Category: Christian news

Why God sends his people into battle armed with the tools of everyday life. In the first Battle of Armageddon, the enemy commander was killed with camping equipment. Speculation about the next round has been the stuff of bestselling books and blockbuster movies, replete with speculation about a world government, flying locust-scorpion warships, bar codes, conspiracies, the EU, nuclear weapons, and a giant meteor steaming toward earth with Bruce Willis on board. But the first time a war was... Read More

Why secular substitutes for religion will always leave us exhausted and unhappy. I wasn’t sure about reviewing this book, which the author, David Zahl, calls Seculosity. As you might guess, the term is a mashup of “religiosity” and “secularism.” Surely, I thought, this can’t be another screed against the creep of secularism into our churches. I could already hear it: What do you expect when you let the walls down and anything goes? Alcohol, movies,... Read More

New Zealand revealed the tragic logical end of evils like Christian Nationalism. The March massacre of 50 Muslims during worship in New Zealand was first and foremost a human tragedy, one felt deeply around the world. Unfortunately the massacre also signaled a political tragedy, displaying the logical end to a type of engagement increasingly defining the public square: identity politics. As British columnist Brendan O’Neill put it, “Increasingly, it feels like the New Zealand... Read More

Unbeknownst to me, I began recruiting my successor six years ago. I’m so glad God doesn’t operate on my timetable. The year was 2013. The place: Harvard Yard. I found myself sitting over coffee with someone who had impressed me enough during the previous three years that I was about to offer him a position on CT’s executive team. The role was completely new; I had created it specifically for him in hopes that he might bring to the ministry new ideas for missional expansion... Read More

How Jesus modeled relationships of surprising frankness and trust. When I first moved from Missouri to Tennessee, I was welcomed by sweet tea, potluck dinners, and people waiting to hold doors for each other. I’m grateful to have soaked in the warmth of Southern hospitality all these years. The shadow side of Southernness, however, is that sometimes I wonder if people say what they really mean. Admittedly, I too have sugar-coated the truth. But I want to speak the truth in love, and I... Read More

If you can’t do the fundamentals with excellence, then you will never be successful—at least not for long. Every coach knows the value of fundamentals. Not only does each season start with the basics, but coaches rehearse them over again as the building blocks of the game. Many early season practices have started with an exasperated coach restating the basics with a Lombardi-like version of, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Form, stance,... Read More

(UPDATED) Christians end Holy Week shaken by coordinated attacks at Sunday morning services and brunches on opposite coasts of the island nation. The joy of Easter quickly turned into terror and grief for Christians in Sri Lanka this morning, where suicide bombers conducted coordinated attacks on three churches and three high-end hotels, killing more than 290 people and injuring almost 500. Officials urged citizens to resist speculating whether Muslim extremists were to blame for the... Read More

(UPDATED) Christians end Holy Week shaken by coordinated attacks at Sunday morning services and brunches across the island nation. The joy of Easter quickly turned into terror and grief for Christians in Sri Lanka this morning, where bombers conducted coordinated attacks on at least three churches and three high-end hotels, killing more than 290 people and injuring almost 500. The government has urged citizens to resist speculating whether radicalized Muslims are to blame for the violence,... Read More

Christians end Holy Week shaken after coordinated attacks at three churches and three hotels across the island nation. The joy of Easter quickly turned into terror and grief for Christians in Sri Lanka this morning, where bombers conducted coordinated attacks on at least three churches and three high-end hotels, killing more than 200 people. The government has urged citizens to resist speculating whether radicalized Muslims are to blame for the violence, which mostly took place in or around... Read More

The fact that Jesus climbed out of that tomb changes everything. There are so many ways we could talk about the significance of Easter morning—particularly, the meaning of Christ’s resurrection from the grave. With no hesitation, believers will tell you that the fact that Jesus walked out of that tomb changes everything. That very moment—the morning of the resurrection—is at the foundation of all those that follow it. The coming of the Holy Spirit, Paul’s road... Read More