Unsettling Advent, Day 6
In day 6 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Contributing Writer Christopher Dixon reflects on finding hope during Advent — even amid a pandemic — and how that can be freeing.
Unsettling Advent, Day 5
In day 5 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Kristel Clayville reflects on serving as a hospital chaplain as many people die from COVID and other illnesses. But she notes that death isn’t always unsettling.
Unsettling Advent, Day 4
In day 4 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Senior Editor Beau Underwood reflects on issues of dying and faith as we go through Advent, again, during a pandemic.
Anti-Vax Christian Broadcaster Dies of COVID at 64
Marcus Lamb, a prominent Christian broadcaster known for his outspoken opposition to COVID-19 vaccines, has died after contracting the virus. Lamb, co-founder and CEO of the Daystar Television Network, was 64.
Unsettling Advent, Day 3
In day 3 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Ryan Fordice reflects on completing a residency in hospital chaplaincy during the COVID-19 pandemic. And he thinks about what this teaches us about the arrival of the Prince of Peace in an unexpected time and place.
Unsettling Advent, Day 2
In day 2 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Contributing Writer Sarah Blackwell reflects on moments early in the COVID-19 pandemic as her husband worked on the front line as an attending physician at a large, urban hospital.
Unsettling Advent, Day 1
In day 1 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on starting Advent amid a second year of COVID surges and deaths.
Christmas in Bethlehem: Gilded Treasures, but Few Tourists
Ahead of Christmas, a towering wooden screen — once blackened with soot from millions of worshipers’ candles — is being restored to its gilded glory in the Church of the Nativity, built at the site where many believe Jesus was born. But few visitors are expected
Unsettling Advent
In this edition of A Public Witness, we set the stage for Advent and countdown ways in which the pandemic, oppression, and insurrection defining our contemporary moment are strikingly similar to when Jesus was first born so long ago.
Some Churches Got Mega PPP Loans. A Few Got Tiny Ones.
For some smaller congregations, navigating the PPP loan process was difficult and the results disappointing. While some congregations got multi-million-dollar PPP loans, some got tiny loans by accident. Two churches got loans for $666.