This edition is sponsored by Pure Desire Ministries
Todayโs Briefing
Young, restless … and hearts strangely warmed? A new generation is finding spiritual sustenance in Wesleyan theology.
Once a missionary-sending powerhouse, South Koreaโs missions activity is slipping due to secularization and disinterest among young people.
Egyptian Presbyterians and Baptists provide weekly food aid to displaced Palestianians in Gaza.
In the Philippines, heretical sects led by self-proclaimed messiahsโlike the recently arrested pastor Apollo Quiboloyโamass millions of followers and carry political influence.
Augustineโs openhanded discipleship offers a lesson for Christians trying to white-knuckle their way through social change.
Behind the Story
From associate editor Isabel Ong: In Singapore, where I was born and raised, there is a lot of pressure to succeed in school, sports, and life. In South Korea, Iโm inclined to think there is the same pressure to be the best. So it was surprising to me, in the midst of reporting on the state of South Korea missions today, that many of the leaders I interviewed didnโt seem too bothered that the country isn’t the second-largest missionary-sending country in the world anymore.
One leader expressed the need for humility and repentance for the Korean churchโs pride and arrogance. Another told me that โGodโs ministry is not dependent on numbers.โ
I thought about this again at my Canadian church last Sunday when we prayed over nearly 30 people who decided to become members. The number of people we had was certainly record-setting, but I was struck by how I knew many of these folks through dining at their tables, singing in choir, or fighting with water balloons at youth camp.
Working on this piece reminded me that building relationships with one another and prioritizing names over numbers, is a beautiful, God-ordained thing, whether in cross-cultural missions or in church services.
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In Other News
- After 17 years in a Chinese prison, an American pastor has returned home.
- George Sweeting, an evangelist who led Moody Bible Institute from 1971 to 1987, has died at 99.
- Some conservative Christians have pushed back against legislative efforts to mandate the Bible be taught in schools.
- After about 900 years, this British church decided it was time for a new bell.
Climate change is impacting the world God loves—will your church respond? Keep reading to learn more about this growing problem. And take Science Moms’ quiz to find out how your…
Today in Christian History
September 17, 1179: Hildegaard of Bingen, a German abbess, mystic, author, and preacher who received visions of God from the age of 5, dies at age 82 (see issue 30: Woman in the Medieval Church).
in case you missed it
Too many of us assume that Christian nationalism promises a road map to a New Jerusalem or a New Rome or a New Constantinople. That’s understandable, given the triumphal and…
As I write this, the Olympics are streaming into our living rooms. I watch with a particular interest. In what seems like another life, I was a national champion gymnast…
During Tuesday night’s presidential debate, Kamala Harris accused Donald Trump of a fondness for dictators, alleging that he supported a negotiated settlement with Vladimir Putin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.…
Of this year’s Emmy-nominated television shows, my husband and I have watched all of The Crown, a fair bit of Abbott Elementary, and a couple episodes of Only Murders in…
in the magazine
Our September/October issue explores themes in spiritual formation and uncovers whatโs really discipling us. Bonnie Kristian argues that the biblical vision for the institutions that form us is renewal, not replacementโeven when they fail us. Mike Cosper examines what fuels political fervor around Donald Trump and assesses the ways people have understood and misunderstood the movement. Harvest Prude reports on how partisan distrust has turned the electoral process into a minefield and how those on the frontlinesโelection officials and volunteersโare motivated by their faith as they work. Read about Christian renewal in intellectual spaces and the โyearnersโโthose who find themselves in the borderlands between faith and disbelief. And find out how God is moving among his kingdom in Europe, as well as what our advice columnists say about budget-conscious fellowship meals, a kid in Sunday school who hits, and a dating app dilemma.
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