Johnson Wins Speakership, Reads Fake Prayer From Thomas Jefferson
Mike Johnson previously claimed the founders intended the U.S. to have a Christian government using spurious quotes from President John Quincy Adams and Alexis de Tocqueville.
Bishop Gene Robinson, First Openly Gay Episcopal Bishop, Preaches Defense of McBride
The Episcopal Church, UCC, PCUSA, and ELCA have all ordained transgender priests, pastors, and bishops in recent years, and traditions such as the Metropolitan Community Church have spent decades advocating for LGBTQ+ people.
Speaker of the House Takes Southern Baptist Approach to Covering Up Gaetz’s Alleged Sex Crimes
Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on Speaker Mike Johnson working to cover up a House Ethics Committee report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz after President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gaetz to serve as U.S. attorney general.
People of Faith Need to Respect Human Lives and Not Worry About the Olympics
As a Palestinian Christian, Daoud Kuttab has often felt that defending symbolism can be an easy replacement for the practice of faith in action. He argues that this is certainly the case with a recent Olympics controversy.
Lawmakers Unveil Statue of Billy Graham in US Capitol
Groups like Faithful America, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State criticized it as a symbol of Christian Nationalism.
Billy Graham Statue for U.S. Capitol To Be Unveiled
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other congressional members are expected to attend the unveiling of the 7-foot tall bronze statue in the National Statuary Hall to represent North Carolina.
Christian-Nation Idea Fuels US Conservative Causes, But Historians Say it Misreads Founders’ Intent
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention Christianity or any specific religion. Yet large numbers of Americans believe the founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation, and many believe it should be one.
Prayer Partners
This issue of A Public Witness takes you inside the Family Research Council’s “National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance” featuring Speaker Mike Johnson and a couple dozen other Republican lawmakers.
Judges Say Lawsuit Against CBN Pastor Brad Jurkovich, a Mike Johnson Ally, Should Go Forward
Former church members allege that Jurkovich and other church leaders illegally changed the church's articles of incorporation to require unquestioned loyalty to the pastor.
Speaker Johnson Doesn’t Know How Walls Work
This issue of A Public Witness looks back at Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Baptists penned 202 years ago this week and explores why prominent figures deliberately misrepresent the metaphorical “wall of separation” between church and state.