The Steep Price of Pilate’s Fame

Billions know the Roman governor’s name. But he didn’t know the very son of God standing before him. I’m in the apparently small category of men unconcerned with the Roman Empire. I could probably describe key events in the reigns of three to five of its rulers, but not much more. And when it comes to recalling this kind of detail, I suspect I’m not alone. All but a handful of these ancient leaders have vanished from the public imagination. They struggled, fought, murdered,... Read More

How the Gaucho Stole Easter in Uruguay

More than 100 years ago, Latin America’s most-secular country abolished Christian holidays. Local church leaders have struggled to reclaim them since This week, millions of Latin Americans are attending worship services observing Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. In Uruguay, they are going to the rodeo. While their Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking neighbors mark the death and resurrection of Christ, locals from the country of 3.3 million are celebrating Semana... Read More

After Terrorists Kill 130, Russian Evangelicals Resist Revenge

As Moscow and Kyiv trade insinuations over concert hall killing claimed by ISIS affiliate, Christian leaders focus on compassion and forgiveness instead of blame. Russian evangelicals used Sunday sermons to condemn a terrorist attack that killed more than 130 people at a Moscow concert hall. As Russia’s Baptist union prayed for “God’s mercy and protection,” its Pentecostal union conveyed its “bitterness and sorrow.” Vitaly Vlasenko, general secretary of... Read More

Anti-Christian Attacks Surge as Hindu Nationalism Grows

Battling accusations of forced conversions, the church faces escalating threats, false arrests, and assaults on their institutions, reports the Evangelical Fellowship of India. The number of violent anti-Christian incidents in India jumped to 601 in 2023 compared to 413 the previous year, according to a new report from the Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission (EFI-RLC). “Despite constitutional protections and India’s long-standing tradition of... Read More

The Myth Behind the Meaning of Paul’s Words on Women and Childbearing

Sandra Glahn studies the record of an Ephesian goddess to aid our reading of a challenging passage. As a female New Testament scholar, I simply do not have the luxury of avoiding 1 Timothy 2:11–15, where Paul, after stating that women should “learn in quietness and full submission,” claims they “will be saved through childbearing.” The “saved through childbearing” verse has been quoted to me by more strangers and (possibly) well-meaning... Read More

How One Indonesian Church is Fighting Food Insecurity

In the village of Kemadang, long dry spells threatened local farmers’ livelihoods until a church-led granary brought hope. Standing in her rice field in the rural village of Kemadang along the southern coast of Java, 53-year-old Marni Mariani pointed to the dry soil at her feet. “This is the land that we will harvest in three weeks,” she said. Yet due to the lack of rain this season, two of her four rice fields have already failed. She noted that she doesn’t sell the... Read More

From Passion to the Pews, Major Conferences Inspire Local Worship

Arena events serve as the proving grounds for new music. The 2024 Passion conference opened with a countdown video. The crowd of 55,000 students packed into Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta cheered with anticipation. What would the first song be? Who would lead it? What was the Holy Spirit about to do? Flashing lights and a drum track led into the opening of Elevation Worship’s “Praise,” with the chant, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Worship... Read More

Why Character Doesn’t Matter Anymore

The “cheerful prudery” of Ned Flanders has given way to vulgarity, misogyny, and partisanship. What does this mean for our witness? This piece was adapted from Russell Moore’s newsletter. Subscribe here. I guess Ned Flanders goes to strip clubs now. Until this week, I hadn’t thought about the caricatured born-again Christian neighbor on the animated series The Simpsons in a long time. New York Times religion reporter Ruth Graham mentioned him and his “cheerful... Read More

Southern Baptists Finally Name New Executive Committee President

Seminary head Jeff Org steps in after multiple resignations, failed searches, and back-to-back interim leaders. After more than two years of uncertainty and at times, chaos, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee has a new president. At a special meeting in Dallas, members of the committee—which oversees the work of the 13 million-member denomination in between its annual meetings—unanimously elected Jeff Iorg as its new president and CEO. The meeting was... Read More

Must Social Service Providers Nix Their Faith to Receive Federal Funds?

Rather than follow the equal protections secured in Supreme Court decisions, the Biden administration opted for a complicated and soul-killing alternative. Nine federal departments have issued new regulations governing social service grants for a range of programs including drug rehabilitation; assisting penitentiary inmates reentering their communities; sheltering the homeless; aiding needy families with dependent children; settling refugees; and providing overseas lifesaving aid in... Read More