Category: Christian news

How do Christians respond in a Christ-honoring way to a world awash in division and hostility? Welcome to the age of outrage, my friend. Who knew that technology would empower some of our worst attributes instead of our best? Twenty years ago, we didn’t Google things on our smartphones. Now, it’s instinctual. We search the web almost without thinking, accessing literal libraries of information on virtually any topic faster than we can type the keywords. I searched the web dozens... Read More

How our emotions—even the unpleasant ones—point us back to a loving God. Emojis. I love them. Thumbs up, thumbs down, cry-laughing, heart-eyes, blowing my top: They are so handy and expressive! Most of us have over 90 facial-expression emojis on our phones, all meant to communicate how we’re feeling with one tap of a button. I love being able to express any emotion without actually having to verbalize it. Don’t you? After all, why take time to describe how I feel when... Read More

Colombo theologian: God gives Christians the freedom to leave the revenge cycle and instead love and bless Muslims. I was not at church in Colombo on Easter Sunday morning, as I was sick and had stayed home. Then text messages began to come about a bombing, then several bombings, in my home town and in two other towns. One was only a few miles from my home. Ten years after our protracted war had ended, I realized that Sri Lanka, my dear nation, was again confronting severe violent attacks. I... Read More

Survey finds more than half of monthly worshipers haven’t shared Jesus in the past six months. Most Protestant churchgoers say they are eager to talk to others about Jesus, and are praying for opportunities to share their faith. But most say they have not had any evangelistic conversations in the past six months. The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found excitement and eagerness about the idea of evangelism, but few Protestant churchgoers... Read More

We’ve never regretted saying no, but his words still haunt me. I was a little over halfway through my pregnancy when my husband and I sat gripping each other’s hands while a specialist gesticulated as he described the options for our unborn baby. We could opt for life-saving surgeries, we could give her comfort care once born but allow her to die without intervention, or we could choose to abort. “The root of disaster means a star coming apart, and no image expresses... Read More

Every generation has to figure out how to engage and reach people in culture. Translation and immersion are key ideas that will help.. In my leadership role with World Methodist Evangelism, I frequently am in international environments, depending heavily on the skills of translators and interpreters. These are gifted people! I recall teaching on evangelism in Vladivostok, Russia a few years ago. I was trying to make an important point, which in English is not difficult to understand.... Read More

Pew survey of 30,000 people finds a median of 39% favor, 13% oppose a “more important role for religion.” Despite signs of increasing secularism in the United States, far more Americans favor an increased role for religion in society than oppose it. According to a massive new report from the Pew Research Center that queried more than 30,000 people across 27 countries, almost three times as many Americans say they would view “a more important role for religion” in the US as a... Read More

Even more than better systems and better policies, we need better theology. We all have stories that frame our everyday world, stories that illuminate the good, true, and beautiful life we long to experience. But what if these stories rely on underdeveloped or badly distorted notions of goodness, truth, and beauty? What would that mean for human flourishing, particularly for the most vulnerable members of our communities? In their insightful book, Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty... Read More

We didn’t accomplish everything we should have. God reminds us we didn’t need to. One of my pastor friends told me he gets genuinely sad every evening because there’s always so much more he wants to do with the day. I suspect we’re all something like this. The evening brings me face to face with the reality of my limited life. There’s so much we wanted to do or at least that we felt we should do. We’re frustrated because we had no time for free time. Or... Read More

How a Latino gang leader found salvation in prison. In prison, I was a shot caller. Shot callers have an elevated rank in the gang world. They are the power-brokers who determine who gets hurt (or killed) and who doesn’t. They command respect. I started down this path as a teenager in South-Central Los Angeles, as a leader in the Rockwood Street Locos. I led the way when we invaded homes, broke into cars, ransacked convenience stores, and stabbed rival gang members. It didn’t... Read More