Word&Way News: Aug. 30
Here’s the weekly roundup from Word&Way. In addition to a look at churches using Baptizing America that is free for anyone to read, paid subscribers to A Public Witness received a report on the political misuse of the Bible in Venezuela.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
Egyptian Evangelical Pastor Issues Prophetic Call for Freedom, Equality, and Justice. Daoud Kuttab reported on a recent sermon from an influential pastor in Cairo.
Why I Wrote a New Book About Preaching. Rodney Kennedy wrote about lessons preachers can learn from novelists, poets, philosophers, and rhetoricians.
Review: The Widening of God’s Mercy. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story by Christopher B. and Richard B. Hays.
AME Church Delegates Name Six New Bishops While Retaining Same-Sex Marriage Ban. Adelle M. Banks reported on the big decisions from a historic Black denomination.
Harris-Walz Campaign Hires the Rev. Jen Butler, Longtime Activist, to Lead Faith Outreach. Jack Jenkins reported on the hiring of a Presbyterian minister to help the new Democratic ticket.
Dangerous Dogma
This week: Jason Shelton on the Contemporary Black Church
by Jeremy Fuzy, Word&Way Digital Editor
This week, the state of Missouri waded into uncharted legal territory as the execution of a man who is most likely innocent looms. Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, scheduled to be killed on Sept. 24, finally got a hearing on evidence that challenges his conviction after years of waiting. (Full disclosure: my wife is on Williams’s legal team.)
Williams has gone through two previously set execution dates in January 2015 and August 2017, but received stays — most recently from then-Gov. Eric Greitens, who appointed a board of inquiry to look into the DNA evidence left on the murder weapon that didn’t come from Williams. There’s no forensic evidence linking him to the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, with the conviction relying primarily on the testimony of two witnesses who had incentives to pin it on Williams, including monetary rewards.
But last year, Gov. Mike Parson dissolved the inquiry board with no explanation or findings released. The Missouri Supreme Court then issued the execution date for next month.
Luckily, a relatively new state law allows local prosecutors to pursue throwing out convictions of people they believe are innocent. That is why Williams was back in court. St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell found “clear and convincing evidence” of Williams’s innocence.
But things took a turn last week when it came to light that evidence mishandled by the initial investigator and prosecutor was going to make proving innocence through DNA nearly impossible. In light of this, Williams agreed to plea no contest without admitting guilt and be resentenced to life in prison without parole instead of receiving the death penalty. Then came another plot twist: Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey got the state Supreme Court to nullify the deal.
So it remains to be seen how this unfortunate saga will end. Bailey has a history of attempting to keep innocent people in prison, Parson seems to only want to pardon people who point guns at Black Lives Matter protesters or police officers convicted of killing a Black man, and the state has in the past denied a Muslim man on death row his constitutional rights.
An attorney for Williams, Jonathan Potts, said in his closing remarks during this week’s hearing that Missouri has shown itself to be wholly focused on finality. This means that, for them, “it’s better to get it over with than get it right.” As Christians, let us instead keep the focus on justice.
Survey Says…
Other News of Note
Kelsey Dallas of Deseret News reported on perceptions about the political parties and how welcoming they are to religious people (with comments from Brian Kaylor).
Eric Killelea of the Houston Chronicle reported on a Baptist pastor in North Texas pushing for local jail reform.
In an attempt to limit who can serve as a chaplain in public schools, the Florida Department of Education issued a definition of religion that critics say excludes millions of believers
Republican speechwriter Peter Wehner wrote for The Atlantic about how the evangelical argument on abortion to justify voting for Donald Trump has collapsed.
Mara Richards Bim wrote for Baptist News Global about the need for mainline clergy to prophetic address Christian Nationalism (with a shout-out to Baptizing America).
“There are many images of God in the Bible and in contemporary theology. Whose vision of God will be taught in public schools: that of the fundamentalists? That scares me to death. I do not worship their God.” —Rev. Don Heath in a column for The Oklahoman.
Cynthia B. Astle of United Methodist Insight reported on an effort by United Methodists to bring kindness and community into a divisive campaign season.
Anna Colletto of the Minnesota Star Tribune reported on an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Churches to help people engage in respectful conversations about polarizing issues during this election year.
Bill Tammeus wrote at Flatland about families in the Kansas City area with generations of clergy.
Kelsey Kramer McGinnis of Christianity Today wrote about churches and denominations concerned about the theology in popular worship songs from groups like Hillsong, Bethel, and Elevation.
Photo of the Week
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