Books

CT’s 2021 Cover Stories, Ranked

CT Editors

Our online readers’ favorite cover stories from last year.

Christianity Today December 21, 2021

In this series

Christianity Today’s print magazine cover stories represented many themes of the past year—topics that are not new but reached a fresh urgency or climactic moment in 2021. From Christians in Afghanistan to multiethnic churches to empty pews, we hoped to remind readers of gospel hope in the midst of difficult times. Here are CT’s cover stories ranked in reverse order of popularity online.

9. December

Joseph’s Simplicity Was Actually Spiritual Maturity

Acher Niyonizigiye

8. January/February

When A Word Is Worth A Thousand Complaints (and When It Isn’t)

Jordan K. Monson

Why There Are So Many ‘Miraculous’ Stories of Bibles Surviving Disaster

Maria Baer

COVID-19 Hurts. But the Bible Brings Hope.

Adam MacInnis

7. July/August

Whispered Prayers, Hidden Bibles, Secretly Scribbled Verses: Inside the Resilient Faith of the #BringBackOurGirls Hostages

Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw

6. October

What’s True About Christian Fiction

Daniel Silliman

5. April

Christian Singles Aren’t Waiting for Marriage to Become Parents

Kara Bettis

4. May/June

Why Defining Gossip Matters in the Church’s Response to Abuse

Kate Shellnutt

3. November

Empty Pews Are an American Public Health Crisis

Tyler J. VanderWeele and Brendan Case

The Riddle of Church Loneliness

Susan Mettes

2. March

The Multiethnic Church Movement Hasn’t Lived up to Its Promise

Korie Little Edwards

Why the Children of Immigrants Are Returning to Their Religious Roots

Erin Chan Ding

Paul’s Letter to a Prejudiced Church

Michael J. Rhodes

1. September

What Christian Aid Workers Want You to Know About Afghanistan

Rebecca Hopkins

Heather and her son, Hawal, in 2009 (left) and at his graduation in 2018 (right).

She Was Captured by the Taliban in 2001. But God Gave Her a Bigger Story.

Rebecca Hopkins

Check out the rest of our 2021 year-end lists here.

Also in this series

Introduction
Christianity Today in 2021: Our Top News, Reviews, Podcasts, and More

CT Editors

Top 10 CT News Stories of the Year

CT Editors

13 CT News Stories That Made Us Happy in 2021

CT Editors

Christianity Today’s Top Testimonies of 2021

CT Editors

Christianity Today’s 15 Most-Read Book Reviews of 2021

CT Editors

CT’s Top 10 Articles for Pastors in 2021

CT Editors

CT’s Top 20 Stories of 2021

Biblical Archaeology’s Top 10 Discoveries of 2021

Gordon Govier

CT’s Stories of 2021 That You May Have Missed

CT Editors

Our Favorite Christianity Today Podcasts from 2021

12 Leaders Evangelicals Lost in 2021

Daniel Silliman

The Global Church in 2021: CT’s Top 20 International Articles

Morgan Lee

Our Latest

View All

An Israeli soldier prays at a military position in the north of Israel near the border with Lebanon on October 15, 2023.

Some Israelis are Turning to Faith Amid Ongoing War

Jill Nelson

Studies show a renewed interest in Judaism, and pastors report an increase in baptisms.

Man bikes past a communist-style propaganda poster of a North Korean leader.

The Bulletin

IDF and Lebanon, Ukraine’s Fears, AI Data Centers, and a Korean Messiah

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

Israel fights Hezbollah, Ukraine left behind, US builds data centers, and North Korea’s Evangelical roots.

The book cover on an orange background.

Review

Trashing Evangelicals Is No Way to Fight Conspiracism

Bonnie Kristian

Jared Stacy’s new book correctly identifies a serious problem. But his depiction of evangelicalism is overblown and unreasonable.

Protestors in Canada carry a large Iranian flag as part of a Global Day of Action protest against the Islamic Republic of Iran on February 14, 2026.

News

‘We Feel Like We Are Having a Berlin Wall Moment’

Interview by Haleluya Hadero

A conversation with an Iranian-American Christian on the ongoing conflict and her hope for the future of Iran.

Peter Kreeft in his office.

Teaching ‘the Mystery of Joy’ to Protestants and Catholics

Marvin Olasky

Philosopher Peter Kreeft, like Augustine, gains a reading from both sides of the Reformation.

Two Kenyan children sitting on the streets of Nairobi.

News

Infanticide Rates Are Dropping in Africa, yet Child Abandonment Continues

Pius Sawa

Many view babies born with disabilities as cursed. Christians are fighting back.

A view of the city of Bundi in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan State in India on July 16, 2019.

With Bible Translation in India’s Hadoti Language, ‘God Came Closer’

Vikram Mukka

A missionary from south India initiated the translation in the language spoken by millions in southeastern Rajasthan state.

lit candle and star background

Being Human

Shane J. Wood Helps Us Understand Christ’s Ultimate Victory in a Chaotic World

How can the book of Revelation teach us to embrace our wounds?

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