Unsettling Advent 2023, Day 1
Brian Kaylor reflects on state executions during Christmastime and the modern parallels with a biblical character we often leave out of our nativity sets and pageants.
The Return of Unsettling Advent
We’re excited to announce that Unsettling Advent is coming back again with new themes. Once again, we’ve assembled a fantastic group of writers to help us all consider Advent in light of issues from the news this year: state executions, political anxieties, and bloodshed in
Religious Leaders Gather in Louisiana for World Day Against the Death Penalty
To commemorate World Day Against the Death Penalty on Tuesday, a number of prominent religious leaders gathered in front of the Louisiana governor's mansion in Baton Rouge to urge clemency hearings for 55 people on the state's death row.
Vatican, Other Faith Leaders Join in Push for End of Death Penalty in Louisiana
‘We think that the clearing of Louisiana’s death row would be a monumental step towards the abolition of the death penalty,’ Vatican agency head said.
Death on the Campaign Trail
In the wake of the first Republican presidential primary debate, today's issue of A Public Witness takes a look at former and current politicians who believe the path to the Oval Office runs through the death chamber.
Missouri Set to Execute Man Suffering From Severe Mental Illness
Missouri plans to execute Johnny Johnson on August 1, a man so severely mentally ill that he believes Satan is using the state of Missouri to kill him and bring about the end of the world.
He Wants His Pastor With Him At His Execution. Alabama Won’t Allow It
On Feb. 11, the state of Alabama intends to execute Willie B. Smith III without his pastor by his side — which Smith alleges is a violation of his religious freedom. Read full piece
Death in the Middle of Death: On the Execution of Walter Barton
It’s been over two months (75 days to be exact) since we’ve had an execution. There are only two other times since the turn of the century the state has gone that long without executing someone. But last Tuesday (May 19), that pause came to
Pastor Executed as Boko Haram Resurfaces in Surge of Violent Attacks in Nigeria
Boko Haram has waged a religious ideological war for the past two decades, aiming to crush Western influences and create an Islamic caliphate. The murder of a Nigerian pastor is only the latest in a surge of attacks in the West African nation.
This Time, U.S. Supreme Court Halts Execution Over Clergy Refusal
The Supreme Court issued a late-night reprieve to a Texas man scheduled to be executed this evening (Mar. 29). It appears that the issue was essentially the same as an earlier case in Alabama: whether the state can allow inmates of certain faiths to have