Today’s Briefing

Trump’s visa suspension for 75 countries has left hundreds of international adoptions in limbo.

In 1955, police arrested 15-year-old Claudette Colvin for refusing to give her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus. The unsung civil rights icon died in January.

In Texas, one conservative pastor opened up his home to left-behind migrant children.

Scholar Rann Miller examines African American history through biblical parallels.

From the archives, an examination of stalled racial progress and why Sunday at 11 a.m. is the most segregated hour in America.

Behind the Story

From Black church editor Haleluya Hadero: One hundred years ago this month, historian Carter G. Woodson launched “Negro History Week” to help students remember the contributions of African Americans to the US. Woodson saw that aspect of American history as “overlooked, ignored, and even suppressed” in history books. His weeklong commemoration evolved into what we now know—and celebrate—as Black History Month.

As part of our commemoration, Christianity Today runs articles every year on Black history and issues relevant to the Black community. And this year is no different. Our preparation for the memorial began back in the fall, soliciting, fielding, and refining pitches for essays. Writer Rann Miller kicks off our coverage today, tracing the parallels between the African American and Jewish experience, and also leaves us with a good tip on how we can commemorate this history well. Throughout February, keep an eye out for several pieces from our archives. The first, on Christians wrestling with continued racial antipathy circa 1993, is on the site today.

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In Other News

A Pakistan court ordered police to find and recover a 13-year-old Christian girl who was kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married off.
Before fleeing slavery in the mid-1800s in Maryland, a young boy visited his mother’s grave one last time and prayed for success. The account of his escape wasn’t discovered until more than a century later.
A report on Christian giving in the UK found that those who regularly attend church and read the Bible weekly give the highest proportion of their income to charity.

Today in Christian History

February 2, 1745: Popular British poet and dramatist Hannah More is born. She renounced the social life and concentrated on religious efforts, such as setting up Sunday schools. For her work with the Clapham Sect of British social reformers, she was once derisively called “a bishop in petticoats.”

Refugee Arrests Shatter Sense of Safety in Minnesota

It was the coldest night in years for Minneapolis, but a young refugee’s friends there texted that they wanted him to come hang out. He texted them back that he…

After Their Kids Survived the Annunciation Shooting, Parents Search for Healing

Minneapolis lay under a blanket of snow and single-digit temperatures as parishioners poured into church on a Sunday morning in early December last year. They piled jackets into a coatroom…

Kenyan Churches Compete with Bullfights on Sunday Morning

On a Sunday morning in Kakamega County in western Kenya, two elderly women dust plastic chairs, open windows, and lay white linen on the tables at the front of the…

How Football Shaped Christian Colleges

This piece was adapted from CT’s books newsletter. Subscribe here. Hunter M. Hampton, The Gridiron Gospel: Faith and College Football in Twentieth- Century America (University of Illinois Press, 2025) In Gridiron…

in the magazine

Cover of the January / February 2026 of Christianity Today.

When Jesus taught, he used parables. The kingdom of God is like yeast, a net, a pearl. Then and today, to grasp wisdom and spiritual insight, we need the concrete. We need stories. In this issue of Christianity Today, we focus on testimony—the stories we tell, hear, and proclaim about God’s redemptive work in the world. Testimony is a personal application of the Good News. You’ll read Marvin Olasky’s testimony from Communism to Christ, Jen Wilkin’s call to biblical literacy, and a profile on the friendship between theologian Miroslav Volf and poet Christian Wiman. In an essay on pickleball, David Zahl reminds us that play is also a testament to God’s grace. As you read, we hope you’ll apply the truths of the gospel in your own life, church, and neighborhood. May your life be a testimony to the reality of God’s kingdom.

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