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. …
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 against …
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,” …
Why the work of Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor is influencing so many Christian thinkers. Ever heard a Christian author or speaker refer to our current moment in history as "a secular age"? Or perhaps you've heard someone explain culture in terms of "subtraction stories"? Or "social imaginaries"? "the age of authenticity"? "the immanent frame"? Some …
Why do films like ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ urge us to rejoice in the death of the wicked? “Nasty woman!” hunter Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine) says of Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) after she says something defiant to him from her makeshift prison cell in the back of his truck. Wheatley has already shot a …
The horror writer is no fan of organized religion, but his stories don’t shy away from belief in things unseen. Say what you will about Stephen King, but the man has staying power. Last year’s Dark Tower may have flopped, but the big screen adaptation of It raked in oodles of cash (part two is …
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. “Syrians …
Defending the oneness of God shouldn’t nullify the Bible’s claims about the mutual love of Father, Son, and Spirit. “Holy, Holy, Holy” is one of the most well-known hymns in the English language. The famous hymn, inspired by the Nicene Creed and sung in countless churches each Sunday, ends with the familiar line “God in …
Free-market ideas grew in a religious and moral soil. We need to replant them there. Over the last 30 years, we have witnessed the most significant movement out of poverty in human history. If this trend continues, we will see extreme poverty almost completely eradicated in the 21st century, according to a 2008 report from …
We should seek their well-being—but also prepare for strong disagreement on what that entails. Transgender questions today carry an urgency unimaginable even five years ago. Most churches and Christians find themselves exposed due to their lack of theological and pastoral preparation. What does the Bible have to say about living life in a gender-nonconforming way? …