Here’s the weekly roundup from A Public Witness. In addition to a piece on the Charlie Kirk memorial service and a review of a new book by Brian Kaylor that are free for anyone to read, paid subscribers to A Public Witness received a look at how the Department of War is co-opting Bible verses in promotional videos.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
Review: Hungry for Hope. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church from Young Adults that was edited by Jeremy Paul Myers & Kristina Frugé.
A Doomsday Prediction About the Rapture Is Spreading on TikTok. According to social media, the Rapture was set to happen this week. Either the prediction was wrong or you’ve been left behind.
Ryan Walters Resigns As Oklahoma’s Top Public Schools Official to Lead Conservative Educators’ Group. The controversial Christian Nationalist head of public instruction in the Sooner State is quitting.
Black Pastors Say Charlie Kirk Is Not a Martyr, While Decrying Racism and Political Violence. Aaron Morrison and Jaylen Green reported on how Black Christians are viewing Kirk’s legacy differently than many White evangelical leaders.
A Christian Activist’s Case for Deep ‘Soulwork’ in Hard Times. Adelle M. Banks wrote about a new book from Rev. Wes Granberg-Michaelson.
by Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief
Last year, Ryan Walters sparked headlines with his push to spend millions in taxpayer funds to place Bibles in Oklahoma public school classrooms. Not just any Bible, but the “God Bless the USA” Bible endorsed by Donald Trump. Republican lawmakers rejected his spending request (and courts have blocked many of his other Christian Nationalist efforts). Although Walters is now resigning from his position for a private sector job, many of his problematic proposals linger. Like the Bible push.
After lawmakers rejected his spending request, Walters sought private donations to buy copies of the “God Bless the USA” Bible that features an American flag on the cover and includes the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Pledge of Allegiance, and the lyrics to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Ironically, this “patriotic” Bible is printed in China and uses a translation named for a British monarch.
Thanks to the donations, he managed to send some Bibles to Oklahoma schools. But now some teachers are noting that the version of the Constitution in this Bible doesn’t include Amendments 11-27. That means in this version, slavery is still legal, women cannot vote, and presidents can serve more than two terms. When a local news outlet reached out for a response, the publisher of this Bible said, “The decision was made to only include the original founding fathers’ documents, as Amendments 11-27 were added at later dates.”
That defense doesn’t add up since this Bible includes other things that did not exist in the time of the founding fathers. The Pledge of Allegiance wasn’t written until 1892, by which point the Constitution had 15 amendments. And the form in this Bible includes the phrase “under God,” which wasn’t added until 1954, by which point there were 22 amendments ratified. And Greenwood’s patriotic anthem wasn’t released until 1984, by which point only the 27th Amendment wasn’t yet added to the Constitution. All of that makes the absence of most of the amendments really odd (and means this Bible doesn’t actually adhere to the standards Walters created when he tried to get funding).
Of course, even worse than the missing amendments is how adding the flag cover and the nationalistic documents results in a holey text.
Other News of Note
Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood appeared on The Amalgamation Podcast with host Bruce Reyes-Chow to talk about Baptizing America and Christian Nationalism.
Andrew Seidel wrote for Rolling Stone about Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s previous legal work unsuccessfully pushing official prayer in public schools — and now the Supreme Court is being asked to reconsider its past opposition to such government prayers.
Speaking in Rome, Justice Samuel Alito warned that religious freedom is in danger in the United States. Of course, many who advocate for religious freedom for all point to Alito as part of why it’s in danger.
Christian Nationalist pseudo-historian David Barton has been tapped as an advisor for the Texas State Board of Education as it overhauls social studies curriculum standards.
After parent complaints, the public school district in Springfield, Missouri, launched an investigation into teachers and staff at an elementary school promoting an afterschool Bible club.
“No one expects Christians to check their faith at the door. But imposing extremist doctrines on others is another matter. Faith can guide public service without turning government into a tool of religious coercion.” —Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat from California, in a Daily Beast column warning about Christian Nationalism.
A United Methodist pastor in Kansas who lost her mom to COVID-19 in 2020 is criticizing the Trump administration for making it difficult for her and others to get vaccinated today.
The Chicago Sun-Times published a photo essay of an interfaith protest against ICE in Chicago, Illinois.
Catholic clergy in the Philippines backed anti-corruption protests in the nation’s capital.
In July, Baylor University in Texas declined a large grant they had previously accepted to support LGBTQ+ inclusion in congregations. Now, the dean of the social work program that was to receive the grant will no longer lead the program.
Robert D. Cornwall wrote for MSNBC about where the idea of the Rapture came from amid this week’s false Rapture prediction.
Grace Olson of the Daily Iowan reported on the struggles of rural Methodist and Catholic churches as they seek to stay open in declining communities.
Photo of the Week
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