December (Web-only) 2015

Christian TV Helps ISIS Survivors
Christian TV Helps ISIS Survivors
As Myriam, the girl who forgave ISIS, returns to school, Arabic broadcaster finds 'unconventional' way to bring education to other refugees.
The Pro-Life Call to Remember our ‘Old Acquaintance’
The Pro-Life Call to Remember our ‘Old Acquaintance’
Seeing the aged as a blessing rather than a burden.
The Year in Liturgical Cinema: Epiphany
The Year in Liturgical Cinema: Epiphany
The Avas and Samanthas of our world—the technological avatars—cannot replace the power of fleshly presence.
Five Poverty Busters You Should Know
Five Poverty Busters You Should Know
Why? Because research shows they are making a real difference.
How It Became So Easy to Ignore the Poor
How It Became So Easy to Ignore the Poor
Growing income inequality and economic segregation have insulated our privilege.
Dispatches from the Wondrous, Terrifying World of Bible Scholarship
Dispatches from the Wondrous, Terrifying World of Bible Scholarship
Why studying Scripture professionally can bring great joy—but also great pain.
Best of 2015: Duggar Scandal, Beth Moore, and the Yoga Pants Debate
Best of 2015: Duggar Scandal, Beth Moore, and the Yoga Pants Debate
We rank the top 10 posts of the year.
Joy
Joy
The film is uneven, but Joy knows just who she is.
The Revenant
The Revenant
In the 1820s frontier wilderness, survival is a bear.
Tarantino's Incarnational Aesthetic
Tarantino's Incarnational Aesthetic
Quentin Tarantino is an unlikely contributor to the theology of Incarnation.
Let Christmas Be Complicated
Let Christmas Be Complicated
We often overlook the tragic backdrop to Jesus' birth.
Why I'm Not a Conscientious Objector
Why I'm Not a Conscientious Objector
I can't condemn war in the way my Anabaptist friends so quickly do.
What Breastfeeding Is Teaching Me About God
What Breastfeeding Is Teaching Me About God
Discovering the sacred in the middle of the night
Meet the Christian Doctor Who Changed How We Play Football
Meet the Christian Doctor Who Changed How We Play Football
Bennet Omalu, played by Will Smith in the new film 'Concussion,' says it's time to ban children from playing high-contact sports.
The Mystery of My Healing
The Mystery of My Healing
Unexplainable relief is a reminder of God’s grace, wholeness, and incarnation.
Herod the Hero?
Herod the Hero?
Three recent books portray Herod more positively than he is generally depicted. But Matthew 2 is still important.
A 3,000 Year Old Version of 'Imagine'
A 3,000 Year Old Version of 'Imagine'
Isaiah's song of hope for survivors of terrorism—and what it means this Christmas.
Why We Get Religious About ‘Star Wars’
Why We Get Religious About ‘Star Wars’
What accounts for our religious devotion—and our need to shoehorn 'Star Wars' into our own theology?
Concussion
Concussion
Hollywood tries to turn a clash between science and a powerful institution into an immigrant doctor's "such a time as this."
45 Years
45 Years
When the ground beneath a marriage is shaken, can it hold up?
Alejandro González Iñárritu Talks to CT About ‘The Revenant’
Alejandro González Iñárritu Talks to CT About ‘The Revenant’
Fresh off last year's Oscar win, the director discusses the spiritual themes of his new film.
Why Are Christian Guys Silent About Abstinence?
Why Are Christian Guys Silent About Abstinence?
When we don’t talk about male virginity, we imply that it’s not important.
Sisters
Sisters
Good for fans of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, but not for much else.
Orthodox Rabbis Say Christianity Is God's Plan, Vatican Says Stop Evangelizing Jews
Orthodox Rabbis Say Christianity Is God's Plan, Vatican Says Stop Evangelizing Jews
Experts assess letter exchange marking 50th anniversary of famous detente.
Five Errors to Drop from Your Christmas Sermon
Five Errors to Drop from Your Christmas Sermon
If you want to help people see Christmas with fresh eyes, start by dropping these familiar fallacies.
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Hallmark Christmas Movies: ‘Guilty Pleasure’ No More
Hallmark Christmas Movies: ‘Guilty Pleasure’ No More
The good-hearted holiday films prove more popular—and more lovable— than we assume.
Caring for Refugees: A Declaration of Evangelical Response
Caring for Refugees: A Declaration of Evangelical Response
At gathering of 100+ leaders, organizers pledge to engage 'global refugee emergency.'
Teen Mania: Why We're Shutting Down After 30 Years of Acquire the Fire
Teen Mania: Why We're Shutting Down After 30 Years of Acquire the Fire
CT exclusive: Ron Luce explains why the global youth ministry is calling it quits.
Kirsten Powers: Becoming a Christian Ruined My Love of Christmas
Kirsten Powers: Becoming a Christian Ruined My Love of Christmas
But then I learned to see the beauty of Christ’s coming like never before.
How We Instagrammed Away Our Feelings
How We Instagrammed Away Our Feelings
Today’s hipster irony and OMG sentimentality distracts from real-life sincerity.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The magic is back.
Hymns in the Spotlight
Hymns in the Spotlight
Navigating fame—and faith—on NBC's 'The Voice.'
Died: Ian Howard Marshall, Courageous and Winsome Bible Scholar
