Category: Christian news

Pew finds a majority in six Western European countries are content to pay their “church tax” to support the common good. Despite pervasive secularization and widespread opposition to religion gaining a more prominent place in society, large majorities in six Western European countries still support the tradition of paying church taxes. The practice may seem foreign to Americans, and particularly surprising in post-Christian Europe, but a new report from the Pew Research Center shows that... Read More

The ministry’s president and CEO bids farewell. On May 1, Harold Smith will retire as president and CEO of Christianity Today and assume the honorary title of president emeritus. In drawing his administration to a close, Smith addressed Christianity Today’s board of directors in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 23 on both the need to remain vision focused and on the challenges seeking to redirect that vision in the days ahead. The following are his edited remarks. These are... Read More

The latest synagogue attack has shaken fellow Orthodox Presbyterians—but it implicates all of us living in a fallen world and divisive culture. Last weekend’s news of another synagogue attack was shocking but, sadly, not a shock. Mass shootings, while thankfully not routine weekly occurrences, have become a matter of “when” rather than “if” in modern America. Yet, this attack at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in California stirred particular interest and... Read More

The top five pieces on evangelism in descending order. I was asked to be a judge this year for the 2019 Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals Contest for the area of evangelism. There were around 29 articles written by gifted men and women on various aspects of evangelism. In all honesty, I tend to like almost anything about reaching people, so picking 5 is a challenge. (Can I give everyone a participation trophy?) While I applaud all those that competed, I want to highlight the top... Read More

There needs to be a shift from pastor as resident-expert to pastor as player-coach. Last week we discussed the necessity of certain missionary fundamentals for kingdom disciples. Much like the basic skills of any sport, those committed to living and loving like Jesus must return to the fundamentals of faith-fueled prayer, intentional relationships, and Jesus centrality. Repeated daily, these habits are the baseline for the work of church planters, missionaries, pastors, and everyday... Read More

Ajith Fernando lays out the essentials of cross-cultural discipleship. The challenge of cross-cultural discipleship belongs not only to missionaries but to all who call themselves Christians. Between globalization, immigration, refugee crises, generation gaps, the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, and many other cultural shifts, the world in which we live and minister is a multicultural one, whether we reside in Quito, Ecuador, or Quitaque, Texas. Ajith Fernando’s Discipling in a... Read More

A powerful letter from Ivor Poobalan of Colombo Theological Seminary in Sri Lanka, in the aftermath of the bombings. Thursday April 25, 2019 Dear friends, Today is the fourth day following the Easter Sunday attacks, which have been comprehensively reported on around the world. The suddenness, magnitude, and the horrific nature of these coordinated bombings generated a profound sense of shock and disbelief, followed by outrage and fear. The disorientation is compounded by many important... Read More

A Sri Lankan priest reflects on celebrating the Resurrection amid the tragedy of last week’s attacks. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me,... Read More

A Sri Lankan priest reflects on celebrating the Resurrection amid the tragedy of last week’s attacks. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me,... Read More

(UPDATED) The denomination’s legal review of the Traditional Plan could still set the UMC on a path to division over gay marriage and clergy. Millions of United Methodists have been waiting and wondering where their denomination will ultimately land in a decades-long dispute over gay marriage and clergy—and if a major split over the issue is imminent or if the debate will continue at its general conference once again next year. Though the United Methodist Church (UMC) voted in... Read More