Tag Archives: Christianity Today Magazine

God works through people and churches who depend on him. I accepted my first pastorate in 2004 at First Baptist Church in Castroville, TX as a 25-year-old recent seminary graduate. I had not given much thought to leading revitalization throughout my studies, but I found myself leading a church that was still in the processContinue reading “Renewing Your Church: Church Revitalization as a Humbling Experience”

Perplexed by America on Syria, Russian evangelicals and Middle East Christians debate if Moscow really cares. War was swirling in Syria. Rebels were pressing. And Maan Bitar was the only hope for American help. “Because I am evangelical, everyone thinks I have channels of communication,” said the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Mhardeh. “SyriansContinue reading “Mideast Christians See Russia—not the US—as Defender of Their Faith”

What a team ban on religious celebrations reveals about evangelicals in South America’s biggest country. In Brazil, the country of international football, the relationship between religion and the soccer ball is an old one. Brazilian athletes have long played with crucifixes, medals of saints, or wrist tapes honoring the deities of the local Candomblé cult.Continue reading “Brazil’s Soccer Stars Love Jesus. But They Can’t Thank Him for World Cup Wins.”

The ruler was awarded the prestigious $1.4 million prize for modeling Islamic tolerance internationally. Here’s how Protestants in his home country gauge his leadership. For his lifelong commitment to religious peace, King Abdullah II of Jordan recently became the second Muslim ever to win the prestigious, $1.4 million Templeton Prize. And Jordan’s Christian minority isContinue reading “What Jordan’s Evangelicals Think of Templeton Winner King Abdullah’s Interfaith Acclaim”

Let’s get a laugh or two, or even a raised eyebrow, from our fellow well-intentioned congregants. EAP @eadampeek: “You told too many circumcision jokes, so we are leaving the church. If we wanted to hear a comedy routine, we would have just watched a Will Ferrell movie.” Jeremiah Clements @JremiahClements: “Early in my first pastorateContinue reading “#StuffChurchpeopleSay: The Funniest Sermon Responses”

A look at America’s favorite God-and-country tunes, from Revolutionary War anthems to a Trump-inspired musical number. At Sunday services this weekend, churches across the country will direct congregants to flip to the section of classic patriotic songs in their hymnals or display lyrics to more recent nation-centric tunes like Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,”Continue reading “Make Worship Patriotic Again? The Top 10 Songs for Fourth of July Services”

A look at America’s favorite God-and-country tunes, from Revolutionary War anthems to a Trump-inspired musical number. At Sunday services this weekend, churches across the country will direct congregants to flip to the section of classic patriotic songs in their hymnals or display lyrics to more recent nation-centric tunes like Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,”Continue reading “Make Worship Patriotic Again? The Top 10 Songs for Fourth of July Services”

YFC JJM stands ready to equip, enable, and empower the local church to make a long-term impact for high-risk teens in local communities. “What do you want to do when you grow up?” This is the classic question to young, aspiring, and hope-filled teenagers. However, for a high-risk young person this question feels foreign, perhapsContinue reading “Juveniles Stuck in the Justice System: How Can the Church Respond?”

An evangelical historian searches for the roots of Trump-friendly evangelicalism. John Fea has two intended audiences for his new book, Believe Me: The Evangelical Road to Donald Trump. On the one hand, he dedicates this book “to the 19 percent”—to the segment of white evangelicals who (at least according to exit poll data) voted againstContinue reading “Fear, Power, Nostalgia, and the 81 Percent”

The founder of the Lasting app aims to offer portable counseling support to married millennials—especially those with kids. In the lives of married millennials, having kids changes everything, according to Lasting, a marriage health app that so far has over 125,000 respondents to its marital health survey. Couples without children tend to report being moreContinue reading “Interview: Q&A: Marriage App Founder Says Couples Benefit from Digital Therapy”