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This edition is sponsored by Aspen Group |
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From CT’s Book of the Year winner: why going to church matters more than ever in the age of AI and disembodied connections. |
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A clinical psychologist at Stanford University explains her research on how different people experience pain and what that tells us about God’s design. |
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Bonnie Kristian interviews journalist Josiah Hesse about his exvangelical memoir. |
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Christian schools in Nigeria support children with disabilities amid cultural stigma. |
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Sho Baraka introduces the reasoning behind CT’s Big Tent Initiative: countering disintegration in the church. |
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From senior staff writer Emily Belz: This is a message for anyone considering new languages to study in the new year. I studied French in high school, then in college, and then studied abroad in France—because I liked the language. Partway into those studies, I thought to myself, Spanish would have been more useful. Why are you spending all this time on French? |
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But decades removed from high school now, I have repeatedly found French to be a useful language for reporting. I’m not fluent by any means, but I’ve been able to do interviews (with very forgiving interviewees) and generally understand what’s happening if everyone around me is speaking French. |
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Particularly in my reporting travel in Africa, French has been a lifeline. Most French speakers now are African. It’s a primary or secondary language in more than 20 African nations, and because of Africa’s growing population, French will become even more of a dominant global language. For that reason I’m so thankful for our translation team at CT for their French translations. I’ve recently heard from African French speakers who were able to read my piece about Christian hospitals in Africa thanks to our translators. |
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So for any globally minded, Duolingo-downloading readers: Learning French is not a waste of time! |
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Church spaces do more than provide a place to gather—they can cultivate spiritual growth, foster community, and create opportunities for people to encounter God. |
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Aspen Group understands how beauty and function work hand-in-hand to support your mission. In partnership with Barna, they’ve uncovered key insights on how physical environments impact faith—and how intentional design can strengthen your ministry.
Download Aspen Group’s free resource: 10 Key Takeaways About Church Spaces from Barna Research—filled with practical ideas to help your building reflect the heart of your church. |
- The 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled that Yakima Union Gospel Mission could continue its faith-based hiring practices that the mission said were threatened by an antidiscrimination statute.
- Israel revoked the permits of a number of relief organizations working to provide food, shelter, and health care in the Gaza Strip, including World Vision, after aid organizations objected to new registration rules.
- Christian music is dominating Pittsburgh radio.
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Today in Christian History |
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January 12, 1588: John Winthrop, a lawyer who became the first governor of the Puritans in Massachusetts, is born in Suffolk, England (see issue 41: American Puritans). |
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On Saturday morning, the US military captured and extracted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from the capital city of Caracas. Following their early-morning arrest, Maduro and…
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Roblox is getting sued—so far by three state attorneys general and in at least 42 cases brought by concerned parents. But the platform’s popularity continues to explode. In 2024, some…
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Clara Simiyu, a Kenyan mother of two, left for Saudi Arabia in 2022 for a job as a domestic worker in a Muslim household. A year later, she learned from…
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This piece was adapted from CT’s books newsletter. Subscribe here. Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship by Bruce Schneier and Nathan E. Sanders (MIT Press, 2025)…
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When Jesus taught, he used parables. The kingdom of God is like yeast, a net, a pearl. Then and today, to grasp wisdom and spiritual insight, we need the concrete. We need stories. In this issue of Christianity Today, we focus on testimony—the stories we tell, hear, and proclaim about God’s redemptive work in the world. Testimony is a personal application of the Good News. You’ll read Marvin Olasky’s testimony from Communism to Christ, Jen Wilkin’s call to biblical literacy, and a profile on the friendship between theologian Miroslav Volf and poet Christian Wiman. In an essay on pickleball, David Zahl reminds us that play is also a testament to God’s grace. As you read, we hope you’ll apply the truths of the gospel in your own life, church, and neighborhood. May your life be a testimony to the reality of God’s kingdom. |
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