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Featured
Defense Department Rejiggers List of Recognized Religions After Backlash, Narrows It to 30
The fast-evolving list was met with blowback from critics who suggested its changes were an attempt to impose Christian Nationalism on the military.
Southern Baptists Want to Shrink First Amendment Protections
Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor unpacks a significant problem with a proposed resolution for consideration at the 2026 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The Challenges of Graduating From a Christian School in the Age of AI
We live in an era saturated with more means of communication than ever before, and yet we also face unprecedented threats to our genuine human connections.
Church
Black Clergy Strategize, Preach and Urge Election Turnout After Voting Rights Act Gutting
‘We need accountability. We need to set goals, track registrations, follow up to ensure that those who register actually vote,’ a Church of God in Christ bishop said at an ‘emergency’ meeting.
After the Los Angeles Wildfires, Clergy Crossed Denominational Lines and Forged New Bonds
Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, Jews, and yogis have not just found common ground in human suffering and loss, but have learned how to lean on one another in a time of dire need.
Southern Baptist Convention Continues Membership Slide but Grows in Attendance and Baptisms
Membership fell by nearly 400,000 people, continuing a nearly two-decade decline in what is still the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S.
Nation
After Years Fostering Interfaith Ties, San Diego Mosque Finds Allies in Grief
In the hours after the shooting, interfaith leaders and allies crowded vigils to stand in solidarity with the San Diego Muslim community.
Hegseth Prays for ‘Armor of God’ on Military at Pentagon Worship Service
The government service also featured a sermon about hope from Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, who is a former NFL football player and Southern Baptist pastor.
Rededication or Misdirection?
These days, it can feel like Christian Nationalism is the majority opinion. But while Christian Nationalists have grabbed significant power, many times — like with ‘Rededicate 250’ — it’s just that they’re being extra loud.
World
Easter Came to Empty Pews in Jerusalem. For Palestinian Christians, Orthodox Easter May Be No Different.
Restrictions imposed by Israel against large gatherings due to the Iran war is casting a long shadow on Easter celebrations, but Palestinian Christians may be feeling it most acutely.
Displaced by War, Lebanon’s Christians Mark Easter Far From Their Homes and Churches
Since hostilities erupted last month between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group — in the shadow of the wider, U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — over 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon, and more than 1 million have been forced to flee their homes.
Pope Leo XIV Rejects Claims That God Justifies War in Palm Sunday Mass Message
He said God doesn't listen to the prayers of those who make war or cite God to justify their violence, just after Israeli police prevented the Catholic Church’s top leadership from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Editorials
Mike Johnson Violates Spirit of Congressional Chapel
When Jesus said to go pray in a closet, he didn’t mean you should then show it off to Fox News or The Associated Press.
Missouri Lawmakers Should Reject Fake ‘Chaplains’ in Schools Bill
A chaplain is not just a pastor or a Sunday School teacher or a street preacher shouting through a bullhorn. This is a unique role, often in a secular setting that requires assistance with a variety of religious traditions.
What Kind of Baptist Was Jimmy Carter?
Editor-in-chief Brian Kaylor reflects on what is missing in coverage of the religious faith of the late Jimmy Carter as news reports consider the life and legacy of the former president, humanitarian, and Sunday School teacher.
Word&Way Voices
A Pacifist Response to the Minnesota Killings
While each aspect of the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti has been dissected and analyzed under a microscope, contributing writer Rodney Kennedy takes a macro approach to examine how American Christians approach violence.
Saying Ouch or Amen: How Druski’s Jokes Can Help the Church
Comedian Druski’s latest viral church parody contains some truth in its critique, however uncomfortable it may be. The Church and the Christians within it should face that openly.
What ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ Teaches Us About Religious Liberty Today
From the beginning, the U.S. has prided itself on being a haven for persecuted believers. But it has also demanded those believers demonstrate their loyalty in ways that blur the line between conscience and citizenship.
E-Newsletter
SNL, Congress, and a Newsletter
Join us as we celebrate five years of our ‘A Public Witness’ newsletter and highlight the best from the 115 pieces we’ve published over the past 12 months exploring the intersection of faith, culture, and politics.
Marching Against an ‘Illegal and Unholy War’
This week, Rev. William Barber II gathered in front of the White House along with dozens of other clergy to protest the conflict that the Trump administration started against Iran.
Advocates for Church-State Separation Find Humor, Joy Amid Challenging Work
This week’s Summit for Religious Freedom, organized by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, struck a tone of joyful resistance.
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Southern Baptists, the Pentagon, & UFC
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 Southern Baptist Convention's push against women in ministry, the Pentagon changing how it codes the faith of military members, and the latest in… -
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…
Books
Review: Serving Up Scripture
Using the metaphor of cooking, scholars Jennifer Garcia Bashaw and Aaron Higashi explain how you, the chef (interpreter), can whip up meals (insightful interpretations) from the ingredients (chapters/verses) in your Bible.
Review: Reading the Bible on Turtle Island
Indigenous scholars Chris Hoklotubbe and Danny Zacharias explore what it means to read the Bible from the lens of Indigenous peoples in North America.
Review & Giveaway: Furious Minds
Political theorist Laura Field provides an intellectual tour of the MAGA New Right, a movement that has twice carried Donald Trump into the White House.
Review: Dispatches From Mormon Zion
Combining gifted storytelling with keen analysis, Ryan Davis illuminates lived experiences within the LDS community and offers thoughtful reflections on what it might mean to share one heart and one mind in today’s polarized world.