The Church Can Help End The Phone-Based Childhood

As American kids head back to school this fall, many will do so with smartphones in hand. The average age at which American kids receive their first phone is just 11, and most public schools only ban nonacademic classroom phone use—and struggle to enforce even that. We know this is a problem. Research from academics like Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge continues to show American young people are in a mental health crisis, and there’s compelling evidence that... Read More

Today in History: September 13, thousands rescued in wake of Hurricane Ike

Today is Friday, Sept. 13, the 257th day of 2024. There are 109 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 13, 2008, crews rescued people from their homes in an all-out search for thousands of Texans who had stayed behind overnight to face Hurricane Ike. Also on this date: In 1788, the Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election and declared New York City the temporary national capital. In 1948, Republican Margaret Chase Smith of Maine was elected to the... Read More

Marlins take advantage of Nationals errors in 6-3 series-opening win

By PATRICK STEVENS WASHINGTON (AP) — Jake Burger had three hits, Jonah Bride and Connor Norby had two RBIs apiece and the Miami Marlins scored three unearned runs off three errors in a 6-3 victory over the Washington Nationals on Thursday night in the opener of a three-game series. Bride had a game-tying single in the eighth inning and Otto Lopez put the Marlins ahead when his fielder’s choice grounder was mishandled two batters later as Miami snapped a three-game losing streak and... Read More

Called to Kenya’s Chinatowns

Daive Njuguna’s first Chinese class at the University of Nairobi was the most fun he’d ever had in college. The teacher was a jovial young woman from China who cheerfully corrected her students as they struggled to pronounce ni hao (hello) and qing (please) and xie xie (thank you). Njuguna laughed throughout the class. He was only vaguely aware that the Chinese government was funding the course via the Confucius Institute, part of Beijing’s “cultural soft power”  offensive to... Read More

Tracing the Bible’s History Through Time and Space

In one of his many insightful essays, the late missiologist Andrew Walls asked whether one could detect a coherence or continuity over 2,000 years of Christian history. He proposed that one theme stood out most: the ultimate significance of Jesus. Beyond that, he noted that Christians have affirmed the same sacred writings, instituted some form of baptism and Communion, and displayed an awareness of their historical connection to other Christians. Walls didn’t prioritize the influence of... Read More

Sincerely, Your Spiritual Mentor

I have often longed for my own personal trainer, not so much for getting in better physical shape but for better understanding the whats and hows of Christian faith. To some degree, such training is the aim of those like me, who teach theology in a formal setting. But we can only accomplish so much in a 15-week class period. Parents, too, are (hopefully) striving to train children in the faith without sounding overly preachy. Whatever my own relative success or failure in either arena,... Read More

A Subtler Political Idolatry

As a college student, I never missed a State of the Union address. Feeling a sense of patriotic duty, I sat through the whole bloated spectacle: the obsequious handshakes, interminable applause, and extravagant promises to vanquish foes, blot out injustice, and kickstart a golden age of prosperity. But over time, I came to see all that for what it was. Then came a series of epiphanies about other allegedly sacred observances. Presidential debates? A wasteland of sound bites. The nominating... Read More

New & Noteworthy

Great to Good Jae Hoon Lee (IVP) Highly driven performers and organizational leaders often speak of making the leap from good to great. As his book title suggests, Korean pastor Jae Hoon Lee believes the church (and individual Christians) should invert that mindset, pursuing Christlike character rather than earthly power and glory. “Jesus referred to himself as a good shepherd, not a great one,” writes Lee, whose reflections draw upon his Korean church context. “He attributed his... Read More