In this series
With the Big Tent Initiative, Christianity Today aims to build bridges of conversation and common cause across our political and racial divides.
Our writers this year tackled a host of topics, from questions about evangelical identity to the masculinity crisis to political debates surrounding the Smithsonian Institution. Pastor and author Chris Butler mapped out how evangelicals and the Black church can avoid being ensnared by politics, writer Justin Hampton made the case that friendship requires intentionality, and editorial director Sho Baraka argued we can, in fact, use “colloquial theology.”
Here are our favorite Big Tent essays and podcast episodes of 2025.
The Man Tackling the Masculinity Crisis
Jason Wilson’s rite of passage for young Detroit men is helping them become spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy.
Still Life with the Fruit of the Spirit
To be human is to be a maker of beauty and a steward of justice.
Ten Years After Charleston
Chris Singleton’s mother was killed at the Mother Emanuel church shooting a decade ago. He’s still preaching unity and love.
No Longer Politically Ensnared
Both parties are enmeshed in an ongoing identity crisis. The chaos can give us a chance to rediscover what we’ve lost.
Justin Giboney: Stop Outsourcing Your Witness
Faith that holds conviction and compassion in the same breath.
Friendship Doesn’t Just Happen to You
A “friendship recession” is no time to wait for friendships to develop from hobbies or happenstance. The Bible assumes more intentionality.
Christianity Is Not a Colonizer’s Religion
Following Jesus doesn’t require rejecting my family’s culture. God loves my latinidad.
Black History at the Smithsonian Can’t Be Told with Half-Truths
No institution is above scrutiny, but the Trump administration’s planned overhaul could obscure the work of God in American history.
In Defense of Colloquial Theology
Don’t insult my grandma’s hermeneutics. Her theology may not have come from seminary, but it came from suffering and trust.
A Path To a Healthy Black Evangelicalism
Being a minority in white institutions can feel frustrating. But it’s possible to navigate it without assimilation or bitterness.
