Category: Christian news

We need leaders marked by the living presence of Jesus that inspires men and women to bold faith. “Follow me, as I follow Christ,” seems like a pretty audacious statement to make for the average modern-day church leader. It presupposes that the things that I spend my time doing, if carefully imitated, would have a kingdom revealing affect. It presumes a level of spiritual integrity that is wide open to personal inspection and private scrutiny. It is the quintessential call of... Read More

Effective apologetics today requires a genuine missionary encounter. In 1936, a 27-year-old man named Lesslie Newbigin set out from England for India to share Christ among the Hindus. Newbigin faithfully ministered in India for the next 38 years. When he returned to his home country in 1974, he found it had become a drastically different country from the one he left. It was becoming increasingly a post-Christian nation, one in need of a fresh missionary encounter. It was during this time... Read More

A story from Somalia. The pastor’s wife approached him, with tears in her eyes, and handed him his cell phone. As apprehension spread throughout the congregation, the pastor listened for quite some time, turned off the device, bowed his head, and handed his cell phone back to his wife. “Pastor H is dead.” A secret gathering I was working in Mogadishu, Somalia, when my wife called me on the shortwave radio about a meeting invitation. After approximately six months, our team... Read More

How the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry helped me trade in false hopes for a truer picture of God. The December sky was low and gray on the morning I woke up and could not feel my hands. I wrung out my arms, hoping the sensation would return. I shook them violently to no avail. Rushing to the bathroom, I held them under hot water. Then frigid water. Neither helped. Within days, prickly tingles crept up my arm and spread to my shoulders. The numbness turned into pain that burned, ached, and... Read More

The kingdom was central to Jesus’ teaching, but it can be divisive for his followers. When you think of the word kingdom, what do you think of? For many, the term conjures images of medieval knights, fair maidens, and castles inhabited by white-bearded monarchs. Or we imagine hard-fought epic battles involving mythological figures and creatures (think Gandalf and Gollum), or all these things in a favorite video game. Now for some Christians, it is this otherworldly quality that makes the... Read More

“Purpose is not what we do but why we exist.” 1 – “At its very heart, vocational courage is about finding and pursuing your true purpose in life, and about making sure your life’s work is reflected in your daily work” (Page 1). 2 – “True vocational courage comes from defining what success is for us, based on our own unique purpose and core values, and then making the difficult decisions necessary to wholeheartedly pursue it” (Page 13). 3 –... Read More

Why we stand up for Muslims targeted by China’s surveillance technology. Millions of our global neighbors live under authoritarian and autocratic governments where the power of artificial intelligence (AI) is abused to retain a sense of control over others. Nations, such as China, use these tools, created for the common good, to diminish dignity in minority groups. Religious freedom and the pursuit of justice are threatened by the implementation of these tools each day. This is why a group... Read More

In a “pioneering” new statement, leaders emphasize humanity’s moral authority over emergent technology like artificial intelligence. As artificial intelligence (AI) makes its way into social media and smart devices, markets and health care systems, military and public policy, evangelicals are raising big questions about its revolutionary potential. With a landmark statement on AI—the most prominent consideration of the issue among American evangelicals—these leaders are... Read More

CT asked 11 leaders in US and Middle East to assess the red lines of a peace plan, expected soon after Netanyahu’s coalition wins election. When it comes to Israel, nearly all evangelicals hold dear the biblical maxim: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. But what does it mean after a fiercely contested election? President Donald Trump will soon propose his vision of practical exegesis. Two years in the making, Trump’s “Deal of the Century” is slated to be released soon, now... Read More

Why small talk and friendship are fundamental to faith formation. When I was at seminary two decades ago, “spiritual direction” was a new trend. Many of us thought that it was the greatest idea we’d ever hit upon, particularly for those who had grown up around very prescriptive approaches to faith. Spiritual direction, we learned, was like midwifery: A midwife cannot create life or control it. She can only encourage it to fruition and be present to the miracle that is... Read More