Why secular substitutes for religion will always leave us exhausted and unhappy. I wasn’t sure about reviewing this book, which the author, David Zahl, calls Seculosity. As you might guess, the term is a mashup of “religiosity” and “secularism.” Surely, I thought, this can’t be another screed against the creep of secularism into our churches. …
The lack of signs and wonders in Nazareth says more about Jesus than about people’s lack of faith. Off the shores of the Philippines, a fisherman discovered a very large, misshapen pearl. It was not pretty. It looked more like an amoeba, with blobs and folds everywhere. He took the unusual find home and stowed …
How a radical Hindu movement has persecuted the church and the country’s other religious minorities. On Thursday, Indians will learn the results of their country’s massive national elections. For the past five years, the country has been governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Despite Modi’s popularity among much of …
What it looks like when people remember their greatest love. I ended the first essay in this series by saying that the deepest crisis of the American church, and of evangelical Christianity especially, is that we have forgotten God. I recognize that it seems absurd to say we have forgotten God when God is on …
Character formation isn’t just an individual process, says Anne Snyder. It requires institutions. In a media landscape awash in flame wars and polarizing punditry, it’s a bit surprising that the topic of character formation is making a comeback. “Building character” is the stuff of childhood chores and onerous school projects, completed out of duty and …
Our society is addicted to spectacle. How do we keep our eyes are fixed on Christ? According to research released last summer by The Nielsen Company, American adults spend an average of 11 hours, or almost half of each day, consuming some form of media. From the moment we wake up (and instinctively check our …
How a gay atheist teenager discovered Jesus and stopped living undercover. Bill, I’m gay.” The word vomited out of my mouth. I had never actually said it before. Not out loud, at least. We were in a mostly empty chapel on the grounds of the University of Virginia, and a dozen or more Campus Crusaders …
Even more than better systems and better policies, we need better theology. We all have stories that frame our everyday world, stories that illuminate the good, true, and beautiful life we long to experience. But what if these stories rely on underdeveloped or badly distorted notions of goodness, truth, and beauty? What would that mean …
The complexity of the situation even presents a challenge to Jewish Christian unity. Among Christians in America, Israel can be viewed as a fulfillment of prophecy, a democratic ally in a region of chaos, or an occupier oppressing stateless Palestinians. How to choose? Given that 2 out of 3 US evangelicals have a positive perception …
Does good press lead to greater gains in the Muslim world? Or merely cover a multitude of sins? Imad Shehadeh’s phone would not stop ringing. His American guest, part of a delegation invited by the king of Jordan, had called his royal host a bigot. In November 2017, the president of Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary …