This year’s most closely watched voting bloc is reshaping the presidential contest—and the church. The congregation that gathers at Alliance Church doesn’t need to be told to greet their neighbors. Dotted with West Texas flair—cowboy boots, shiny belt buckles, and big hair—they come with hands outstretched. Together, they sing out about God’s healing and rescue,…

As a newlywed and a new mother, I built exactly the life I wanted. The only thing missing was everyone else. I don’t remember when I realized I didn’t have a community. Perhaps it was one Sunday after our church service when, holding my nine-month-old son, I stepped from the nursing 
room into the sanctuary…

Jesus asked if we want to get well. But do we? At 24, I was a recent Bible college graduate and married a whopping six days when I began my first ministry as a hospital chaplain. I had never seen a dead body before. I had no experience with grief. I was way out of…

Two new books consider whether one depends on the other. Constitutional scholar C. L. Skach begins How to Be a Citizen: Learning to Be Civil Without the State with an engrossing account of her own foray into crafting the law of a land. The land in question was American-occupied Iraq, to which Skach traveled in 2008,…

As Russia’s invasion fades from Western interest, daily musings from an evangelical seminary leader remind readers of the war’s ongoing reality for Ukrainian Christians who stay and serve. Editor’s note: Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Taras Dyatlik, an evangelical Ukrainian theological educator, has shared his daily reflections in…

Second only to Carnival, festivals for St. Anthony, St. John, and St. Peter pack the June calendar. Pastors debate if the Festas Juninas are folk celebrations or idol worship. When it comes to festivals, the world knows Brazil best for Carnival, its raucous celebration of Mardi Gras, full of elaborate costumes, dancing on the street,…

In a rapidly urbanizing China, some houses of worship are taking inspiration from the Bible while rethinking local architectural tradition. A scroll-shaped steeple. An imposing ark-shaped atrium. A pipe organ feature reminiscent of 19th-century North American Methodist churches. These are some of the more striking elements in the Three-Self churches that Brazilian German architect Dirk…

The summer’s hit sequel offers wisdom for young Christians worrying about the future. I don’t, you know, feel God’s presence like I used to. What’s wrong with me?” “I’m not sure if I really even believe in Jesus. Can I?” “My Christian high school never taught me about racism in America. What do I do…