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Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy argues that if our democracy has a chance to return to a vibrant life in the future, its ambiguous and messy universal principles will need to be in fighting form.

Rollins, who had long suffered from health issues, accused SBC leader and GOP activist Paul Pressler of years of abuse.

In “Pilgrim: A Theological Memoir,” readers are offered a glimpse into the late Tony Campolo’s unique faith journey that shaped him into an influential and prophetic religious leader.

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Church

When faculty and staff at Sterling College received an updated employee handbook in August 2023, they were quickly alarmed by changes made without their input. Those concerns sparked a year of frustration with president Scott Rich’s leadership, frustration that continues as a new school year approaches.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and the pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, voiced criticism of Trump during a session of the PNBC meeting.

Substantial time was devoted to discussing policies embraced by the Biden-Harris administration that oppose Republican proposals, including Project 2025.

Nation

In a status report sought by a federal judge, the Trump administration’s lawyers argued the State Department is not required by law to provide reception and placement benefits to refugees when they arrive in the U.S.

Historian David Swartz unpacks his new seven-episode narrative podcast series on conversations in his Kentucky community about a local Confederate statue.

The hope, said one faith leader, was to dispute the idea that Christians, ‘including those that come from more conservative or evangelical leanings,’ support cuts to USAID.

World

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.

'It’s war, it’s terrorism,' Pope Francis said.

'God never turns away anyone who approaches him!' read the document issued by the Vatican's doctrinal department.

Editorials

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.

As often occurs when preachers give their pulpits over to a politician, they point to a Bible passage that does not actually justify their decision: 1 Timothy 2:1-2. But the passage does not actually say what proponents claim.

Word&Way Voices

Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy writes that we will never understand conservative evangelicals until we understand the theological construction of the dominant trope that "Democrats are devils." This has become the most successful propaganda campaign in American politics.

Rev. Darron LaMonte Edwards writes that he is feeling weary from the announcement that another unarmed Black man was killed. But as a Christian community, we cannot afford to get tired of speaking up for victims like Tyre Nichols. This problem has solutions.

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

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness looks at the creation of the law that eventually led to the Supreme Court’s case on the Bible in schools to determine what it teaches us about Christian Nationalistic motivations today.

This issue of A Public Witness takes off on a quest to understand what the recent Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission Brent Leatherwood debacle tells us about religion and politics.

Theologian and pastor Ross Kane articulates a vision of how Christians can engage in public life that begins with the premise that all politics is local.

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Books

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "Encountering Mystery: Religious Experience in a Secular Age" by Dale C. Allison Jr. This book seeks to help those who have had spiritual experiences that are not easily explained by sorting these occurances out instead of

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "Reading Theology Wisely: A Practical Introduction" by Kent Eilers with art by Chris Koelle. This book, written for the student or layperson, makes the case that theology is more than dry intellectualism because how we see

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "Bonhoeffer’s Religionless Christianity in Its Christological Context" by Peter Hooton. This book centers on the writings that appeared near the end of Bonhoeffer’s life that sought to envision what a non-institutionalized Christianity might look like. This

Robert D. Cornwall reviews What Do We Do When Nobody Is Listening?: Leading the Church in a Polarized Society by Robin W. Lovin. This book, written by a United Methodist minister and Christian ethicist, tackles the question of how churches