Gospel music is soaring in popularity in Brazil, leading artists with little Christian background to release worship songs and pastors to mull motives. “Dwell in me, Jesus,” sings Ana Castela in “Agradeço” (I Thank You), a single the 20-year-old Brazilian pop star released in December. The lyrics resemble words that evangelical congregations sing in contemporary…

Oscar Siwali is mobilizing conflict mediators as the country goes to the polls. He only wishes his organization could train more. Oscar Siwali remembers watching Nelson Mandela’s triumphant walk as he left prison after 27 years. In 1990, as the young pastor of a Baptist church, Siwali saw himself as an evangelical focused on winning…

On praying past the end of silver linings to a God who often does not answer as I hope. Around the bonfire at church camp on the Oregon coast, we sang “River of Life” to get warmed up, and then, to mellow the mood for the gospel presentation, “Seek Ye First.” A haunting descant rose…

The Netflix adaptation of an acclaimed Chinese sci-fi series is anxious about time. Christians don’t have to be. Time is running out in Netflix’s 3 Body Problem. An alien race, the San-Ti, announces that they will arrive on Earth in 400 years. Before they get here, they intend to “kill” science, preventing humanity from developing…

We do not deserve to wield influence in the church while being simps and sycophants to the secular world. There’s good reason for the church to be wary of social media influencers—particularly those who speak to spiritual matters. We aren’t wrong to be disconcerted at the idea of Christians being led by online personalities who…

His upbeat hits and worship collaborations are capturing younger listeners on social media. Some of the most popular music we hear in our Instagram and TikTok feeds comes from Forrest Frank, the independent artist and music producer known for his viral, feel-good songs. His beat-driven pop combines vibey grooves and infectious hooks in hits like…

What we can learn from the chronicler’s stories about the kings of Israel. To the dutiful Bible reader, Chronicles might seem a bit baffling. As we read, we might find ourselves wondering, Haven’t I read this before? The short answer is yes and no . The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles retell some of…

American Bible Society study finds majority don’t trust technology with spiritual matters. Ask ChatGPT how to improve your spiritual life, and the natural-language processing artificial intelligence chatbot has plenty of suggestions. But Americans are skeptical that artificial intelligence, or AI, has much to offer in the way of reliable religious guidance. Sixty-eight percent of people…