Weekly Roundup: June 6
Here’s the weekly roundup from A Public Witness. In addition to a piece reflecting on one year since the publication of Baptizing America that is free for anyone to read, paid subscribers to A Public Witness received a look at a problematic altar call offered by a U.S. senator.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
‘The Life of Chuck’ Contains Multitudes. Juliet Vedral reviewed a new film by Mike Flanagan, based on a Stephen King short story, that deals with the power and significance of one life and points to the Story within the story.
Review: The Eucharistic Spirit. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed The Eucharistic Spirit: A Renewal Theology of the Lord’s Supper by Florian M.P. Simatupang.
Former Staffers Accuse Activist Sean Feucht of ‘Potential Financial Crimes,’ Spiritual Abuse. Jack Jenkins reported on allegations against a prominent guitar-strumming proponent of Christian Nationalism.
Johnnie Moore, Prominent Pro-Israel Evangelical, Named Chair of Gaza Aid Group. Yonat Shimron reported on the latest development at a group created to circumvent the aid relief efforts of the United Nations.
Supreme Court Sides With Catholic Charities in Religious-Rights Case Over Unemployment Taxes. Lindsay Whitehurst reported on a unanimous high court ruling in a church-state case.
by Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief
Prolific Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann died yesterday (June 5) at the age of 92. The author of more than 100 books, his most well-known was The Prophetic Imagination. That was my introduction to Brueggemann. It so impacted me that I now own a couple dozen Brueggemann books (so I’m still far from a complete set).
There are few books that stand out so vividly that I even remember when I came across them. While attending a conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during graduate school, I stopped in a local bookstore. The Prophetic Imagination caught my eye, especially the haunting image of a tree on that edition’s cover and its intriguing title. My reading of the Bible and my appreciation of the prophetic anti-imperial messages in it have never been the same.
Several years ago, I jumped at the opportunity to hear Brueggemann give multiple lectures during a conference. He was not only as brilliant and provocative in person as in his books, but he was also hilarious. I quickly scribbled numerous lines from his talks, which bounced around in my head for quite some time afterward.
I won’t try to list all the great Brueggemann books (this is a “quick take” after all). But in addition to The Prophetic Imagination, some of my favorites (that I’ve read so far) have been Sabbath as Resistance, Divine Presence Amid Violence, Ancient Echoes, and Reality, Grief, Hope. I also recommend Conrad Kanagy’s unique biography, Walter Brueggemann’s Prophetic Imagination: A Theological Biography.
May Walter Brueggemann rest in peace and power. And may his words live on and continue to inspire us to read the Bible closely and prophetically.
Other News of Note
Brian Kaylor wrote a column for Religion News Service on Speaker Mike Johnson’s misuse of the congressional chapel.
As politicians attempt to push coercive prayers in public schools, Michael Sokolove wrote for The Atlantic about being forced to pray by a teacher in the 1960s.
Pillow-hugger and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell claims Satan controls U.S. voting machines.
A Massachusetts family is suing ICE after agents dragged a man from his car as he was heading to church with his family on Mother’s Day. His wife, who was driving, and his three children are all U.S. citizens and were in the car as glass shards flew while the agents, who never identified themselves, broke a window to grab the man.
“The world is still our parish, as Methodism’s founder John Wesley asserted, and the travel ban directly interferes with the [United Methodist Church’s] First Amendment right to practice its religion without government sanction or intervention.” —Cynthia B. Astle of United Methodist Insight in a column explaining how the new Trump administration travel ban will hurt the global work of United Methodists.
Franco Iacomini of Christianity Today wrote about how some Christians in Mexico are ministering within rural cartel strongholds.
Monks in a historic monastery founded in the 6th century in Egypt closed the gates to their community to protest a court ruling that puts the ownership of their property at risk.
Jessica Morris at The Roys Report documented allegations of sexual assault and substance abuse by former DC Talk and Newsboys singer Michael Tait.
A choral music composer claims Indiana Bible College stole her copyrighted music about the first chapter of the Gospel of John. The school responded by suing her, alleging defamation.
Bryan Armen Graham of the London Guardian wrote about Philadelphia Eagles stars promoting a conservative Christian wealth scheme.
With AI videos of Bible characters going viral, Emanuel Maiberg of 404 Media explored “Why do Christians love AI slop?”
Photo of the Week
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