Word&Way News: Aug. 2
Here’s the weekly roundup from Word&Way. In addition to a piece telling the untold story behind the law that led to a famous Supreme Court case that is free for anyone to read, paid subscribers to A Public Witness received a report on faith appeals in Missouri’s gubernatorial election.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
People of Faith Need to Respect Human Lives and Not Worry About the Olympics. Daoud Kuttab reflected on the controversy over the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
Review: Irreverent Prayers. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed Irreverent Prayers: Talking to God When You’re Seriously Sick by Episcopal priests Elizabeth Felicetti and Samantha Vincent-Alexander.
Mennonites March 135 Miles to White House for Gaza Cease-Fire. Aleja Hertzler-McCain reported on an 11-day march to urge President Joe Biden to push for peace in the Middle East.
AME Zion Church Meeting Focuses on Voting Initiative, New Bishops. Adelle M. Banks reported on the quadrennial meeting of African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
The Slow Fade of Denominational Publishing. Anna Piela wrote about the challenges facing small, mainstream Christian publishing houses.
Dangerous Dogma
This week: Thomas Jay Oord on Expulsion from Church of the Nazarene
by Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief
Today marks the 100th birthday of James Baldwin, a prophetic figure in American life who passed away in 1987. A writer and civil rights activist, his work on race, faith, the nation, and more still resonates in a society that hasn’t yet fully reckoned with the sins and injustices Baldwin exposed.
If you’re looking for a good introduction to Baldwin, check out my Dangerous Dogma interview last year with Greg Garrett, a professor of literature and culture at Baylor University and author of The Gospel according to James Baldwin: What America's Great Prophet Can Teach Us about Life, Love, and Identity.
“He saw himself as a prophetic character like Jeremiah, a person given a special commission to tell the truth, no matter how hard or how painful that might be,” Garrett wrote in his book. “Baldwin matters and will always matter because he took that call seriously, because his writings and his life confronted everything we still struggle to figure out.”
Other News of Note
The Washington Post reported on the types of attacks being leveled against Vice President Kamala Harris, highlighting comments made by leaders in the New Apostolic Reformation movement.
Marissa Greene of the Fort Worth Report wrote on Pentecostal preacher Kenneth Copeland’s comments at a conference urging conservative Christians to engage in politics.
Kacen Bayless of the Kansas City Star reported on a Missouri pastor using church funds to support his campaign for a state Senate seat.
Melissa Deckman of PRRI wrote for The Hill about how the movement to end church-state separation is focused on public schools.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State launched a toolkit to educate people about Project 2025.
“The American church is torn apart by conflict over theology. It should be united by a pursuit of virtue, and the church that truly influences a nation will be one that focuses on doing good more than on being right.” —David French in a New York Times column about why orthopraxy should matter more than orthodoxy.
Martin Spence wrote at Current about why British evangelicals engage in politics in much different ways than U.S. evangelicals.
Magnolia McKay of NPR looked at the continuing impacts of the “evangelical purity movement” from its peak in the 1990s.
Tim Ellsworth of Baptist Press profiled the Christian faith of U.S. Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong.
For the second week in a row, Baptizing America is a best seller in Oklahoma!
Photo of the Week
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