Today’s Briefing

During wartime, just war theory should call the shots, argues Brad East.

Online culture can isolate young men. To reach them in their daily lives, the church should enter their group chats.

A new survey finds younger, urban pastors are more likely to use generative AI, but there is also widespread skepticism about the technology’s reliability.

In 1982, CT covered Pat Robertson’s soap opera, Chariots of Fire, and faith-based versions of popular workout videos.

Behind the Story

From senior editorial project manager Mia Staub: I have a love-hate relationship with group chats, which often overwhelm me. I hate when I turn away for a few seconds and suddenly have what feels like thousands of messages that I can’t catch up on. I also hate the social pressure of keeping group chats alive. Even before I had a phone, I lost sleep thinking about the group chats of which I unknowingly was not a part. They can be overrun by gossip and have often signaled who is in and who is out.

But I also love the connection group chats provide with people who are far away or are part of various stints I’ve done in life. A group chat with my cousins on Signal lights up with fun life updates and well-wishes. My study-abroad group chat on WhatsApp pops up occasionally as people talk about where everyone ended up in life. My Bible study uses Discord with various channels for memes, prayer requests, and group meeting updates.

In Luke Simon’s piece published today, he argues group chats are a liminal space the church should embrace. Group chats can help fight the prevailing sense of loneliness among young people and be a step toward vulnerability, especially for men. While I much prefer in-person community and conversations, group chats are a source of bonding for many of my social spaces, near and far.

In Other News

The Supreme Court will decide whether Colorado can exclude Catholic preschools that don’t agree to enroll children of same-sex parents from a state-funded preschool program.
The war in Sudan, which is estimated to have killed at least 59,000 people, has entered its fourth year. Some Christians see signs of hope but also worry their plight is being forgotten.
Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts said a trampoline accident almost left her paralyzed. Roberts is a leader at The Potter’s House, a megachurch founded by her father, T. D. Jakes.

Today in Christian History

April 22, 1864: The motto “In God We Trust,” conceived during the Civil War, first appears on American coinage.

Does the Body Tell the Truth?

We are rushing from church on a Sunday afternoon, in the rain, to find parking for the penultimate performance of the new pop-rock musical Mythic. Premiering in the US at…

Our Desires Need Discipline, Not the Ease of AI

Machine love is here. Technology companies are building products that draw users into connections with artificially generated husbands, wives, therapists, and even parents. A recent survey found that nearly one…

Forgiveness Can Help Us Recover from Trauma

In 1982, a group of friends sold their suburban homes and purchased an underdeveloped 6,500-acre farm on the outskirts of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. They named it the New Adams Farm and…

The Intrigue of Human Error

For as long as I can remember, people have stopped me in public to tell me things. I have had strangers confess affairs, crimes, and secrets to me, on airplanes…

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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