These three congregations don’t have a men’s ministry. Why men—and their families—still love them. I’ve studied high-performance organizations for nearly three decades, most recently examining churches that have grown by appealing to men. Here’s one of the most surprising commonalities among the man-friendly churches I’ve researched: None of them has a formal “men’s ministry.” Instead, …
It may sound weird, but knowing we have an enemy is encouraging. The gospel is full of odd comforts. Discovering I’m afflicted with depravity brings the relief of the doctor’s diagnosis: “There is something wrong with me. It’s not all in my head.” More importantly, it provides the good news that in Christ there’s a …
Six tangible ways congregations can shift their gatherings from me to us. I grew up during America’s Moral Majority years, when putting an ichthus on your business card would up your professional game. In an era when group belonging seemed a foregone conclusion, evangelism emphasized a personal relationship with Christ, and corporate worship grew to …
Understanding the relationship between gospel and culture is vital for evangelism Christians believe that the gospel is universal and normative for all peoples at all times and in all places. But we often forget that the gospel is not acultural, as if it hovers above culture and is devoid of any culture. Instead, the gospel …
Brian Stanley’s global history makes connections and draws lessons that others are apt to miss. A reader might well approach Brian Stanley’s Christianity in the Twentieth Century: A World History with a mix of intrigue and skepticism. How on earth, we might ask, can even the most skilled writer incorporate every major theme and movement, …
How I found eternal life on death row. I grew up in the 1960s in one of the many daisy-chain suburbs surrounding Los Angeles. Seven of us, two adults and five children, struggled for living space in a tiny two-bedroom rental house. My father worked on an assembly line during the day; my mother worked …
A new book crawls into the lives of children at risk, enters their desperation, and accompanies them on their journey toward redemption. The great beauty of the Christian narrative is redemption, and redemption shines powerfully through Ericka Andersen’s Leaving Cloud 9: The True Story of a Life Resurrected from the Ashes of Poverty, Trauma, and …
What makes a college “evangelical” or “fundamentalist?” The dividing lines weren’t always so clear. Let’s say you attended Wheaton College, Gordon College, or Biola University. Or perhaps you’re an outsider who just thinks highly of those schools. If so, you might be turned off by a book that groups them together under the label “Fundamentalist …
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 the …
The state of faith in the East African country nearly 25 years after its brutal genocide. Over the past two months, authorities have closed more than 7,000 churches across Rwanda for failing to comply with health, safety, and noise regulations. As CT has previously reported: President Paul Kagame welcomed the shutdowns but was stunned at …