Category: Christian news

It’s not the first time immigration officials have deployed Scripture to keep former Muslims out. The British government has been using the Bible against Christians seeking asylum after converting from Islam—most recently, citing verses from Leviticus, Exodus, and Revelation as evidence that the faith was not more peaceful, as one Iranian convert claimed in his application. Anglican leaders and other advocates for refugees condemned the immigration department’s decision to... Read More

The 2018 General Social Survey reports American evangelicals holding steady, and a surprising uptick for mainline Protestants. Evangelicals in the United States are holding steady at just under a quarter of the population, according to the latest biennial figures from the General Social Survey (GSS), one of the longest-running, consistent measures of religion in the US. Despite the quick pace of news and week-to-week political polling, it’s longitudinal tools like the GSS that give... Read More

As Christian doctors and development workers take on tuberculosis, trust is key to the cure. “It would be better to die than to suffer this way,” Fathia says, wiping her hands together with finality. She sits across from me at the Caritas medical center in Djibouti, crying. I’m trying not to cry. I’m also trying not to back away as she coughs without covering her mouth. She is a single mother, a refugee from Somalia, and all five of her children have tuberculosis,... Read More

The prophets launch their words into the future. Where do they land? A frequently challenging part of Scripture for many Christians is the Old Testament prophets. Sometimes, understanding their message can be a little confusing. Especially, when that message might apply (or is applied) to the New Testament. When the prophets do look into the future that God revealed to them, what do their words refer to? I find it helpful to think of three major possible horizons of their vision. That is to... Read More

“Unbelievers needs to see that we care for them, not just their postmortem souls but all of who they are as fallen image-bearers of God.” Ed: It’s hard to deny that we are living in challenging times culturally. The church’s influence is fading and we are struggling to find answers to some hard questions. What’s your take on the health of the church today, especially as it relates to our witness? CJ: Eddie Glaude, a Princeton University professor, wrote a Huffington... Read More

“There are millions who will never hear strong biblical teaching unless teachers are willing to go.” Why would a respected evangelical leader like Francis Chan agree to speak at major events that also feature controversial prosperity gospel preachers? The short answer: to share the truth. The popular author and former pastor recently came under scrutiny for appearing on the same stage as televangelist Benny Hinn and Canadian evangelist Todd White when he was the top-billed speaker at The... Read More

The nation’s biggest Christian retail chain ends its brick-and-mortar operations after 128 years. LifeWay Christian Resources, the largest Christian retail chain in America, plans to close all 170 stores this year and shift its offerings entirely online. “The decision to close our local stores is a difficult one,” said acting president and CEO Brad Waggoner, who is succeeding longtime LifeWay president Thom Rainer. “LifeWay has developed close connections with the... Read More

How to understand sinicization and where it falls between sinister oversight and needed contextualization for Chinese churches. The headlines out of China last week sounded ominous. In strident language not heard in a long time, the head of China’s Protestant church gave a speech supporting the government’s policy of reducing Western influence on religion and making it “more Chinese,” a process dubbed sinicization in English. Is the move a step toward tighter... Read More

In the Black Belt—once cleared for cotton plantations—rural black communities suffer the consequences of poor land stewardship. In 2013, the septic system at Jesus Christ Church of God the Bibleway failed and sewage began leaking into a neighbor’s yard—not uncommon for rural Alabama, an area plagued by sewage problems and a related upsurge in hookworm cases. A warrant was issued for the arrest of the church’s pastor, Bishop Ira McCloud. The public health... Read More

What Does It Look Like to Embody Gospel-Shaped Power? In this final post, I want to address practical ways pastors and church leaders can properly and biblically use power to help foster healthy churches and communities. I suggest five key elements you can implement. First, structure a church with pastoral accountability. If the church structure does not have pastoral accountability, we need to question that structure, regardless of denomination or ecclesiological association. Good pastors... Read More