Word&Way News: Sept. 13
Here’s the weekly roundup from Word&Way. This week at A Public Witness, we published a look at how faith communities are helping homeless people and advocating for their rights and a report on which Christian voters will most likely impact the presidential election results.
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Top 5 at wordandway.org
Palestinian and Jordanian Evangelicals Hold Rare Meeting in Amman. Daoud Kuttab wrote about a gathering in Jordan that brought together evangelical Christians from Israel, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Review: The Hero and the Whore. Robert D. Cornwall reviewed The Hero and the Whore: Reclaiming Healing and Liberation Through the Stories of Sexual Exploitation in the Bible by Camille Hernandez.
In Election Year, Climate Faith Leaders Urge Voters to Make Environment a Priority. Elizabeth E. Evans reported on a faith-based effort to increase the importance of climate change in this political season.
Southern Baptist Trustees Back Agency President but Warn Against Needless Controversy. Peter Smith reported on ongoing struggles within the public advocacy arm of the U.S.’s largest Protestant denomination.
Members of Shuttered Rwandan Churches Gather in Homes as Leaders Quietly Protest. Tonny Onyulo reported on an attack on religious liberty in an eastern African nation.
Dangerous Dogma
This week: Julie Faith Parker on Eve Isn't Evil
by Brian Kaylor, Word&Way Editor-in-Chief
I enjoyed spending time in Kansas City, Missouri, last weekend and was encouraged by how many people want to engage in conversations about Christian Nationalism. On Saturday, I spoke at First Baptist Church (a historic American Baptist congregation) about the topic and highlights from Baptizing America. People actually showed up on a beautiful afternoon to listen and dialogue.
I preached at First Baptist the next morning on the idolatry of the ideology. That evening, I went to a packed film screening of Bad Faith at Trinity United Methodist Church. After this documentary about “Christian Nationalism’s unholy war on democracy,” I joined a panel to discuss it along with Rachel Laser of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Rev. Stephen Jones of First Baptist.
After each event, I enjoyed conversations with people who attended. And through it all, I saw how interested people were in getting to have these important discussions. People are hearing about Christian Nationalism, Project 2025, and other issues that concern them. So it’s great for churches to host forums for people to learn more about the dangers to democracy and our Christian witness, and to provide ways to push back in our congregations and the public square. Let’s lean into these difficult but important conversations.
Other News of Note
Kathryn Joyce wrote for Vanity Fair about the influence of far-right political celebrities who have converted to Catholicism.
An interfaith group of clergy gathered in the Pennsylvania Capitol to call for peace during this election season.
A United Methodist church in Nashville, Tennessee, hosted an event about how to have “grace-filled” conversations with people holding different political opinions.
“There is a difference between preaching and teaching, and this curriculum is preaching. … We are indoctrinating students with this curriculum in the state of Texas. It’s unconstitutional, and I will add, it’s also deeply unchristian.” —Texas State Representative James Talarico, a former public school teacher and a current student at the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, this week as the Texas State Board of Education heard public testimony about proposed curriculum changes to bring more religion into public schools.
The Missouri Conference of the United Methodist Church will sponsor a billboard condemning hate that sits next to a large Confederate flag erected along a state highway.
Gregg Brekke of The Presbyterian Outlook wrote about the reparations initiatives of a Presbyterian church in Michigan.
Emily Crouch wrote for Christianity Today to encourage Christians to “end the phone-based childhood.”
Palestinian Lutheran pastor Rev. Munther Isaac praised the Church of England for calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
A Catholic priest from Iowa has a unique ministry: He’s a frequent chaplain on cruise ships.
Photo of the Week
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