OLLI Presents 'Un-Separation of Church and State'

02:43PM / Tuesday, November 18, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College will present "The Un-Separation of Church and State," a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Brian Kaylor and Doug Mishkin on Kaylor's book "Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism."

The talk will be held via Zoom on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public. To register, visit https://berkshireolli.org/event-6354850.

Kaylor, a Baptist minister with a doctorate in political communication and an award-winning author, is president and editor-in-chief of Word & Way, an online religion news site. He is the author or coauthor of seven books, including "Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism" (co-authored with Beau Underwood), described as "an urgent examination and an enlightening critique exposing the dangerous undercurrents of Christian Nationalism." His writings have been published by CNN, Houston Chronicle, Religion News Service, Sojourners, Washington Post, and other outlets. He writes regularly about religion and politics at A Public Witness.

Mishkin is a singer-songwriter, speaker and interviewer, frequently teaching OLLI courses. He is best known for "Woody's Children," his song celebrating the legacy of Woody Guthrie. This past spring, Mishkin interviewed professor Edward J. Larson for the Berkshire OLLI chapter on Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Scopes Monkey Trial. He has worked with Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

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Summer Wrapping Up for Pittsfield, Berkshire Students

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:19PM / Sunday, August 23, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students in Pittsfield and beyond are enjoying their last days of summer before classes begin.

Most Berkshire County teachers return to work this month, and students follow in late August and early September.

For Pittsfield Public Schools, staff returns on Aug. 26 and students' first day is Aug. 31; pre-kindergarten and kindergarten begin school on Sept. 2.

Labor Day is on Monday, Sept. 7.

"The summer is pretty much done, and we will be ready and excited to open the doors in about two and a half weeks,” Superintendent Latifah Phillips told the School Committee on Wednesday.

Phillips is returning this year as the permanent superintendent. She was appointed the interim superintendent last spring, and the School Committee voted to hire her permanently in June.

This year also brings the middle school restructuring, moving fifth grade to the middle school level, and the retirement of Morningside Community School.

Welcome night for Reid Middle School students new to the building is on Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.; Herberg will have a sixth-grade welcome night at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 25, and at the same time on Aug. 26 for fifth grade.

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