Every quarter, my church’s book club meets to discuss a novel. We’ve read (among others) Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Homer’s Odyssey, Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood, Percival Everett’s James, and Leif Enger’s I Cheerfully Refuse.
Most times we meet, I guide the discussion around a few central questions: What does this book say about what it means to be human? How does this character help us wrestle with identity? Does religion in the novel (or its lack) give us a window into how others perceive Christian faith? By the end of the evening, people who disliked a particular novel often find something to reframe their original judgment (or at least they find a few people who loved the book).
While the pleasures of reading are often solitary, reading in community expands our imaginative horizons. We see things we were blind to. We find something to enjoy that we might not have had an appetite for previously. We become curious together. The best stories demand to be shared. Their resonance grows in community.
Christians, too, have a shared story. We come together each week to participate in the lived-out drama of a redeemed people. We rehearse and remember Scripture. We share our testimonies—the application of the gospel to our personal histories.
This issue you hold in your hands celebrates these testimonies—stories we tell about ourselves, the world, and God. As people of the Book, we share stories that are not just our own: We must give ourselves to formative communities and formative habits. Jen Wilkin shows us that discipleship requires learners who are biblically literate. Bonnie Kristian reminds us to not forsake the assembled people of God. Amy Lewis reports on growing global conversions among the elderly, and Haleluya Hadero reports on the allure of African spirituality, which can pull some Black people—even Christians—into false religious practices.
Our testimonies are not without complication and doubt. Andrew Hendrixson profiles the friendship of theologian Miroslav Volf and poet Christian Wiman, noting how each has created space for a desire for God alongside theological wrestling. In the narrative arc of redemption, we trust that our wrestling moments find a home in the household of faith.
These moments also testify to the outside world that each specific gathered community of believers is a living witness to the truth of the gospel. David Zahl believes part of this witness has to do with play (and pickleball). His essay argues that play is part of the relief of the gospel and that Christians should be the most adept at delight.
We also are thrilled to feature CT’s Book Awards—the best books of the year in evangelical publishing that we believe will influence faith and practice. Be sure to read original essays from our Book of the Year award winner, Brad Edwards, and our Award of Merit winner, Robert S. Smith. We hope both of their books, along with our other category award winners, influence your own story of faith.
Whether you host a book club or enjoy a Book Awards selection on your own, may you find that the stories we read, the stories we tell, and the stories we live testify to the one true and beautiful story: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Ashley Hales is editorial director for features at Christianity Today.
This article appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of Christianity Today as "Editor's Note".
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