Home - Word&Way
logo
mobile-logo

Featured

Exploring Advent in a time of dangerous pregnancies, Brian Kaylor reflects on how powerful leaders often seek ways to make women’s journey difficult.

Monday’s federal lawsuit seeks to overturn the state’s decision not to allow Joseph Corcoran’s minister to be present in the execution chamber — a constitutional right granted by a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

This issue of A Public Witness recommends some recent documentary films on issues of faith in the public square, Christian Nationalism, and patriarchy.

No posts were found.

Dangerous Dogma

Church

Queen is the first SBC leader to be charged in an ongoing DOJ investigation into the nation's largest Protestant denomination.

At St. Paul's Episcopal Church, the Rev. Jean Beniste, a Haitian immigrant and Episcopal priest turned internet curses into blessings during an annual blessing of the animals, held in honor of St. Francis.

The building, built in 1923, was funded entirely by women.

Nation

The vote allows schools in Texas, which has more than 5 million public school students, to begin using religious material in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms as early as next year.

Many faith-based organizations fear that if the bill becomes law it might target organizations that support Palestinian rights.

A new Bible-infused curriculum would be optional for kindergarten through fifth grade, one of the latest Republican-led efforts to incorporate religious teachings into public school classrooms.

World

Thirty years after Eritrea revoked the citizenship of Jehovah’s Witnesses, a recent raid saw 23 members of the faith group imprisoned for practicing their faith.

Strikes in the traditionally ’safe’ areas where many displaced families have fled are raising fears among local Christian residents. Many feel they have to choose between helping compatriots and protecting themselves.

There has been sustained outreach by Ukrainian Baptists and other evangelicals to their American counterparts who hold sway politically within the GOP — an increasingly isolationist party with standard bearers who remain skeptical of Ukrainian aid.

Editorials

Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on Russian pro-war propaganda dressed up like a Christmas decoration, which he calls a sacrilegious assault on celebrations of the birth of the Prince of Peace.

Brian Kaylor writes that ten years ago today an armed man walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and opened fire. This massacre at Christmastime evokes memories of part of the biblical story we tend to leave out of our nativities and pageants.

As Brian Kaylor thinks about modern-day refugees fleeing a genocidal foreign dictator, he also wonders where Joseph, Mary, and Jesus spent the night on their journey from Bethlehem to Egypt. Where was their safe place to sleep and to enjoy a nice meal from strangers? And how were those people

Word&Way Voices

Reflecting on Advent in a time of rulers clinging to power, Beau Underwood explores how the proclamation that ‘Jesus is Lord’ is still a radical statement today.

Exploring Advent in a time of rulers clinging to power, Andrew Whitehead reflects on how Jesus taught us to reject the promise of earthly authority focused on only serving ‘us’ at the expense of others.

The state will likely begin to fund private Christian academies while also funding Bibles in schools — promoting the idea that the U.S. is a Christian nation.

E-Newsletter

Jerome Copulsky’s “American Heretics: Religious Adversaries of Liberal Order” is a tour de force documenting the religious illiberalism that has challenged democratic values from the very beginning.

This issue of A Public Witness heads deep in the heart of Texas to track the campaign of U.S. Rep. Colin Allred as he shows up in pulpits hoping to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

This issue of A Public Witness explores how challenging White supremacy and Christian Nationalism requires both honesty and repair.

Sign up to receive full essays in your inbox!

Podcasts

We had a lot of great conversations this year. So, let’s count down the top 10 most-downloaded of episodes of Dangerous Dogma.

In episode 82 of Dangerous Dogma, Alan Streett, an emeritus professor of biblical theology at Criswell College, talks about his new book Songs of Resistance: Challenging Caesar and Empire. He also discusses songs in the Christmas biblical texts, public and

Robin Lovin, an ordained United Methodist minister and a former professor of ethics at Southern Methodist University, talks about his new book What Do We Do When Nobody Is Listening?: Leading the Church in a Polarized Society.

David Hollinger, an emeritus history professor at the University of California, Berkeley, about his new book Christianity's American Fate: How Religion Became More Conservative and Society More Secular. He also discusses why evangelicals grew in the 20th century, what Donald

Books

In "Ministers of Propaganda: Truth, Power, and the Ideology of the Religious Right," Scott Coley trains a critical eye on the fusion of evangelicalism and right-wing politics.

In "Mornings with Schleiermacher: A Devotional Inspired by the Father of Modern Theology," Chad Bahl seeks to introduce a contemporary audience to the theological ideas of Friedrich Schleiermacher, one of the most important Christian theologians of the nineteenth century.

In "Hebrews (Commentaries for Christian Formation)," New Testament scholar Amy Peeler offers insights into Christology, the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, and the letter’s canonical resonances.

In "Irreverent Prayers: Talking to God When You’re Seriously Sick," Episcopal priests Elizabeth Felicetti and Samantha Vincent-Alexander offer readers a more candid way of communicating with God.