What South Asian Christians Do During Diwali

Festival of Lights marking the Hindu new year brings invitations to Jesus followers in India, Nepal, and neighboring nations. Rivaling the scale of Thanksgiving or Christmas in the United States, Diwali has become India’s biggest holiday season. The Festival of Lights (also known as Deepavali) marks the start of the Hindu New Year and is the faith’s most important festival, celebrated for five days by more than a billion people in India—not only by Hindus but also by... Read More

Christians Say Sayfo Martyrs Should Get Genocide Status

Syriac-Aramean Christians, fewer in number than similarly suffering Armenians, assert their Ottoman-era plight deserves separate recognition. In the waning days of the Ottoman Empire, evangelicals laid down their lives for their Lord. Living in Nusaybin, once home to the ancient theological school of Nisibis, they were among the firstfruits of the Sayfo (“sword”) martyrs. Overall, modern estimates posit half a million deaths of Syriac-Aramean Christians at the hands of Turkish... Read More

Public Schools Aren’t Godless. Ask the Christians Who Feel Called to Stay.

Amid pandemic shifts and concerns over controversial curricula, more families have opted for private or homeschool. But many believers see their place in the system. When pastor Clark Frailey noticed that his local schools were underfunded—at the time, Oklahoma received less education funding than almost any other state—he stepped in to help provide materials like wipes, paper, and markers. But he soon realized the problem was much bigger than empty supply closets. School... Read More

DOJ Steps Up Prosecution of Pro-Life Protestors at Clinics

In the wake of “Dobbs,” federal prosecutors have filed more than a dozen federal indictments against protestors obstructing access to abortion clinics. In the past month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted more than a dozen pro-life protestors across the country for obstructing access to abortion clinics. Such prosecutions have been rare historically, with just a case or two annually for the past decade. But after the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade this summer, the DOJ... Read More

An Ark Mentality Can’t Survive an Anxiety-Flooded Age

In a world of fear and turmoil, the story of Noah brings baptismal hope. A few weeks ago, a commentator identified what he believes to be the dominant mindset of our time. He calls it “ark head,” borrowing from the biblical account of Noah and the flood. “Ark head,” argues Venkatesh Rao, happens when we give up on solving our big global problems and look instead for an “ark” in which to ride out the storms of this age of anxiety. Rao points to the... Read More

The Push for Women’s Rights in Iran Is a Push for Religious Freedom Too

Christian advocate: The uprising in Tehran coincides with the rising disillusionment with Islam and the growth of the underground church. Growing up in a home with a Muslim father and a Christian mother, Iranian American Shirin Taber had a special appreciation for being able to choose what she believed. When she told her dad that she wished everyone back in Iran could have the same freedom, he—knowing the harsh reality of the regime—said it would never happen. Since then,... Read More

Evangelical Creation Care Expert Shares Lessons Learned from Global Tour

Around the world, Christians look to scriptural lessons on stewardship to depoliticize environmental issues. If the world is at stake, stewardship of creation must be global. And with an evangelical passion akin to world missions, Ed Brown is preaching ecology to the nations. One region at a time. Following initial consultations in Jamaica in 2012, Brown became the Lausanne Movement’s catalyst for creation care and helped build out the Lausanne/World Evangelical Alliance Creation... Read More

American Idol: How Politics Replaced Spiritual Practice

Christian formation is central to civic renewal, not the other way around. When voters go to the polls for US midterm elections this November, many will be motivated by a sense that the other side seeks to bully them. According to a poll from the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, nearly identical percentages of Democrats (74%) and Republicans (73%) believe members of the opposing party are “generally bullies who want to impose their political beliefs on those who... Read More

What’s to Blame for Thailand’s Deadliest Mass Killing?

Some point to economic, social, and moral problems, but a Thai pastor encourages a deeper look. Top Thai government officials pushed for tighter gun regulations and a renewed war on drugs last week after a mass killing at a daycare in northeastern Thailand killed 36 people, including 24 children. Meanwhile in the Na Klang district of northeastern Thailand, devastated families gathered at Buddhist temples to attend mass cremations for their loved ones. The attacker, former police officer... Read More

The Forgotten Christian Cause: Preserving Democracy

This election season, love your neighbor by supporting voter results, a free press, and a peaceful transfer of power. The midterms election season is not the easiest time to feel good about American democracy. We’re inundated with negative campaign ads that often distort the records of opposing candidates and portray them in the worst possible light. Each side warns that the election of the other party means disaster for the United States on an apocalyptic scale. Can Christians... Read More