Four More Years … For This Newsletter
Last week, New York magazine decided to try something new. The nearly six-decade-old publication with a circulation north of 400,000 now also has a Substack newsletter. The Nieman Journalism Lab, a media project out of Harvard University, noted that New York’s move comes after “other outlets have also been experimenting on the platform” — including beauty magazine Allure earlier this year and the Albany Times Union newspaper last year. They could’ve also listed Word&Way.
Four years ago today, we launched A Public Witness, our subscriber-supported e-newsletter focused on the intersection of faith, culture, and politics. While the newsletter space is often seen as a place for individuals to offer commentary or personal reflections, we’ve proven that legacy news outlets can join the space to offer serious longform reporting and analysis. Because of what we’ve accomplished, I even led a workshop yesterday (May 5) at the annual convention of the Evangelical Press Association to teach other Christian journalists and editors about creating and growing newsletters.
This vibrant addition to the nearly 129-year mission of Word&Way represents a key part of the future of journalism. The publishing platforms have changed, but our mission since 1896 continues. While many media outlets have been struggling, A Public Witness continues to grow. The total number of subscribers to this publication has grown more than 27% during the past year — to about 13,500. And the number of paid subscribers — the community who make this all possible — has grown almost 16% over the last 12 months. Our readers now come from all 50 states and 107 countries.
It’s not just that more people are reading. Our award-winning journalism is making a difference. So after lighting four birthday candles, this issue of A Public Witness reflects on the highlights of the past year as we look forward to four more years (and beyond).
Quite a Year
Over the past 12 months, we published a weekly roundup and 120 pieces exploring the intersection of faith, culture, and politics. Of those 120 pieces, about one-third went only to paid subscribers (who can also write comments on any post to add to the conversation). We covered a lot of important ground, including events and topics that would’ve otherwise been overlooked.
We offered significant coverage of the 2024 presidential campaign and the opening months of the new Trump administration. During the campaign, we looked at things like Joe Biden’s use of religion to unsuccessfully save his candidacy, the citing of the Bible at both the RNC and DNC nominating conventions, attacks on Tim Walz’s Lutheran faith, the popularity of a fighting angel by rightwing Catholics, how the name of Jesus became co-opted as a MAGA rally chant, and why the media’s obsession with White evangelicals missed which Christians would actually decide the election.
Since Trump let his hand dangle next to the Bible while taking the oath of office, we’ve covered Christian voices of resistance, including an Episcopal bishop urging mercy for immigrants and LGBTQ children, Lutherans pushing back against Elon Musk’s DOGE, a Canadian Disciples of Christ leader criticizing attacks on Canada, Jerusalem Christian leaders condemning plans to level the Gaza Strip, a Black church ending its relationship with the Kennedy Center, and Christian groups suing to block immigration raids in houses of worship.
Beyond the presidential election, we analyzed politicking in churches in Texas, Missouri, New York City, and Wisconsin. We also reported state efforts to push Christianity in public schools with legislation on “chaplains” and an edited version of the Ten Commandments. Internationally, we explored a historic hidden church in Amsterdam, the use of the Bible by Venezuela’s dictator, and why Orthodox Christians in Ukraine canceled a saint.
Earlier this year, we broke the news of Speaker Mike Johnson falsely claiming to read a prayer used by Thomas Jefferson, and then traced how this false history emerged. Those two reports on Johnson led to me speaking on Capitol Hill last month to a meeting of the Congressional Freethought Caucus. Similarly, we unpacked other untold or little-known history stories, including the background to the famous Supreme Court case on Bible readings in public schools, the role U.S. Christians played in helping build and give away the Panama Canal, the legacy of the Radical Reformation, and the false stories about a little-known 18th-century Bible held up today by those pushing Christian Nationalism.
Additionally, we reported on the scene from various events, including the Southern Baptist Convention, an interfaith bus tour defending voting rights, a Turning Point USA pastors event, a Notre Dame conference on Christian Nationalism, a service backing a lawsuit against Homeland Security, and a national summit on church-state separation.
We also published reviews of 12 books, with a paid subscriber each month randomly chosen to receive an autographed copy of that month’s book. These reviews included works on Christian Nationalism, racism in churches, sociology of religion, toxic masculinity, ministering to neurodiverse people, and more.
Another way of looking back at what we’ve published over the last year is to consider our most popular pieces. Here are the top stories from the past 12 months:
10. When ‘Jesus’ Becomes a MAGA Rally Chant. (Oct. 23)
9. Johnson Wins Speakership, Reads Fake Prayer from Thomas Jefferson. (Jan. 3)
8. Black Baptist Church Cuts Ties With Kennedy Center After Trump Takeover. (Feb. 19)
7. After Viral Sermon, GOP Threatens Religious Liberty. (Jan. 25)
6. Sermons About That Sermon. (Jan. 27)
5. Brave Sermon Exposes Christian Nationalism. (Jan. 22)
4. Political Attacks on Walz’s Church? Good Grief. (Aug. 8)
3. Lutherans Hammer Against Misinformation by Michael Flynn & Elon Musk. (Feb. 3)
2. When a Politician’s Party Trumps Their Church. (Feb. 11)
1. John Danforth, Former GOP Senator & Episcopal Priest, Calls Bishop Budde ‘Prophetic.’ (Jan. 30)
Broader Impact
We appreciate everyone who has been reading and sharing our work. My recent presentations at the Evangelical Press Association and the Congressional Freethought Caucus are just some of the signs of the influence of A Public Witness. Our work is also often cited by larger publications as we provide unique, in-depth news and analysis. In just the past 12 months, that has included cites in articles by Charisma, Baptist News Global, MSNBC, Newsweek, Religion News Service, Sojourners, Texas Observer, and others. Pretty impressive impact on national conversations for a publication with such a small staff and budget!
Additionally, we just won several awards for pieces published at A Public Witness (in addition to other awards for our seasonal e-newsletter Unsettling Advent and more). These awards help show our commitment to bringing you quality Christian journalism.
We’ve covered a lot, not just this year but throughout the four years of publishing A Public Witness. A quick look at current events shows our work is needed even more now. So we’re just getting started.
The community that is growing here encourages and inspires us to keep up the work. We appreciate all of you for reading. Together, we are creating a public witness as a counter to Christian Nationalism and other heresies. And if you’re not yet a paid subscriber, please consider upgrading to help our award-winning journalism continue. Here’s to four more years!
As a public witness,
Brian Kaylor
