Weekly Roundup: April 10
Here’s the weekly roundup from A Public Witness. This week we published an annotated look at a recent violent prayer offered by Pete Hegseth and a report on the latest government worship service at the Department of Labor.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
Review: Undoing Manifest Destiny. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed Undoing Manifest Destiny: Settler America, Christian Colonists, and the Pursuit of Justice by L. Daniel Hawk.
Donald Trump’s Easter Clash of Hell and Holiness. Bob Smietana wrote about how the president mixed Christian claims with threats of war and insults to immigrants during Holy Week.
Hegseth’s Removal of Top Army Chaplain Raises ‘Troubling Questions’ From Black Denomination. Adelle M. Banks wrote the response from a Black Baptist denomination after one of their own was fired.
Bible Stories Would Be Part of a New Texas Public Schools Reading List Drawing Attention. Heather Hollingsworth reported on another Christian Nationalist effort in the Lone Star State that could move to other states.
Faith Has Always Gone to Space. Artemis II Shows How Much It Has Changed. Jack Jenkins reported on expressions of faith in past and present space missions.
by Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief
Earlier this week, I visited the campus of Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to deliver remarks and join a panel conversation about improving media literacy in churches and religious communities. The event, “Beyond the Headlines: A Ministry Leader’s Guide to Media Discernment,” was hosted by the School of Theology.
These types of discussions are important. As I noted at the start of my remarks, our media landscape and especially the technologies used for communication have been changing at rates that have outpaced our theological considerations in seminaries and our discipleship efforts in congregations. Such work is particularly needed to assist youth in our churches and young adults in our colleges and seminaries who have never known a world without constant connectivity and social media. So I appreciated the opportunity to share some thoughts about how we can help people be innocent as doves but wise as serpents when consuming news and social media.
If you would like an even deeper look at the changing landscape of media and religion, you should join Beau Underwood and me for a class we’re teaching in partnership with Moravian University’s School of Theology to explore how religion is covered and communicated in the media today.
The “Broadcasting Belief: Understanding and Shaping How the Media Covers Religion” course will include four one-hour online sessions at 8 p.m. (ET) on Mondays April 27, May 4, May 11, and May 18 (but the sessions will be recorded for asynchronous engagement). Sessions will look at the historical evolution of religion in the media, the contemporary media landscape, how religion journalists decide what to report, and how you can have your voice heard in media outlets. One week will feature a panel conversation with guests Angela Denker (ELCA pastor and journalist), Jack Jenkins (Religion News Service), and Tiffany Stanley (Associated Press) to talk about their reporting on religion.
The course costs just $50 and is worth one Continuing Education Unit credit. Register today for this online course.
Other News of Note
Julia Carrie Wong of The Guardian wrote about Pete Hegseth’s “militant Christian theology” (with quotes from Brian Kaylor).
Brian Kaylor appeared on the WNYC show On the Media to talk about Pete Hegseth’s religious rhetoric and worship services at the Pentagon:
Pete Hegseth compared the Easter rescue of a U.S. airman in Iran to the resurrection of Jesus.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sparked controversy for sending a highly devotional Easter email to USDA employees.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two “anti-Sharia” laws that limit free speech and religious liberty rights.
“We reject any attempt to align the Christian faith with nationalism or to use religion to sanctify war or power. Such distortions betray the heart of the gospel. We speak truth to power, not in service of it. We do not serve human kings.” —Statement by the Progressive National Baptist Convention, which was the denominational home of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
In the new podcast series One Million Neighbors, Melissa Borja looks back at the story of faith communities welcoming Southeast Asian refugees and how that vision is being challenged today.
Church bells rang out in Lebanon to mourn a Christian anti-Hezbollah politician and his wife killed by an Israeli strike on their apartment building.
Jemele Hill of The Atlantic wrote about the religious claims swirling after the Chicago Bulls cut Jaden Ivey.
The Chicago White Sox plan to honor Pope Leo, a longtime fan of the team, by giving away hats shaped like the Pope’s miter and stamped with the team’s logo.
Photo of the Week
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