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For years, churches and separation of church and state activists have been frustrated at the way the IRS has handled allegations of church electioneering.

This issue of A Public Witness explores the “Let Freedom Ring!” initiative’s remembrance of the past, which also serves as a warning about contemporary tyrannical threats.

In recent decades, many mainline Protestants have moved away from the Calvinist theory of penal substitutionary atonement, which summons up the idea of an angry God who needs to be appeased.

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Videos

Church

The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act bars governments from imposing land use regulations that put a substantial burden on religious exercise without a compelling reason for doing so.

The kerfuffle over Leatherwood's status, which played out in competing press releases from ERLC leaders, is the latest controversy for the SBC's public policy arm.

Many U.S. churches close their doors each year, typically with little attention. But the closure of Ryan Burge’s First Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, has a poignant twist.

Nation

When Christian Nationalism scholar and sociology doctoral fellow Karrie Gaspard-Hogewood saw that Feucht would be leading a Christian Nationalistic rally in her city, she decided to blow the whistle at him — literally.

More than two-dozen groups representing millions of Americans — including the Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) — filed a federal court lawsuit.

Americans United for Separation of Church and State condemned the appointment, saying White-Cain is a “Christian Nationalist powerbroker” who promotes discriminatory public policies.

World

The lush Cedars of God Forest, some 2000 meters (6,560 feet) above sea level near the northern town of Bcharre, is part of a landscape cherished by Christians.

Inspired by Palestinian Christians canceling Christmas lights and festivities in Bethlehem, British Christians urge Christians elsewhere to show solidarity by not lighting the “peace candle” that is traditionally lit on the second Sunday in Advent.

The Rev. Lydia Chituku Neshangwe, a Presbyterian minister, became the first woman to lead the ecumenical All Africa Conference of Churches.

Editorials

Last week, a majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court decided to flip to a calendar in their quest to discover truth. Well, they didn’t admit that, but that’s essentially what they did in the case of the 94-year-old cross in Bladensburg, Md.

In 2 Kings 5, a self-righteous, important man had to humble himself and listen to others in a quest to find healing from leprosy. Humbly listening to those we normally wouldn’t listen to might be the recipe we need today.

The classic children’s song about Zacchaeus — a wee little man was he — strikes me as odd. The song ends just as the story really gets good. And it has parallels to the report released by Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., documenting the school’s ties to slavery and racism.

Word&Way Voices

Rev. Angela Denker reflects on the church life her kids don't get to live and how at times it feels like it would be easier to uncompromisingly champion a strong and central Church, one that can afford to take for granted its place at the center of American community and

Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy argues that the bully pulpit of yesteryear has effectively been replaced by bully politics — but we will never fully understand how this happened until we examine how cruelty is often disguised as a form of humor.

Contributing writer Sarah Blackwell makes the case that this MLK day, we should honor his great teacher Dr. Howard Thurman by walking in nature, sitting in reflective silence, looking at the ways creation works together, and then applying these lessons to our lives. We might even find ourselves talking to

E-Newsletter

We’ve once again asked several Word&Way writers to each offer two books perfect for curling up with at the beach, on your couch, or in your backyard as you listen to the singing of the cicadas.

“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.

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.

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Recent Episodes

Books

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview: A Decolonized Approach to Christian Doctrine by Randy S. Woodley. This book serves as a helpful introduction for those who are not familiar with an indigenous/Native American vision of Christianity

Robert D. Cornwall reviews That We May Be One: Practicing Unity in a Divided Church by Gary B. Agee. In this book, Agee reminds us that unity is not easy to achieve and that shortcuts that avoid difficult conversations about

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament: The Evidence for Early Composition by Jonathan Bernier. This fascinating book is written in a way that does not get too caught up in academic language and is accessible

Robert D. Cornwall reviews What Is My Calling?: A Biblical and Theological Exploration of Christian Identity by William W. Klein and Daniel J. Steiner. The book’s message can be helpful for those who are struggling to make sense of their