From editorial director of news Kate Shellnutt: Despite the continued coverage of the LA wildfires, the US presidential transition, and the Gaza ceasefire deal, the news story that stuck with me the most this week was about hams hanging in a French belltower.
This New York Times article—"Hams in the Belfry"—could have been a typical "news of the weird" story, unexpected and amusing on its face. It could have stuck to a funny description of the "pork legs [swaying] in peace in the dry air of the cathedral’s north tower" and being sold at an upcharge in nearby markets.
But the story used the unusual cathedral fundraiser—the brainchild of a food-loving rector in partnership with pig breeders in the area—to address the very common challenges faced by aging churches in Europe: how to fund needed repairs and upgrades, how to steward their properties well as more of space goes unused, and how to deal with local bureaucracy.
It reflects the journalistic approach I like to see us take when developing coverage for Christianity Today. We look for news that is fresh, interesting, and compelling but also reveals something to us about the broader trends in evangelicalism and the world around us.
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White evangelicals (69%) and white men without college degrees (65%) feel the most favorable toward Donald Trump as he prepares to take office a second time.
January 17, 356: Antony of Egypt, regarded as the founder of Christian monasticism, dies at age 105. Committed to a life of solitude and absolute poverty, he took two companions with him into the desert when he knew his death was near. They were ordered to bury him without a marker so that his body would never become an object of reverence.
We use the words freedom and liberty frequently but often loosely and inconsistently. In his new book, Called to Freedom: Retrieving Christian Liberty in an Age of License, Brad Littlejohn…
Eight days before Christmas, our health insurance told us they would deny our son’s critical mental health treatment, effective mid-January, on our wedding anniversary. Merry Christmas! I use the word…
Sometime in the past year, Daniel stopped meeting his Christian friends at cafés for tea and long talks about their faith. Daily life had grown too dangerous in the country…
in the magazine
This first issue of 2025 exemplifies how reading creates community, grows empathy, gives words to the unnamable, and reminds us that our identities and relationships proceed from the Word of God and the Word made flesh. In this issue, you’ll read about the importance of a book club from Russell Moore and a meditation on the bookends of a life by Jen Wilkin. Mark Meynell writes about the present-day impact of a C. S. Lewis sermon in Ukraine, and Emily Belz reports on how churches care for endangered languages in New York City. Poet Malcolm Guite regales us with literary depth. And we hope you’ll pick up a copy of one of our CT Book Award winners or finalists. Happy reading!
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