Weekly Roundup: May 1
Here’s the weekly roundup from A Public Witness. This week we published a report on the Summit for Religious Freedom, a review of a new book about being good neighbors, and a report on an anti-war “Moral Mondays” march.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
No, Gen Z Is Not Undergoing a ‘Religious Revival.’ Melissa Deckman argued that there is simply no evidence to suggest Americans are becoming more religious. (Follow more of Melissa Deckman’s work at PRRI.)
Review: Feasting on Hope. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed Feasting on Hope: How God Sets a Table in the Wilderness by Hannah Miller King.
The Pastor of the Nation’s Largest Methodist Church Is Running for the US Senate in Kansas. Rev. Adam Hamilton announced he will seek the Democratic nomination in hopes of challenging Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.
Newsboys Co-Founder Sues Julie Roys, World Vision, and Rival Christian Concert Promoters. After months of silence following allegations of sexual assault against then-Newsboys lead singer Michael Tait, a lawsuit targets the journalists who reported the story and others.
Evangelical Broadcasting Group Asks FCC to Investigate ABC Over Jimmy Kimmel Joke. After the White House renewed its attempts to cancel a late night comic, a conservative Christian group joined the anti-free speech effort.
We’re Honored
The Religion News Association recognized the reporting of A Public Witness with two awards last weekend:
Brian Kaylor won 2nd place in investigative and data reporting.
Brian Kaylor won an honorable mention in breaking news (for our reporting on government worship services).
These add to the other awards we received earlier in April.
by Jeremy Fuzy, Word&Way Digital Editor
Last week, I was lucky enough to attend the Religion News Association’s annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia. I had been a regular at these in the pre-pandemic years, but have not been able to make the gathering for quite some time. And a lot has changed for both me and the broader world since I last showed up to their meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a first-year doctoral student in 2019.
I don’t think I realized how much I needed the experience of being physically present in the same room with many of my peers who cover religion. I caught up with old pals, made new friends, passionately discussed the reasons we do what we do, and learned helpful new ways to approach our work. We enjoyed panels on timely issues such as the ethics of artificial intelligence, the religion of soccer, lessons from the frontlines of the deportation battle, and much more.
We also made some time to get to know our host city, taking a conference field trip to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The part from this that jumped out to me was their recreation of Martin Luther King Jr.’s desk and bookshelf. You could see notes he had scribbled in the margins of speeches, read letters to and from his contemporaries, and peruse the various books he owned from authors like Reinhold Niebuhr and Langston Hughes. It was a truly powerful experience to have — especially mere days before the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.
At the concluding banquet, it was certainly gratifying to win some awards alongside major outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post. The best part for me, however, was being reminded that not only do I have some excellent coworkers here at Word&Way, but the journalists we regularly feature in these very news roundups are also some of the best people around. We are not competitors but rather a niche community that enthusiastically supports each other. The religion beat may be criminally small, but we know mustard seeds can move mountains.
Other News of Note
Jason Wilson of The Guardian wrote about the sermons preached at Pete Hegseth’s church and what they reveal about Hegseth’s worldview.
Austin Campbell of The Intercept wrote about how the U.S. State Department under Secretary Marco Rubio is pushing “Christian” messaging and no longer highlighting as much diversity on social media as during previous administrations.
Haleluya Hadero of Christianity Today reported on Black denominational leaders urging congregants to mobilize after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted protections for minority voters.
Morgan White of FāVS News reported on an event in Seattle, Washington, where travel writer Rick Steves and ELCA Bishop Shelley Bryan warned about Christian Nationalism.
“I am no preacher, but what I have learned in my Baptist church about the Old Testament prophets makes me suspect that God may not look very favorably on being asked to bless a government that is busy slamming its doors to refugees and taking food out of the mouths of hungry people while its corrupt leaders manipulate the system to enrich themselves.” —Svante Myrick, president of People For the American Way, in a column for The Hill.
Although last week’s Turning Point USA rally at Baylor University in Texas was closed to the media and community members, Mark Wingfield of Baptist News Global obtained audio recordings from the event. He reported on the comments by podcaster Benny Johnson, Border Czar Tom Homan, and the student president of the local TPUSA chapter.
A group of clergy members in Michigan launched a fast as they seek the release of a man detained by ICE agents.
On the same day the U.S. government announced it would authorize the use of the firing squad for executions, Pope Leo XIV reiterated the Catholic Church’s opposition to the death penalty.
The Catholic archbishop of Manila is urging people to collect used cooking oil that can be converted to biodiesel as the Philippines struggles with an energy crisis caused by the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
Watch: While in Washington, D.C., this week, Brian Kaylor stopped by the Department of Labor building in search of the “church” where they hold their monthly worship services.
Photo of the Week
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