The fifth annual index by a leading law firm finds that friendship is key to maintaining gains amid polarization and the shifting emphasis of Gen Z. American support for religious freedom is trending in the right direction. Rebounding from COVID-19 lows in 2020, the Becket Religious Freedom Index registered a new high in 2023 in…
Rules and moral codes won’t save us in an era of judgment, hate, and superego. What will save us is mercy. This piece was adapted from Russell Moore’s newsletter. Subscribe here. Years ago, I talked with someone who told me how hard it was to keep a moral grounding in the sex-fueled drinking atmosphere of…
Even after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, evangelical activists see a bigger fight to change Americans’ minds on abortion. Catholic activist Nellie Gray organized the first March for Life in 1974 to mark the anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Fifty years later, even after the 2022 decision overturning Roe…
The Atlantic journalist’s portrait of a fractured movement chooses lament over axe-grinding. Donald Trump might pose problems for established political norms, but he has been a godsend for book publishers. In the years encompassing Trump’s first campaign, election, inauguration, tumultuous term as president, second campaign, and unprecedented response to defeat in 2020, dozens of books…
Latest report on Christian persecution chronicles the rising danger of Islamic militants and autocratic regimes, from Nigeria to Nicaragua. Almost 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith last year. Almost 4,000 were abducted. Nearly 15,000 churches were attacked or closed. And more than 295,000 Christians were forcibly displaced from their homes because of their faith….
In the GOP’s first primary race, evangelicals didn’t take much convincing to stay in his fold. Donald Trump—the far and away GOP frontrunner—has secured a quick win in Iowa, where his campaign’s Christian rhetoric stoked his fan base but disturbed some evangelical leaders. National outlets barely waited for the ink on the ballots to dry…
Evangelical elites of all political stripes still dispute Trump, but the question is largely settled at the grassroots. Next week’s Iowa Republican caucuses formally launch the 2024 primary race that will almost certainly end with a third GOP nomination for former president Donald Trump. When Iowans caucus on Monday, recent polling suggests Trump will easily…
In the ’60s, white evangelicals condemned Martin Luther King Jr. In the ’80s, we lauded a convenient, hagiographic version of his life. How should we remember him now? As the white editors of Christianity Today surveyed Martin Luther King Jr.’s nonviolent civil disobedience on behalf of civil rights in the summer of 1964, they were…
Traditional melody suggests it is only when Christians realize the holiday comes with “hard realities” that the spirit of Nativity dwells in their hearts. This past holiday season—like many before it—the Arab world’s favorite Christmas carol spoke directly to war and suffering. With Orthodox Christians observing their 12 days of Christmastide from January 7–19, their…
Evangelicalism’s historical emphases on personal renewal and church revival shine precisely in dark days like these. This piece was adapted from Russell Moore’s newsletter. Subscribe here. Just before Christmas, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat responded in his newsletter to the continuing controversy about the Francis papacy in a surprising way. What was surprising here…
