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Featured
Minneapolis Clergy Exposed to Pepper-Spray After Rushing to Scene of Deadly ICE Shooting
‘There was a request for clergy to show up’ at the scene, said one Minneapolis minister. ‘I was out the door.’
While MAGA Preachers Cheer, Mainline Protestants Strongly Condemn Attack on Venezuela
This issue of A Public Witness looks at criticism of the Trump administration’s actions in Venezuela by various Christian denominations and organizations, as well as pleas for peace by Venezuelan Christian leaders.
US Faith Leaders Supporting Targeted Immigrants Brace for a Tough Year Ahead
President Trump has become harsher with his contemptuous rhetoric and policy proposals, blaming immigrants for problems from crime to housing shortages and demanding “REVERSE MIGRATION.”
Church
As Trump Officials Demonize Faith-Based Partners, Government Grants Are Called Heresy
Faith groups have long received government grants to feed the hungry, respond to disasters, and assist those in need — but recent comments from Trump administration officials have cast such grants in a bad light.
When a Politician’s Party Trumps Their Church
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’s refusal to defend her fellow Lutherans is quite telling for understanding how some politicians are prioritizing politics and religion today.
Treading on Taboos, a Psychiatrist Trains Christians To See Spiritual Side of Mental Health
Spearheaded by Dr. Atasha Jordan, a Christian psychiatrist, the Christian Mental Health Initiative provides free mental health first aid trainings to churches.
Nation
Worship Leader Sean Feucht Mismanaged Millions in Ministry Funds, Former Associates Say
People who worked with Feucht's worship organizations have shared details about his amassing of high-value property, verbal abuse, and overworking volunteers and staff without fair wages.
Defense Secretary Hegseth Tests Constitution in Pentagon Worship Services
Speaking at a recent worship service at the Pentagon, Hegseth said the US needs to be ‘in prayer, on bended knee, recognizing the providence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’
The Bible According to the Department of War
This issue of A Public Witness looks at four recent promotional videos created by the DoW that co-opt Bible verses to glorify the U.S. military.
World
Pope Francis Appeals for Urgent Humanitarian Aid for Gaza and Backs Cease-Fire Proposals
He recalled that Saturday marked the 10-year anniversary of a peace prayer he hosted in the Vatican gardens, attended by then-Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Ivory Coast Splits With UMC but Kenya and Other African Conferences Slow To Follow
‘You don’t throw away the relationship of your sibling because you do not agree on an issue,’ said a former UMC bishop from Nairobi.
The Barmen Declaration Turns 90
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.
Editorials
Let Zacchaeus Find Redemption
When Zacchaeus met Jesus and recognized his sins, he did more than say a prayer. And a critical part of that story is the financial payments. But are we unwilling to let a Zacchaeus walk such a path of redemption?
A Prophet at the U.N.
We saw a prophetic example earlier this week at the United Nations. And like many of the Old Testament prophets, this modern one did not come from a prominent position of power. But God doesn’t usually speak through the powerful.
Desalinizing Our Politics
We really are living in a more profane age. And it’s not just the four-letter words or the using of God’s name in vain. The Bible clearly teaches us that our words matter.
Word&Way Voices
Knowing What We See and Remembering What We Know
Wendell Griffen argues that Israel is not making war on Hamas — Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s Biblical Interpretation Problem
Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy argues that the new Speaker of the House has missed some important lessons in hermeneutics — the Bible is not self-interpreting.
What It Means to Love Your Neighbor
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.
E-Newsletter
Challenging ICE’s Chilling Effect
As Trump claims he’s creating a task force to fight ‘anti-Christian bias,’ it is worth examining the various legal challenges that major Christian denominations have filed seeking protection from Trump’s administration.
Protesting Sean Feucht Down in New Orleans
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.
When a Politician’s Party Trumps Their Church
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’s refusal to defend her fellow Lutherans is quite telling for understanding how some politicians are prioritizing politics and religion today.
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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… -
198. American Christianity Divided in Responses to ICE
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 ICE actions in Minneapolis, how many clergy are leading protests against ICE while others are supporting ICE, and new research worried about the loss… -
197. Anna Piela and Michael Woolf on Confronting Islamophobia in the Church
In this episode, Word&Way President Brian Kaylor talks with American Baptist ministers Anna Piela and Michael Woolf on Islamophobia, immigration, and how Christians can better engage with interfaith efforts. Anna and Michael are coauthors of the new book, Confronting Islamophobia in the Church: Liturgical Tools for Justice. Watch a video version of this conversation here.…
Books
Review & Giveaway: Corpse Care
In "Corpse Care: Ethics for Tending the Dead," Cody Sanders and Mikeal Parsons spark new conversations that reclaim responsibility for faith communities from the funeral directors and other deathcare providers that professionally process our corpses without much reflection on their
Review: We Will Be Free
In "We Will Be Free: The Life and Faith of Sojourner Truth," Nancy Koester brings to life the powerful story of a complicated woman whose voice still needs to be heard — especially at this moment when so many Christians
Review: Elusive Grace
In "Elusive Grace: Loving Your Enemies While Striving for God’s Justice," Scott Black Johnston brings healing to the divides present in our congregations so that together we might become agents of justice and voices of healing.
Review: Resisting Apartheid America
In "Resisting Apartheid America: Living the Badass Gospel," Miguel A. De La Torre challenges readers and makes a strong case that EuroChristianity, defined by White Supremacy, is the greatest threat to the United States.