Today’s Briefing

How a Wheaton scholar found Black evangelicalism.

A new animated short film personalizes the 21 Coptic Christians beheaded on a Libyan beach a decade ago.

Even in the age of ChatGPT term papers and Gemini summarizing your Google Docs, a veteran writing teacher holds firm: “Only humans can read. Only humans can write. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Throughout Scripture, God holds communities accountable for systemic sin.

While Christian practice has faltered across most of Vietnam, the faith is spreading among a secluded minority living along the Chinese border.

This week on The Bulletin, topics include tradwives, theobros, Trump, Ukraine, and New York City’s Eric Adams.

Behind the Story

We asked Vincent Bacote, director of the Wheaton College Center for Applied Christian Ethics, to tell us the story behind the new documentary Black Evangelicalism, produced in partnership with Christianity Today’s Big Tent Initiative:

I attended a Fuller Theological Seminary event with a group of Black evangelicals in 2008, including theologian Ron Potter. Listening to him, I realized Ron had the history of Black evangelicals in his head. There is not much written about Black evangelicals, and I began to dream about putting Ron in front of a camera to document this important and largely unknown history.

Our interview with Ron turned into interviews with 23 other Black evangelical leaders. These conversations tell part of the expansive story of people who live at an intersection of Black identity and evangelical institutions. There are many—and this is my story—who are delighted by evangelicalism’s biblicism yet have navigated tensions within the culture of the movement, especially on matters of race and justice.

The film, which releases today, is a story of people discerning the path of faithfulness to God in a world full of complexity. It is a story that shows a word like evangelical is more a matter of commitment to life in Christ than cultural conformity.

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In Other News

Methodists in Nigeria clashed again, and seven people associated with the Global Methodist Church were wounded, according to bishop Scott Jones. The army intervened at the request of bishop John Pena Auta, who is there to bring peace to the complicated situation.
Iran raided a worship gathering earlier this month, arresting a Christian convert and confiscating Bibles and musical instruments.
A Calvary Chapel is for sale in Apex, North Carolina. For real this time.
If you ever wondered what a mummy smells like, science now has the answer.

Today in Christian History

February 21, 1142: Medieval French philosopher, teacher, and theologian Peter Abelard dies. Perhaps best known for his (chaste) love affair with nun Heloise, Abelard made his most important contribution in establishing a critical methodology for theology. Irritated with some of the unreasoning pietism of other monks, he wrote Yes and No, compiling the (sometimes conflicting) sayings of the Bible and church fathers on various controversial subjects (see issue 30: Women in the Medieval Church).

Robin Hood, Luigi Mangione, and Jesus

I was a little late to hear about the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In the days leading up to the 2024 election, I deleted the news apps from my phone…

Be Careful Who You Pretend to Be

This piece was adapted from Russell Moore’s newsletter. Subscribe here. American Christian social media lit up last week with the story of another fraudulent influencer. An account claiming to be run by…

Black Labor Matters

For Black writers and creatives like me, Black History Month (BHM) can be something like the Christmas season. Joy permeates the air as the month gifts us plenteous opportunities to…

In 19th-Century America, Two ‘Christian Nations’ Took Up Arms

In his second inaugural address, delivered as the Civil War neared its end, Abraham Lincoln turned not to politics but to theology. “Both read the same Bible and pray to the…

in the magazine

Cover of the January / February 2025 Issue

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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