The New Satanic Panic
In this issue of A Public Witness, we recall an earlier “satanic panic” before looking at the hellish impact that demonizing our political opponents has on democracy.
Free Speech in a House Full of Chickens
Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy uses the metaphor of fast food to better understand our current political moment. The allure of junk food matches the allure of our politics – simple, cheap, fast, superficial, but somewhat tasty.
The Reality of Abortion
Darron LaMonte Edwards makes the case that abortion did not begin to be a difficult issue with Roe v. Wade. Before Roe, during Roe, and after Roe abortion has been and will be a reality – and any good faith conversation should reflect that.
Christian Leaders Denounce ReAwaken America Tour
The group Faithful America held a press call on Thursday that served as a platform for Christian leaders to speak out against the ongoing ReAwaken America megachurch tour. The tour, hosted by Clay Clark, General Michael Flynn, and Eric Trump was denounced as an attempt
Texting the Apocalypse
In this edition of A Public Witness, we read the texts of messianic and apocalyptic ideas animating parts of the Trumpian movement. Then we take advantage of your unlimited data to warn about the danger of half-baked religious prophecies masked as partisan politics.
I Hate Group Projects
Darron LaMonte Edwards argues that our response to the murder of George Floyd as well as the ongoing global pandemic amount to best understanding this moment as a failed group project. This means it is time to critically reflect on the past 24-25 months so
There’s a New Kind of Christian in Congress
Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy explores the ways that Marjorie Taylor Greene has come to represent a new form of Christians who work and pray for a rupture in deliberative democracy. This means that Republicans don’t just have a Greene problem – America has a Greene
The Return of the Calamity Howlers
Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy makes the case that much of what we are seeing in politics today can be traced back to the late 19th century populists known as the calamity howlers. Only this time the chief howler is not a rural farmer but a
Scholar: America is Still Reacting to the Religious Right, in More Ways Than One
A religion scholar believes major trends in religion and politics can be traced back to the rise of the religious right in the 1990s, a sea change moment that set in motion an array of phenomena ranging from an uptick in religious disaffiliation to the
The Same Old Evangelical Enemies
Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy makes the argument that 2021 is 1921 in Evangelical Land – the enemies are the same, but with new names. This means that Darwin, Darrow, and Fosdick are now Fauci, the ACLU, and liberal preachers.