Tag Archives: IFTTT

Important developments in the church and the world (as they appeared in our May issue). Supreme Court hears pregnancy centers’ plight The US Supreme Court will decide in June whether pregnancy resource centers in California must post notices advertising state-funded contraception and abortion, or whether the state requirements violate their free speech. During the oralContinue reading “Gleanings: May 2018”

Thousands of churches closed in attempt to curb bad buildings—and bad preaching. Authorities have closed more than 6,000 churches across Rwanda, including 714 in the capital city of Kigali, in the span of two months for failing to comply with health, safety, and noise regulations. Underscoring the seriousness of the campaign, a lightning strike killedContinue reading “Rwanda Weeds the Church Plants”

Watu Wote joins other films attempting what African sermons cannot. Two years ago, the heroic actions of some Kenyan Muslims brought their majority-Christian nation together. The Oscar-nominated film depiction of that heroism may do so again—if many people watch. Watu Wote is a fictional retelling of real-life horror. In December 2015, al-Shabaab terrorists stormed aContinue reading “Sectarian Cinema: Oscars Highlight Muslim Defense of Persecuted Christians”

The “Napalm Girl” from a famous Vietnam War photo tells her story of coming to faith. You have seen my picture a thousand times. It’s a picture that made the world gasp—a picture that defined my life. I am nine years old, running along a puddled roadway in front of an expressionless soldier, arms outstretched,Continue reading “‘These Bombs Led Me to Christ’”

Let’s ask the early church fathers. Sometimes we start our history in the wrong place. It can be tempting to trace our roots back to the origin of our denomination or even the origin of Christianity in our country. But taking a longer view by tracing our roots back to the early church fathers leadsContinue reading “Whatever Happened to Gifts of Language, Prophecy, and Healing?”

A scholar’s journey through the region reveals much more than Baptists and church barbecues. In the spring of 2008, my wife and I loaded up a truck and moved to Tennessee, where I’d taken a job as the religion writer at a newspaper in Nashville. I’ve spent the decade since then covering religion in theContinue reading “Southern Christianity Is Bigger Than the Bible Belt”

They have different responses to God. And He has different responses to them. Broadly speaking, two basic kinds of government show up in the Bible: those who knew they were under God and those who thought they were God or were equal to God. The first kind protected God’s people. The second kind attacked them.Continue reading “The Two Kinds of Government That Show Up in the Bible”

Cincinnati’s Crossroads uses entrepreneurial strategies for gospel ends. The fastest-growing congregation in America is one you may never have heard of with a name you hear everywhere: Crossroads Church. Crossroads are about as common as First Baptists among today’s non-denominational, contemporary churches. But this particular Crossroads, based in Cincinnati, could have a location near youContinue reading “How to Become America’s Fastest-Growing Church? Think Like a Startup.”

The deeply flawed Old Testament “hero” was set apart for a very specific purpose. Growing up in church as a scrawny kid, I was captured by stories of David slaying Goliath, Gideon defeating the Midianites, and especially Samson taking out 1,000 Philistines practically barehanded. While I loved the daring of those figures, I was alsoContinue reading “Why God Still Works Through Fools Like Samson”

Why is it uniquely challenging for us to address issues often associated with mental illness? Most of us know someone who is in counseling, on medication, or has even taken his or her own life as a result of a mental illness. There are many difficult issues for Christians to talk about, and mental healthContinue reading “The Church and Mental Health: What Do the Numbers Tell Us?”