How the composer (and his lesser-known collaborator) wedded Scripture and music in daring new ways. For many of us, Handel’s Messiah has transcended its place as a great work of art and has taken on the status of an almost canonical spiritual text. There are few works in the classical repertory that are so well-known …
Long before Constantine, Christians found ways to redeem local cultures and salvage those elements that naturally pointed to Christ. Q: A friend says her church doesn't celebrate Christmas because it began as a pagan holiday. Why then do most churches celebrate Christmas? A: Was the event we now call Christmas originally a "pagan holiday"? In …
Many evangelists and apologists have a history of overstating their qualifications. Earlier this week, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) released a statement addressing its namesake’s credentials, which have recently been under fire. “In earlier years, ‘Dr.’ did appear before Ravi’s name in some of our materials, including on our website, which is an appropriate and …
What does a former abuser talk about at a Christian college? Repentance. On February 3, 2013, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was riding high. That was the day he helped his team win the Super Bowl in a historic game against the San Francisco 49ers. But just one year later, Rice hit rock bottom …
The movement is driven by a painful awareness that the heart—each of our hearts—is desperately wicked. ‘The scene to me was new and passing strange,” wrote Presbyterian pastor Barton Stone as he witnessed a revival in Kentucky in the spring of 1801. “Many, very many fell down, as men slain in battle, and continued for …
An Eastern Orthodox theologian assesses Luther’s famous doctrine of ‘sola fide.’ Make no mistake: The absence of the Orthodox Church in the Reformation debates of the 16th century is one of the great tragedies of Christian history. What might have happened if Orthodox churches had been party to the theological controversies that dominated 16th-century Europe? …
A 30-day devotional to help individuals and families journey through the 2017 Advent season. Advent is a 30-day devotional to help individuals and families journey through the 2017 Advent season. It features devotions by Christianity Today contributors and editors such as N.T. Wright, John Ortberg, Fleming Rutledge, Peter Chin, and more. What’s Inside? This single-copy …
As a leftist lesbian professor, I despised Christians. Then I somehow became one. The word Jesus stuck in my throat like an elephant tusk; no matter how hard I choked, I couldn't hack it out. Those who professed the name commanded my pity and wrath. As a university professor, I tired of students who seemed …
Two books—one Catholic, one Protestant—show how the conversation should be engaged. During this 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses—the Reformation’s start by traditional reckoning—we see extremes. Some Christians are foaming at the mouth like pit bulls, going for the jugular of their Catholic or Protestant opponents. Others are so open-minded that their brains fall …
After a childhood marred by substance abuse and a deadbeat dad, I made a friend who would change my life. I was raised in a staunchly atheist household. We never went to church. We never had a Bible. We never talked about God. My father was such an ardent atheist that he demanded my mother …