In this issue of A Public Witness, we look at today’s special California election and the troubling campaign tactic of churches turning over their pulpits on Sundays for campaign speeches. We also offer a reminder that the IRS rule banning such partisan sermons has not been
The six Democrats vying to become Virginia’s lieutenant governor might have expected fireworks during their first and only debate before next month’s primary election. But they probably didn't expect them to come from one of the two moderators, who asked the only Muslim candidate in
Democrats won the critical U.S. Senate runoff races on Jan. 5. But did Baptist and other evangelical groups ‘cross a legal line’ in trying to keep Republicans' grip on power?
During the 2020 campaign, Dickson focused his outreach by highlighting Biden’s policy positions on issues such as immigration, systemic racism and climate change that have broad support among faith leaders, including many evangelicals. Read full piece
For decades, the red-bricked Gothic Revival church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached has been a monument to the history of Black Americans’ fight for civil rights and the legacy of an activist icon. Today, Ebenezer Baptist Church is at the center of
Warnock’s identity as a Black preacher has become central to his bid to reach the higher ground of the U.S. Senate. Republicans, who tend to perceive less conflict in the relationship between God and country, have cast him as a dangerous departure from the norm. Read
There's a little-known pastor who inspired Rev. Raphael Warnock, the Democratic nominee for Georgia's upcoming Senate runoff election. This man was Warnock's father, the late Rev. Jonathan Warnock. Read full piece
Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, has blasted Raphael Warnock’s rhetoric and proposals as “radical,” socialist, and out of step with Georgia residents. But for the Black Baptist preacher, he is continuing the tradition of his church.
Warnock may be the candidate to beat in Georgia, but his past sermons admonishing inequality have provided a tool for Loeffler and conservative groups to stoke fears. Read full piece
It's clear that Rev. Warnock is informed by the Gospel. But for all of her talk of God, Sen. Loeffler seems more motivated by the desire to score cheap political points. (Piece includes links to recent Word&Way reporting.) Read full piece