August 4, 2025

This edition is sponsored by The Lester Randall Preachin g Fellowship

Today’s Briefing

Hundreds mobbed a youth retreat in Indonesia amid a rise in attacks against Christian house gatherings.

Outside Ethiopia’s capital, an evangelical convert works for better infrastructure as an avenue to demonstrate his faith and improve life for rural Christian communities.

Church unity starts with looking for how, not whether, the Spirit is working among fellow denominations.

How to overcome distraction and recenter on Christ when you’re too busy to think.

Pastoring people who are feeling the weight of denominational baggage.

On The Russell Moore Show, a listener asks: Should I go to a church that baptizes infants?

Behind the Story

From CT Global managing editor Morgan Lee: It’s not every day that you meet a former witch doctor turned transportation advocate, but that’s who I came across during a reporting trip to Ethiopia in late June. Since becoming a Christian, Abebe Woldegiorgis has worked for a decade as a pastor involved with Three Roots International (TRI), a community-development ministry.

Thanks to organizations that have already built up trust with local leaders, I get the chance to ask personal and vulnerable questions to strangers across a language barrier. TRI’s team translated for Woldegiorgis and me as we discussed his journey out of witchcraft, how he became a pastor, and how he helped a local community recently get water access.

TRI’s leaders allocated a lot of time for my interview with Woldegiorgis. When I’m working with a translator, we can easily talk for two hours, asking follow-up questions and going down rabbit trails. Since I’m doing these interviews in person (and likely can’t chat with these sources on WhatsApp later), I try to be as comprehensive as possible in the moment.

During another interview on the trip, I saved time by asking the translator to get names, ages, and professions for each of the sources written down in advance. When I’m meeting up with sources, I let the people who set up the interview worry about time and just focus on hearing as much from people as I can!

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Have you been longing to gather with preachers, theologians, and ministry leaders across denominations as you worship and grow? The Lester Randall Preaching Fellowship offers a rich opportunity for renewal, inspiration, and professional growth in a collegial and ecumenical setting. From Sunday, October 26 to Tuesday, October 28, ministry leaders will gather in Toronto for a transformative two-and-a-half-day conference—and there’s a seat for you!

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• Renewed energy for the craft and the calling of preaching

• Featured speakers that include renowned preachers, theologians, poets, and musicians

• A vibrant and diverse interdenominational community

• Thoughtfully planned worship and liturgical leadership

• Time and space to space to reflect and reconnect with your vocation

• Practical equipping on current issues in preaching, theology, and ministry leadership

Are you ready to be part of something transformative? Register for The Lester Randall Preaching Fellowship today, and encourage others in ministry to join you for a meaningful time of gathering and renewal.

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In Other News

More than 45,000 people attended PDX Crusade, Portland’s largest Christian gathering in decades.
School districts in Texas are taking a selective approach to state-developed curriculum’s Bible lessons.
One of the world’s oldest continuously published Christian newspapers has stopped production.
Archaeologists have discovered an ancient clay seal with a name from 2 Chronicles. As CT previously reported, new techniques have turned up a growing number of biblical signatures.

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Today in Christian History

August 5, 642: Oswald, the king of Northumbria who first began the official establishment of Christianity in England, is “martyred” in battle against the pagan Penda of Mercia. Converted at Iona, Scotland, Oswald erected a wooden cross before one of his earliest battles and commanded his soldiers to pray.

How to Lead a Youth Group Through a Missile Attack

At 1:30 a.m. on July 26, Sergey Vivchar heard his city’s air-raid siren and jumped out of bed. He knew he had less than three minutes to find a safer…

Pastor, Should I Stay or Should I Go (to Another Denomination)?

Anthony Chute begins his introductory essay in Why We Belong—a book exploring evangelical unity and denominational diversity—by recounting a scene from Charles Schulz’s 1966 classic, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie…

Put Down the Shofar

One day a student approached me after class with an urgent question. The course was on the doctrine of the church, and we’d spent a few weeks on Abraham, Israel,…

The Documentary That Devastated Me

A Native American–directed documentary, Sugarcane, made history earlier this year when it earned a nomination for an Academy Award. Codirected by Julian Brave NoiseCat (Secwepemc Nation) and Emily Kassie, the…

in the magazine

As developments in artificial intelligence change daily, we’re increasingly asking what makes humanity different from the machines we use. In this issue, Emily Belz introduces us to tech workers on the frontlines of AI development, Harvest Prude explains how algorithms affect Christian courtship, and Miroslav Volf writes on the transhumanist question. Several writers call our attention to the gifts of being human: Haejin and Makoto Fujimura point us to beauty and justice, Kelly Kapic reminds us God’s highest purpose isn’t efficiency, and Jen Pollock Michel writes on the effects of Alzheimer’s . We bring together futurists, theologians, artists, practitioners, and professors to consider how technology shapes us even as we use it.

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