In this series
In a year marked by more “doomscrolling” than ever, here are the stories that hooked us as major news for the evangelical world.
Of course, the church’s coronavirus response and the US presidential election rank among the biggest stories Christianity Today followed all year. See which others—debates and scandals, resignations and racial tensions—made the list.
10. Record-Low Refugee Admittances
The refugee ceiling dropped to a new low of 18,000 under the Trump administration, but resettlement ministries are looking forward to a trajectory back to 125,000 under President-elect Joe Biden.
9. Fake Dead Sea Scrolls Drama
The Museum of the Bible’s discovery that its collection contains forged Dead Sea Scroll fragments launched a search for more.
8. Southern Baptists’ Critical Race Theory Debate
Amid calls for racial justice, conservative Southern Baptists spoke up with concerns that critical race theory is being taught and promoted by the denomination, spurring seminary presidents to decry the approach.
7. Spiritual Abuse by Acts 29 President
British pastor Steve Timmis was removed as president of the church-planting network Acts 29 and later his congregation, the Crowded House, over claims of spiritual abuse.
6. Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict
Regional violence pitted Christian Armenians against Muslim Azeris in the fight for the Armenian-majority enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, located within Azerbaijan.
5. Jerry Falwell Jr. Leaves Liberty
After a series of controversial social media posts and reports of sexual impropriety in his marriage, the longtime Liberty University president was forced to resign.
4. Ravi Zacharias’s Death and Sexual Misconduct Claims
Months after international apologist Ravi Zacharias’s death at 74, several women came forward with claims of his sexual harassment during massage treatments. His ministry, RZIM, launched an investigation and confirmed his misconduct.
3. George Floyd’s Gospel Legacy and Christian Calls for Justice
Ministry leaders in Houston’s Third Ward shared the story of the George Floyd they knew before his death at the hands of Minneapolis police went viral. The incident spurred ongoing racial justice efforts and weeks of protests in cities like Portland.
2. Worship During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Churches navigated public health guidelines around gatherings during the outbreak, with pastor John MacArthur defying California’s restrictions, Capitol Hill Baptist suing for an exemption to worship outdoors in DC, musician Sean Feucht touring the country with “worship protests,” and congregations all over adapting to livestream services.
1. Faith in the 2020 Presidential Election
In a contentious election that took four days to call and spurred weeks of legal challenges from the Trump campaign, Joe Biden won the 2020 US presidential race, which he called a “battle for the soul of the nation.” Though surveys show white evangelical support for Donald Trump held steady, Biden won over an increasingly vocal and organized minority of evangelical Trump opponents.
The news was heavy this year. Don’t miss the 15 CT News Stories That Actually Made Us Happy in 2020, plus the rest of our year-end lists.
