled their bells as part of a campaign.
Johnny Hunt’s Last Defamation Claims Rejected by Federal Judge
The former Southern Baptist President's lawyers had argued he was a private figure and his misconduct was nobody's business. He also claimed a tweet criticizing him was defamatory.
Church
With Voting Rights in Mind, Progressive National Baptists Head to Capitol Hill
'The Supreme Court, not too far from here, decided that it was OK for Black folks to not deserve representation in Congress,' said its social justice commission co-chair.
National Baptists Launch Social Justice Center Near US Capitol
‘Voting rights are being eroded,’ said President Boise Kimber of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc. ‘Black political leaders are being decimated by redistricting.’
Global Baptists Meet in Toronto to Work for Justice and Peace
This issue of A Public Witness treks to The Six to cover the recent gathering of the Baptist World Alliance.
Nation
‘They’re Not Real Pastors’: As Clergy Run As Democrats, Republicans Question Their Faith
'It's a sign that they are really scared they're gonna lose this seat,' the Rev. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Lutheran pastor running for Congress in Iowa, said. She is part of a wave of religious figures running as Democrats for congressional seats.
Hegseth’s Pastor Praises Military as ‘Means of God’s Grace’ at Pentagon Worship Service
The service marked the third time in 15 monthly services that the sermon was delivered by Brooks Potteiger, a member of Doug Wilson's Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.
Federal Judge Dismisses a Lawsuit Over Makeup of Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission
Judge John P. Cronan said the commission is diverse through including both clergy and lay people and has 'adherents of at least five different religions' — by citing the one Jewish member and members of various Christian denominations.
World
AP Exclusive: Under Notre Dame Cathedral, a ‘Dig of the Century’ Unearths 1,700 Years of History
Among the hundreds of objects already found: a fourth-century coin stamped with the face of the Emperor Constantine, and shards of medieval pottery painted on the inside with marks no expert has yet deciphered.
In His First Encyclical, Pope Leo XIV Says AI Must Serve Humanity, Not the Powerful Few
In ‘Magnifica Humanitas,’ Leo's 83-page manifesto on AI, the pope tackles the social, economic, and political challenges associated with artificial intelligence.
Belarus Authoritarian Leader Welcomes US Evangelist Franklin Graham to Hold Massive Gathering
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko asked Graham to convey warm greetings to President Donald Trump and tell him that he has ‘reliable friends and supporters in Belarus.’
Editorials
No Kings, No Christian Nationalism
On Saturday (Oct. 18), millions of people attended “No Kings” rallies at about 2,600 locations across the country. Here are the remarks by Brian Kaylor at No Kings rally on the steps of the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City.
The Book Review That Wasn’t
Brian Kaylor didn’t expect World magazine to like his new book, "The Bible According to Christian Nationalists." But he did anticipate that if the influential conservative Christian publication reviewed it, they would at least do so honestly. Apparently, that was expecting too much.
Missouri Republicans Invoke Christian Values to Gerrymander Out a Methodist Minister
Somehow, the plan allegedly rooted in faith values to represent Christians means driving out of office one of only three ministers in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Word&Way Voices
Theo vs. the TheoBros
Contributing writer Sarah Blackwell shares a bit about her new Theo(logy) of noticing found in a book by Allen Levi called 'Theo of Golden.'
Between Christendom and Faith
The commercialized American church has arrived at a form of religious life in which institutional maintenance and spiritual fidelity become indistinguishable, and where questioning the institution is easily recoded as questioning God.
This Mother’s Day, the Church Cannot Be Silent About Black Maternal Deaths
Across this country, Black women are dying from pregnancy-related causes at nearly three times the rate of White women. These cases are about much more than just numbers.
E-Newsletter
Global Baptists Meet in Toronto to Work for Justice and Peace
This issue of A Public Witness treks to The Six to cover the recent gathering of the Baptist World Alliance.
Add Your Voice for Church-State Separation
Trump’s ‘Religious Liberty Commission’ is now receiving public comments that it will review before issuing a final report. While they will not repent of their Christian Nationalism, it can still be an important sign of how unpopular their agenda is if they are swamped with public opposition.
When Blasphemy Flashes on the National Mall
This issue of A Public Witness strikes at the heresy in Trump’s Fourth of July remarks and thunders some disapproval for similar rhetoric recently offered by Speaker Mike Johnson.
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The State of the Senate, from SC to ME to TX to KS
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 death of Sen. Lindsey Graham as well as issues of faith and morality in Senate races in Maine, Texas, and Kansas. You can… -
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…
Books
Review: Better Than Normal
Author and pastor MaryAnn McKibben Dana delivers a powerful critique of society’s restrictive expectations while offering a transformative vision for human flourishing.
Review & Giveaway: Chosen Land
Matthew Sutton’s expansive new book is the perfect resource for understanding what the United States has been over the past 250 years, not what some people wish it would be.
Review: Genealogy Theology
Bringing together a love of storytelling and decades of experience in pastoral ministry, Frank G. Honeycutt invites readers to explore the spiritual twists and turns in their family trees.
Review: Emotion in Early Christianity
In this groundbreaking book, Andrew Crislip illuminates how emotion shaped Christian identity, community practices, and theological understanding.