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This issue of A Public Witness takes you inside a recent academic gathering to hear from some of the nation’s leading scholars as they offer ways to push back against a dangerous ideology.

In “Evangelical Idolatry: How Pastors Like Me Have Failed the People of God,” Jeff Mikels is concerned by the evangelical church’s embrace of cultural and political idols.

Why does Charlie Kirk, the new face of Christian Nationalism, say the church is in ‘wartime’ when Trump is in the White House and his party controls D.C.?

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Videos

Church

The president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary says former chief of staff Heath Woolman told another staffer to make the report of a sexual assault ‘go away.’

To receive an A rating, pastors must demonstrate that they lead a ‘biblically sound, culturally aware, & non-socialistic legislatively active church.’ Failing to meet any of those earns a church a ‘Would Not Recommend.’

The indictment is the first public acknowledgment from the U.S. Department of Justice that it is investigating the Southern Baptist Convention and its entities.

Nation

How the onetime Christian student organization convinced pastors to turn their flocks into GOP voters.

The Franciscan Action Network, along with partners Sojourners and Faith in Peace Concerts, held the fourth annual gathering that featured a variety of religious leaders advocating for a strong, functioning, representative, democracy.

Like a decades-long game of telephone, the tale takes many twists — with appearances by George Washington, an Episcopal convention in Missouri, a promoter of Christian Nationalism at a group now trying to debunk the claim, a Catholic newspaper in New York, a library heist, and a Presbyterian chaplain.

World

Francis has previously acknowledged the criticism directed at him from some U.S. conservatives, once quipping that it was an “honor” to be attacked by Americans.

Nicaragua’s government on Wednesday declared the Jesuit religious order illegal and ordered the confiscation of all its property. The move comes one week after the government of President Daniel Ortega confiscated the Jesuit-run University of Central America in Nicaragua.

Earlier this month, Russian police raided a prominent Baptist minister’s home for criticizing the military. But before they could arrest him, he slipped out of the country. We spoke with him as he recalled his ministry and courageous defiance.

Editorials

Brian KaylorLast month, news headlines called the shooting in Las Vegas the “deadliest mass shooting in US history.” That’s the fifth time in my life that such a tragedy claimed that title —

Brian KaylorI recently lost a tooth. And the tooth fairy didn’t even bother to give me a quarter — or whatever the going rate is these days.

Brian KaylorA popular myth surrounds the hymn “Amazing Grace.” It illustrates that how we tell a story matters, because the details teach us the moral of the story. The simple version makes it

Word&Way Voices

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove writes that in this season of watching and waiting, we do not have answers. We learn to be present to the pain of places like Mariupol and to pray with its suffering people for the peace we all need. For rulers who cling to their thrones, the advent

Juliet Vedral makes the case that the life and faithfulness of Mary Magdalene are a witness in this Advent season of light breaking through darkness and hope appearing where it’s least expected. Vedral spoke to Elizabeth Tabish, an actress from the television show The Chosen who plays Mary as a

Rose Marie Berger, a senior editor at Sojourners magazine, reflects on Advent as a time of waiting. During Advent, we wait for something that is coming — we prepare for an arrival. We think of it as a joyful season, a season of sweet anticipation. But Advent is also a

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness cues up the soundtrack of American evangelical Christianity as covered in Leah Payne’s “God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music.”

This issue of A Public Witness explores the wild Superbowl dreams of Lance Wallnau — a key figure in the New Apostolic Reformation movement — to consider the heresy of the MAGAchurch world.

With a bloody cleric adding Valentine’s Day to his culture (and literal) wars, this issue of A Public Witness looks deeper into the subversive mythology behind St. Valentine.

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Recent Episodes

Books

Sarah Bessey and other contributors to A Rhythm of Prayer responded to the backlash with a statement Thursday evening, saying critics are missing the point of a controversial prayer by Chanequa Walker-Barnes.

Evangelicals who are questioning often do so in isolation — but some are now looking for community. And they’re finding it in book clubs, reading the growing market of deconstructionist and justice-oriented literature.

Maina Mwaura writes about interviewing pastor and theologian Timothy Keller about Keller’s new book out for Easter, ‘Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter.’

Before passing away last July, famed civil rights activist C.T. Vivian started working on his autobiography, which will be released next week. In the book, he reflected on his role in key civil rights moments. And he suggested the “origins”