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February 18, 2026

This edition is sponsored by Cru

Today’s Briefing

From Russell Moore: The coming AI revolution is scary, but humans can still pursue their callings with skill and imagination.

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis reviews I Can Only Imagine 2, a contemporary Christian film that follows MercyMe’s lead singer as he deals with personal struggles in the midst of success.

Allen Levi talks about why his book Theo of Golden, focused on a Christian, has won over all kinds of readers.

The Reformed tradition has a cold reputation as a fortress of purity, but a new book helpfully reveals its more generous characteristics.

How did Christians historically determine genuine conversions from false ones? Historical archives show some churches held votes.

Behind the Story

From Asia editor Isabel Ong: Lunar New Year celebrations have begun, marking a time that brings reunions with loved ones. I love how this tradition doesn’t change, no matter how far away you are from home. In Singapore, where I am from, you’ll often find me hunched over a bowl of rice and soup as relatives at the table around me sit elbow to elbow, dunking ingredients into a flavorful hot-pot broth and conversing on multiple topics at the same time. In Canada, where I live now, I’ll likely do the same with friends and fellow Southeast Asian immigrants from my church. (In South Korea, similar scenes unfold in families across the country, except that everyone turns a year older immediately on the first day of celebrations too.)

However, Asian Christians challenge some of these celebrations. Most Chinese Christians avoid other common practices during the Lunar New Year period, like feng shui, moving furniture around to circulate good energy in the home. In places where blessings are typically defined as monetary gain, Asian theologians exhort us to regard prosperity differently. And where success seems like accruing personal and political power, CT’s recent reflection on the Year of the Horse urges us to reconsider what strength and victory look like from a biblical perspective.

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In Other News

Pastor Doug Wilson preached at the Pentagon.
A blind Christian from a low-income family is being held without bail in Pakistan on charges of blaspheming Islam.
Christian rapper Trip Lee says his new EP has “songs for Christians to sing together.”

Thank you to our 2025 Sustaining Partners

Sustaining Partners are special friends of CT who give $1,000 or more to the ministry each year. These important partners are helping more people around the world see how God is at working bringing his kingdom on earth. Learn more about joining this community.

Today in Christian History

February 19, 843: Empress Theodora reinstates icons once and for all in the Eastern churches, effectively ending the medieval iconoclastic controversy. A council in 787 had allowed the veneration of icons, but opponents of images still controlled most of the government and much of the church leadership.

Refugees Disappeared. Churches Prayed and Lawyered Up.

James was scared to go outside. He’d known the fear of hiding before. James, whose full name is being withheld for his safety, had fled the military dictatorship in Burma,…

Late to a 1,400-Year-Old Church Tradition? Me Too.

Tonight, my church will have its first Ash Wednesday service. It’s a nondenominational evangelical church that meets in a high school in the heart of Hollywood, and after 20 years…

Christian Doctrine in 70 Hebrew Words

The Hebrew Bible does not contain a formal creed or systemization of core doctrines, but if it did, it might be Psalm 110. Martin Luther called it “the very core…

Rubio’s Speech, Nancy Guthrie Missing, and Summer of Our Discontent

Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses the Munich Security Conference, calling Europe to a “new Western century.” The New York Times reports 57 cases of measles at a Catholic college…

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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