USDA Serves Up Rightwing Christian Worship Services
This issue of A Public Witness documents several outlandish events beyond those named in a recent church-state lawsuit by employees or a complaint from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Let’s Make Texas Senate Race About Character
James Talarico’s attempt to make the election about ethos — character, credibility, and integrity — throws a Nolan Ryan fastball at Ken Paxton and MAGA and showcases their departure from 1990s conservative Christianity.
The Bible Verses Dividing Washington: How Matthew 25 Became a Political Litmus Test
'He told me that Matthew 25 was about individuals, and not nations,' Sen. Raphael Warnock said, referring to Speaker Mike Johnson. 'The text actually says nations.' Warnock added: “It's a very narrow individualistic faith, and I think it has consequences for the kind of policy
The Week of American Idolatry
For this issue of A Public Witness, we virtually trek deep in the heart of Texas to see how “God and country” too often looks more like country as god at Prestonwood Baptist Church.
Baptist Network Created to Oppose Nationalism, Foster Black Church Collaboration
‘We're a connector and a catalyzer, and not a denomination,’ its spokesperson said in an interview.
How LGBTQ-Affirming Churches Are Confronting Religious Trauma
Nearly half of Americans who left religion cite the mistreatment or rejection of LGBTQ+ people as an important reason. But how do the LGBTQ+ people who stay find healing?
Asbury Theological Seminary Cut by United Methodist Church Over Same-Sex Marriage Issue
The decision was attributed to Asbury’s objections to the new version of the denomination’s social principles that no longer solely affirm heterosexual marriage.
How Women Pastors Became Public Enemy No. 1 in the SBC
Southern Baptists have long believed that only men can be pastors. But for decades, the denomination took no action to expel churches where women pastors served. Then, in the middle of an abuse controversy, it became a denominational crisis.
Oklahoma Pastor Who Was Backed by Trump Exits GOP House Runoff After Reports of Inappropriate Texts
Jackson Lahmeyer, who founded Pastors for Trump and leads Sheridan Church in Tulsa, exchanged thousands of romantic text messages with a woman who is not his wife.
When Denominations Address Christian Nationalism
The Reformed Church in America is the latest group to speak out against the ideology, with regional United Methodist bodies and two Presbyterian denominations among those also addressing the issue this summer.