Died: Ian Howard Marshall, Courageous and Winsome Bible Scholar
A tribute to the New Testament expert who kept the flame of evangelical scholarship from burning out.
The Unexpected Book of the Bible that Comforts Me the Most
The Unexpected Book of the Bible that Comforts Me the Most
In the midst of my anxiety, I remember God’s power through reading Revelation.
Neither Heroes Nor Head-Cases
Neither Heroes Nor Head-Cases
A better framework for ministering to military members.
The Mother of All Swear Words
The Mother of All Swear Words
Be (or become) the go-to for all your kids' questions.
Remembering David Steinmetz's Quest to Free the Church from Amnesia
Remembering David Steinmetz's Quest to Free the Church from Amnesia
How the legendary Reformation scholar sought to regain the church's identity from the past.
Immanuel: Is God Still With Us?
Immanuel: Is God Still With Us?
Absolutely. And in the most active way possible.
‘I Am Called a Cult Leader. I Really Don’t Care.’
‘I Am Called a Cult Leader. I Really Don’t Care.’
How one of the world’s most beloved worship songs reportedly helped to fuel spiritual abuse at Wayne Jolley’s The Gathering International.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Friendsmas
Have Yourself a Merry Little Friendsmas
The holidays can be hard. Don’t spend them alone.
In the Heart of the Sea
In the Heart of the Sea
In trying to tell the origin story of 'Moby-Dick,' director Ron Howard misses the point.
Liberty Student: Why I Didn’t Cheer for Jerry Falwell Jr.
Liberty Student: Why I Didn’t Cheer for Jerry Falwell Jr.
Guns in our pockets or not, Christians shouldn’t celebrate killing.
Don Verdean
Don Verdean
Can a satire about Christian subculture get it right?
The Big Short
The Risky Moral Gambit of 'The Big Short'
It pays off.
C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Government Agent
C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Government Agent
A recent discovery unveils an unknown chapter in the life the famous Oxford Don.
Taking Creative Liberties With Creation
Taking Creative Liberties With Creation
Does Wm. Paul Young’s Eve go too far?
War Is Hell. But It Can Be Heaven.
War Is Hell. But It Can Be Heaven.
Why soldiers crave the extremes of active duty.
Don’t Call Him Kanye’s Pastor
Don’t Call Him Kanye’s Pastor
Rich Wilkerson Jr., a Pentecostal church-planter with famous friends, gets his own reality show.
Offense Welcome: Please Debate This Article
Offense Welcome: Please Debate This Article
When “I feel” began to overtake “I think” in my classroom, I took a closer look at disagreeing well.
Why We Still Believe in Women's Ministry
Why We Still Need Women’s Ministry
We hold up half the sanctuary ceiling—and our ministry matters.
“It’s Cheaper to Rape a Woman than Waste a Bullet”
“It’s Cheaper to Rape a Woman than Waste a Bullet”
Violence against women anywhere is a threat to women everywhere.
Watching 'Chi-Raq' During Advent
Watching 'Chi-Raq' During Advent
Spike Lee's latest joint is here to teach us what lament really looks like.
Bruised and Bleeding: Watching 'Daredevil' and 'Jessica Jones'
Bruised and Bleeding: Watching 'Daredevil' and 'Jessica Jones'
Two Marvel shows give us an uncommon abandonment of the lone-hero trope.
The Blessing of Missing Christmas
The Blessing of Missing Christmas
In my Jewish home, my lonely celebrations as a teen changed how I view the holiday.
Andy Mineo: Rappers Are Missionaries, Too
Andy Mineo: Rappers Are Missionaries, Too
The fan-friendly hip-hop artist wants to see the church get creative.
Macbeth
Macbeth
Blood will have blood.
Welcoming Their Former Enemies
Welcoming Their Former Enemies
Syrian refugees resettle in what was once "the Paris of the Middle East."
Ben Carson Is Dreaming of a White House Christmas
Ben Carson Is Dreaming of a White House Christmas
The Seventh-day Adventist candidate discusses God's role in his presidential campaign.
On ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ After Another Mass Shooting
On ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ After Another Mass Shooting
Prayer—and lament—is the proper first response to tragedy.
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God Has a Surprise for You
God Has a Surprise for You
Like Mary, we find ourselves receiving God’s good and difficult gifts.
What Jesus Said to Me After the Suicide Bombing
What Jesus Said to Me After the Suicide Bombing
Our Savior knows what it's like to have people want to take your life.
Surprise Change in How Multiethnic Churches Affect Race Views
Surprise Change in How Multiethnic Churches Affect Race Views
They’re now altering black attitudes more than white ones. But is that bad?
Loving Our Pro-Choice Neighbors in Word and Deed
Loving Our Pro-Choice Neighbors in Word and Deed
What we say about abortion matters, even if we act peacefully.

Top Story March 18, 2024

Died: Michael Knott, Christian Alternative Musician Who Helped Launch Tooth & Nail
Died: Michael Knott, Christian Alternative Musician Who Helped Launch Tooth & Nail
Knott wrote rock operas, sang with honesty and conviction, called out hypocrites, and bucked the norms of the Christian music industry.

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