News

Go Figure

Recent stats on church life, the Bible, and spirituality.

Church Life

272 Messianic congregations in the United States, not counting small house-church fellowships.

150 Messianic congregations in 2003.

Source: ChristianSourceLists.com

Bible

68% Americans who can identify that the 3 in John 3:16 refers to the third chapter of John.

103,923 Wikipedia searches for John 3:16 the day after Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards in a playoff game.

18,327 Wikipedia searches for John 3:16 the day after Focus on the Family aired a John 3:16—focused ad during the next Broncos game.

Source: David Kinnaman, Barna Research

Spirituality

66% Churchgoing Americans who say they have “felt a real and personal connection with God” there.

44% Weekly churchgoers who say they feel that connection weekly.

18% Weekly churchgoerswho say they feel that connection monthly.

Source: Barna Research

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See CT’s news section and liveblog for more news updates.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

The Missing Factor in Higher Education

Perry L. Glanzer

Vicarious Humanity: By His Birth We Are Healed

Oliver D. Crisp

Wilson's Bookmarks

John Wilson

Review

Could God Have Created a World Without Suffering?

Douglas Groothuis

Michael Patton Brews a Potent Theology

Mark Moring

My Top 5 Books On Archaeology

Craig A. Evans

Review

The Heart of Christian Life: Pillars of Hospitality

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Are Secular Television Shows with Moral Messages Good for Christian Children?

Carla Barnhill, Phil Vischer, and Vincent Bacote

Why Are Our Communion Meals So Paltry?

Interview: Julie Lee

Mark Moring

The 'Above All' Commandment of the Sabbath

Kevin Emmert

Family as Calling: Finding Vocation In and Near the Home

Interview by Caryn Rivadeneira

News

Evangelical Foundations See Surge in Donations

Chris Norton

Editorial

The Supreme Court's Religious Freedom Reality Check

A Christianity Today Editorial

The Evangelistic Question That Died

News

Persecution in VBS Materials: How Much Information is Too Much for Children?

Rob Moll

News

Tsunami Aftermath: Second Chances in Japan

Alanna Foxwell-Barajas in northeast Japan

Excerpt

Your Church Is Too Safe

Sailing into the Storm: Philip Ryken and D. Michael Lindsay on the Challenges in Christian Higher Education

Interview by Timothy C. Morgan

News

Presbyterians Form a New Denomination, Court Upholds Ultrasound Law, and More

Letters to the Editor

News

City Shuts Down Church Club

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra

Learning Life Lessons from Russian Babushkas

Timothy C. Morgan

Little Colleges That Could

Jocelyn Green

GCB: Desperate Christian Housewives

Mark Moring

News

Quotation Marks

News

Is Mercury Pollution's Effect on Newborns a Pro-Life Issue?

Compiled by Ruth Moon

Review

Out of the Darkness of Porn

Mark Moring

More Media

Books to Note

Two Minutes With ... Julie Lee

Mark Moring

Folkie Finds Love

Kristin Garrett

Online Poll

News

Passages

Why Last Saturday's Political Conclave of Evangelical Leaders Was Dangerous

View issue

Our Latest

Analysis

Republicans and Democrats Clash on Epstein File Release

The Bulletin with Nicole Martin

The newest documents remind Christians to support sexual abuse victims.

Evangelicals Confront a Revolutionary Age

A Catholic on the campaign trail and the “possibly catastrophic character of what is happening under our eyes” caused deep concern in 1960.

News

Hindu Nationalists Attack Missionaries in Northern India

One victim describes the mob descending on their bus, a rare occurrence in Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir.

News

Armenia Holds Inaugural Prayer Breakfast Amid Church Arrests

Some see the crackdown as persecution, others challenge the national church’s ties to Russia.

Review

A New Jesus Horror Movie Wallows In Affliction

Peter T. Chattaway

“The Carpenter’s Son,” starring Nicolas Cage, is disconnected from biblical hope.

The Bulletin

Israeli Settler Violence, Epstein Emails, and BrinGing Back Purity

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll, Russell Moore

West Bank skirmishes, Congress releases Epstein documents mentioning Trump, and Gen Z reconsiders purity culture.

News

Christians from 45 Countries Call for Zion Church Pastor’s Release

Meanwhile in China, the house church continues to gather and baptize new believers.

News

Kenyan Clergy Oppose Bill Aimed at Regulating Churches

Moses Wasamu

Pastors say the proposed law could harm religious freedoms.

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