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Leading Qur'anic scholar Gabriel Said Reynolds presents a revisionary account of how Islam emerged in dialogue with Christian traditions, challenging the dominant narrative that it came out of a predominantly pagan context.

After decades of fierce controversies over sexuality and theology, some leaders of a conservative coalition say it's time to make a final break from what has long been one of the world's largest Protestant church families.

The Center on Faith & Justice at Georgetown University recently launched a campaign encouraging people to pledge not to shop on Amazon during this Advent season — and A Public Witness is one of the official partners.

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Videos

Church

Abuse survivors involved in the initial investigation continue to call on the university to prioritize student safety and healing over correction.

New Hope Presbyterian Church started a string orchestra in April, welcoming students — including those who may have trouble getting into and paying for music programs.

The trip, taken just days after President-elect Donald Trump won a second term in the U.S., brought 25 Latino Protestant leaders and pastors to Panama to help them understand the experiences of migrants who may later arrive in their communities.

Nation

This issue of A Public Witness heads to Florida with the zeal of Moses descending from the mountain to scrutinize the Christian Nationalist attempt to desacralize the Decalogue.

At Delaney Hall, the East Coast’s largest immigrant detention facility, families and volunteers say harsh conditions and shifting rules have urged the need for spiritual care.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has become a pariah in the eyes of the United Nations and established humanitarian groups, who accuse it of violating humanitarian standards while endangering civilians.

World

The commitment falls short of demands from some campaigners for institutions that benefited from slavery to pay compensation to descendants of the enslaved.

The militants 'are terrorists, and they are not fighting for any religion. But they want to use religion to achieve their target of destabilizing the country and establishing an Islamic state,' said a local evangelical Christian pastor.

The pro-Kremlin Lukashenko last month signed into law a measure requiring all religious organizations in the country to reregister with authorities or face being outlawed if their loyalty to the state is in doubt.

Editorials

On Mar. 13, more than 16 years in Missouri Baptist litigation came to an end. But if we rejoice in our “victories,” we miss the point that we all lost as we hurt the cause of Christ.

As with most theological topics, a wide diversity of opinions exists among Baptists on the nature of hell. In fact, Baptist theologians and preachers — much like church leaders in the first centuries after Jesus — have long been found in the various hell camps.

Last year, my wife and I saw the famous Leonard da Vinci mural “The Last Supper.” To be honest, I went because it seemed like something we should do while in Milan. But I was truly impressed by the mural.

Word&Way Voices

Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy argues that a recent tweet from Senator Josh Hawley describing Christianity and America as the saviors who destroyed slavery represents a false history.

Contributing writer Sarah Blackwell argues that the unfortunate consequence of separating ministries into silos based on age and stage of life means churches miss out on one of their biggest monopolies in the world today: being a place of true intergenerational community.

A recent op-ed published in the Washington Post about Christian Nationalism engaged in dangerous historical revisionism, failing to listen to and learn from the lessons of the past.

E-Newsletter

In this review of 2024, we count down our most popular pieces and reflect on some other highlights from the year.

Clergy blast Missouri Gov. Mike Parson for freeing the police officer who was convicted of killing 26-year-old Cameron Lamb.

In this issue of A Public Witness, we share some of what we’ve learned from our series of devotionals this year on Advent in a time of rulers clinging to power, dangerous pregnancies, and violence in Lebanon.

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Recent Episodes

Books

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "Choosing Hope: The Heritage of Judaism" by David Arnow. This book asserts that hope stands at the center of Jewish theology. That’s understandable since Judaism, historically, has had to navigate tremendous challenges when it comes to

Here at A Public Witness, it’s an annual tradition to share the best books we’ve read during the last calendar year. The table of contents is as follows: 1. Five books featured on our podcast Dangerous Dogma, 2. Five books

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "You Never Step into the Same Pulpit Twice: Preaching from a Perspective of Process Theology" by Ronald J. Allen. This book seeks to offer guidance to preachers who approach questions from a particular vantage point: Process

Robert D. Cornwall reviews "Buried Seeds: Learning from the Vibrant Resilience of Marginalized Christian Communities" by Alexia Salvatierra and Brandon Wrencher. This book explores the fact that many marginalized Christian communities live without the traditional trappings of institutional religion. Nevertheless,