Word&Way News: July 26
Here’s the weekly roundup from Word&Way. This week at A Public Witness, we published a look at the faith of Kamala Harris, a review of a book on Christian political engagement, and a report on political infighting in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
As a Scholar, He’s Charted the Decline in Religion. Now the Church He Pastors Has Closed Its Doors. Peter Smith wrote about Ryan Burge as he led the last service for the 156-year-old First Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.
Church Sues Colorado Town to Be Able to Shelter Homeless in Trailers, Work ‘Mandated by God.’ Colleen Slevin reported on a legal battle between a city and a church over an RV for people without homes.
Review: Judaism Is About Love. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed Judaism Is About Love: Recovering the Heart of Jewish Life by Shai Held.
More Than 200 Christian Leaders Sign Letter Calling for Cease-Fire in Gaza. Ahead of a congressional speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a diverse group of Christians called for peace.
A Prominent Myanmar Christian Leader is Released From Prison for a Second Time in 4 Months. A Kachin Baptist leader pushing for peace has been targeted by the ruling military council.
Dangerous Dogma
This week: Jenai Auman on Othered
Other noteworthy podcasts this week:
Brian Kaylor appeared on A Matter of Faith to talk about Baptizing America.
Arthur Brooks appeared on Good on Paper to talk about how religious people are happier.
by Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief
The Olympics are here! I love watching the Olympics. It’s been marked on our family calendar for months to make sure we wouldn’t accidentally schedule our vacation during this period.
The displays of athletic abilities are amazing. The stories of some of the athletes overcoming odds are inspiring. The stakes and pageantry make it high drama.
But I’ve also come to recognize we cannot expect too much from the Olympics. There’s a myth that the games bring the nations together and help create global peace. There’s even a push for the “Olympic truce” during the games. But that won’t happen as war continues between Russia and Ukraine, between Israel and Gaza, and elsewhere.
While I would love to see the games help bring peace, that doesn’t mean I won’t still be watching. I’ve just come to recognize that we can’t expect sport to create the change we need in the world. We still have to do the hard work toward bringing God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.
Other News of Note
Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons wrote for MSNBC about the contrast between Kamala Harris’s Christian faith and Donald Trump’s Christian Nationalism (with a cite to Word&Way’s coverage about Harris).
Christopher Mathias of Huffington Post reported from the Republican National Convention about the religious rhetoric used to talk about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump (and cites the reporting of A Public Witness).
Rebecca McCray wrote for the Guardian about a Jewish couple in Tennessee who were denied as foster parents and how such scenarios could be more common if Project 2025 is implemented.
Jaden Edison of the Texas Tribune wrote about debates over Christian content in state public school curriculum.
Ahead of the execution of Keith Gavin last week in Alabama, the state denied many of his final religious requests as they have with other Muslim prisoners (this has also been a problem in Missouri as reported by A Public Witness).
“[The Psalms] don’t sound rebellious, but set against the backdrop of Assyrian or Persian rule, they represent a form of spiritual insurrection — a kind of active protest to the powers that be.” —Old Testament professor Carmen Joy Imes in a Christianity Today column on “Praising God is an Act of Political Defiance.”
Presbyterian Outlook interviewed new Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Stated Clerk Jihyun Oh about her vision for the denomination.
Sara Augustin of Sojourners wrote about chaplains who will be offering spiritual care during the Olympics.
Paul Marshall wrote for Religion Unplugged about how France is discriminating against its Muslim athletes who wish to compete in the Olympics.
At his Substack newsletter The Left Hook, Wajahat Ali spoke with Robert P. Jones about Christian Nationalism, violence, and the 2024 election:
Photo of the Week
Thanks for reading!