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Exploring Advent in a time of violence in Lebanon, Lina Sawan Raad reflects on rulers with hearts blinded by the love of power.

This issue of A Public Witness reconsiders King Herod to move beyond a flat, culture wars depiction of the religious-nationalism-pushing ruler.

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on the meaning of peace declared by the heavenly host on that first Christmas in light of a “Let There Be Peace On Earth” Christmas decoration at the White House.

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Dangerous Dogma

Church

Despite the growth of trauma-informed ministry, religious leaders believe that more needs to be done for the church and other sacred spaces to be healthy, safe places of connection for congregations.

Theologian Candice Marie Benbow said, ‘We live at this intersection of being Black faith people and Black people who are in Greek letter organizations who are committed to communal uplift.’

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.

Nation

Since becoming a Trump supporter, the tech billionaire has arrived at a new stage in his evolution from insisting science and religion cannot coexist.

Mikey Weinstein, president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said that President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary ‘promotes the concept of fundamentalist Christian dominance and supremacy.’

Donald Trump returns to the White House on Jan. 20, after which the US policy of admitting refugees is expected to be cut back, if not entirely eliminated.

World

Pilgrims and visitors will walk through an immersive experience of the pope’s zero-waste farm and gardens.

Alice Kisiya leads an interfaith effort to defend her family’s land against encroachment by Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

In September, he said Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon have been immoral and disproportionate and that its military has gone beyond the rules of war.

Editorials

Brian Kaylor reflects on state executions during Christmastime and the modern parallels with a biblical character we often leave out of our nativity sets and pageants.

Lawmakers are arguing that if the federal government can restrict structures in the Rio Grande, then they could use the same Act everywhere because of Noah’s flood. Putting aside the legal silliness of the appeal to Genesis, this issue of A Public Witness joins the 22 Republican representatives in their

Focusing almost entirely on the SBC not only minimizes the theological (and political and racial) diversity of Baptists, but it also privileges a patriarchal body over others.

Word&Way Voices

For our first devotional on Advent in a time of dangerous pregnancies, Susan M. Shaw reflects on how John and Jesus’s births did not come without cost to the women who carried and bore them.

Reflecting on Advent in a time of rulers clinging to power, Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons explores the connections between “Wicked” and the story of Christmas.

Reflecting on Advent in a time of rulers clinging to power, Jeremy Fuzy explores the lessons we can learn from a true 20th-century ‘power broker.’

E-Newsletter

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

The upcoming election is certainly important, but the journey of addressing Christian Nationalism in our churches and nation will continue in the weeks, months, and years to follow.

This issue of A Public Witness hops on a cross-country bus to sightsee the pluralist resistance to Christian Nationalism — and picks up some religious hope for our divided country along the way.

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Podcasts

In episode 90 of Dangerous Dogma, Jeff Hood, author of The Execution of God, talks about his advocacy against the death penalty. He also discusses his ministry to people on death row, including last month as he stood in a death

In episode 89 of Dangerous Dogma, Jason Porterfield talks about his new book Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace. He also discusses what peacemaking involves and how we sometimes misread stories about Jesus and violence.

Daniel Buttry, retired global consultant for peace and justice with International Ministries of the American Baptist Church, talks about his new book Healing the World: Gustavo Parajón, Public Health and Peacemaking Pioneer. He also discusses nationalism, truth-telling, and conflict transformation.

In episode 87 of Dangerous Dogma, Andrew Seidel, vice president of strategic communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, talks about his book American Crusade: How the Supreme Court Is Weaponizing Religious Freedom.

Books

In “Defiant Hope, Active Love: What Young Adults Are Seeking in Places of Work, Faith, and Community,” scholars investigate how faith communities can be more hospitable to the next generation of Christians.

Matthew Taylor makes a compelling case that the New Apostolic Reformation, whose leaders and ideas have migrated from the fringes to the center of American evangelicalism, is a dangerous threat to democracy.

In “The Quest of the Historical Muhammad and Other Studies on Formative Islam,” scholar Stephen J. Shoemaker attempts to approach the figure of Muhammad in a manner comparable to efforts to recover the historical figure of Jesus.

In “One Lost Soul: Richard Nixon’s Search for Salvation,” Daniel Silliman cuts to the heart of Nixon’s tragedy: Nixon wanted to be loved by God but couldn’t figure out how.