Word&Way News: March 22
Here’s the weekly roundup from Word&Way. In addition to a review of a book about several sayings of Jesus that is free for anyone to read, paid subscribers to A Public Witness received a look at the use of Scripture in a Wisconsin Supreme Court opinion.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
Review: Reckoning With Power. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed Reckoning With Power: Why the Church Fails When It's on the Wrong Side of Power by David E. Fitch.
A Century Ago, One State Tried to Close Religious Schools — A Far Cry From Today. Charles J. Russo wrote about an old court case involving Catholic schools in Oregon.
Poll: Most Americans Say Religion’s Influence Is Waning, and Half Think That’s Bad. Jack Jenkins reported on polling showing concerns about the health of religion in the United States.
Southern Baptists Pick a California Seminary President to Lead Its Troubled Administrative Body. Peter Smith reported on the Southern Baptist Convention picking a new leader after a 2.5-year vacancy.
Charlie Dates Counters John MacArthur’s Declaration That MLK ‘Was Not a Christian.’ A Chicago pastor compared a California pastor to Martin Luther King Jr. opponents George Wallace and J. Edgar Hoover.
Dangerous Dogma
This week: Paul Raushenbush on Together We Rise
Other noteworthy podcasts this week:
Journalist Jeff Sharlet appeared on Good God to talk about religion, politics, and violence.
Journalist Sarah McCammon spoke on NPR’s Fresh Air about her new book The Exvangelicals, which unpacks her journey from growing up in an evangelical church in Missouri to becoming disillusioned with the church.
by Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief
March Madness is here. And I don’t mean the craziness from the presidential primaries already locking in a rematch of the 2020 election.
For some smaller, Christian schools, the big dance can be quite a time to gain free publicity on a national stage. Many won’t make it past the first game, but just showing up is the victory. Of course, some might pull off a “miracle” run, like the St. Peter’s Peacocks did in 2022.
This year, there are 12 Christian schools in the men’s bracket, thus accounting for nearly 18% of the tournament. Seven of the schools are Catholic, with four of them Jesuit schools. No word yet on which one Pope Francis is pulling for in his bracket. His fellow Jesuits hooping it up are Creighton, Gonzaga, Marquette, and St. Peter’s. Another five schools are Protestant with two Baptist schools (Baylor and Samford), two affiliated with the Disciples of Christ (Drake and Texas Christian), and a nondenominational one (Grand Canyon).
In the women’s bracket, the religious schools comprise a similar portion of the competition. It includes the first appearance for the Presbyterian Blue Hoses. There’s also Baylor, California Baptist, and Drake for the Protestants, along with Catholic schools like Creighton, Fairfield, Gonzaga, Holy Cross, Marquette, and Notre Dame.
I don’t think God will give a boost to any of these schools, so I didn’t give that much credence in putting together my already-struggling bracket. My religious alma mater is too small to make it and my graduate school forgot how to play basketball this year. But I’ve got one school to root for: James Madison, where I taught for several years, is in the men’s tournament. The 12th-seed squad takes on Wisconsin tonight. Go Dukes!
Survey Says…
Other News of Note
Jeff Brumley of Baptist News Global wrote about Baptizing America, the forthcoming book by Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood.
Ruth Graham of the New York Times reported on “raunchy Christians” as some evangelicals embrace the risqué in the age of Donald Trump.
Toriano Porter of the Kansas City Star wrote about a megachurch pastor in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, who attacked the faith of local school board members as two individuals in his church campaign for the board. After April’s election, the conservative church could control a majority of the school board.
Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post profiled a woman who won a seat on a local school board in Pennsylvania after being inspired by the work of activists pushing Christian Nationalism.
“Peace is dear … and we all have a duty to preserve it, to protect it. We can't kill each other just because there’s been an election.” Methodist Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on efforts by churches to prevent violence around elections.
Ukrainian Baptists urged Baptists in the U.S. to continue to offer solidarity and not to believe propaganda from Russia.
Fares Abraham, a Palestinian American Christian, wrote for The New Republic about the problem of many U.S. churches not caring about the suffering of Palestinian Christians.
The Houston Chronicle criticized Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for “an attack on religious freedom” as he targets a Catholic charity helping migrants.
Craig Nash of Good Faith Media reported on remarks by Rev. William Barber II at Baylor University.
Lo Man Wai, editor of a Christian newspaper in Hong Kong, wrote for Christianity Today about why he has stayed even as freedoms shrink in Hong Kong.
Photo of the Week
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