Today’s Briefing

Bonnie Kristian reports on the crisis of birth deserts in America and the ways midwife care can offer mothers the resources they need: patience, attention and time.

US leaders are using the language of faith while ignoring its substance as it relates to war, argues Justin R. Hawkins.

Restorative reproductive medicine is gaining popularity for good reason, but we shouldn’t oversell its potential benefits as a fertility fix.

Marvin Olasky, CT’s editor in chief, recommends 10 prize-winning journalistic stories that acknowledge sin but report redemptive twists across the globe.

Behind the Story

From deputy editor Bonnie Kristian on her midwives story today: I never liked baby dolls as a child, never expected to have kids, and never enjoyed being pregnant. But I am deeply interested in birth care and recovery, having learned firsthand of their difficulty and importance. I’m always eager to pitch first-time moms on midwifery. And, bigger-picture, I suspect birth and its aftermath are an important and often overlooked piece of the much-debated global crisis of plunging fertility rates.

Time and again I’ve seen young women online say they don’t want to have children because pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period seem too painful and medically risky. Sometimes I find those worries overblown or uninformed, but they aren’t groundless. A better approach to delivering babies and helping their mothers heal couldn’t alone stave off the Children of Men scenario. But it might well help.

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In Other News

Connecticut lawmakers scrapped plans to regulate Christian camps, including vacation Bible school, after intense opposition from local churches.
Dozens of pastors, politicians, and other speakers are planning a continuous seven-day public reading of the Bible in Washington, DC.
A Tennessee church is offering free gas fill-ups to commuters amid high prices.

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Today in Christian History

April 13, 655 (traditional date): Martin, pope from 649 to 655, dies in banishment. History remembers him as the last pope venerated as a martyr.

Two States Test a New Pro-Life Law

Nearly two out of every three abortions in America today use pills. These “chemical abortions,” as they are often called, are especially popular in states that prohibit abortion clinics. Last month the Guttmacher…

The Mississippi Farmer Who Helped Resettle 150 Ukrainian Families

Late March is corn-planting time, and from 4:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, Mississippi farmer Rodney Mast hums along in his John Deere tractor, hundreds of unsown acres spread…

The Iranian Church Persists

Let me tell you about Yahya, whose real name I am withholding for his safety. He’s a leader in Iran’s house church movement, a Christian from a Muslim background, and…

Are Christians Rude Dinner Guests?

This piece was adapted from CT’s books newsletter. Subscribe here. Amar D. Peterman, Becoming Neighbors (Eerdmans, 2026) The driving idea of Amar D. Peterman’s book is that, for too long, Christians…

IN THE MAGAZINE

In this issue of Christianity Today and in this season of the Christian year, we explore the bookends of life: birth and death. You’ll read Karen Swallow Prior’s essay on childlessness and Kara Bettis Carvalho’s overview of reproductive technologies. Haleluya Hadero reports on artificially intelligent griefbots, and Kristy Etheridge discusses physician-assisted suicide. There is much work to be done to promote life. We talk with Fleming Rutledge about the Crucifixion, knowing that while suffering lasts for a season, Jesus has triumphed over death through his death. This Lenten and Easter season, may these words be a companion as you consider how you might bring life in the spaces you inhabit.

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4/15 EVENT

4/15 EVENT

CT Daily Briefing – 04-13-2026

Today’s Briefing

Behind the Story

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