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January 2, 2026

This edition is sponsored by Aspen Group

Today’s Briefing

Why Christianity Today? A declaration of principles from editor in chief Marvin Olasky as CT approaches its 70th anniversary.

Christian funerals are becoming increasingly secular.

Advice from Karen Swallow Prior and our other experts on caring for gay neighbors, finding jobs in ministry, and navigating awkwardness at church.

Mike Cosper discusses the lures of technology and commitment to embodied relationships with historian Christine Rosen on The Bulletin.

A monastery on the island of Patmos reminds us that we need places of stillness.

Behind the Story

From editor in chief Marvin Olasky: On New Year’s Day, my wife and I took a walk-and-talk to review the past year and think about the new one. We’re celebrating our 50th anniversary in June and reminisced about the past, talked through things we might change, and agreed on what’s nonnegotiable: our shared core beliefs.

It’s also my 56th year as a professional journalist, and I can testify to the changes in the news business over the years. This coming year promises more change, so at Christianity Today we have been reviewing, planning, and agreeing on what’s nonnegotiable: those beliefs, both spiritual and journalistic, that will continue to guide us in 2026. You can read the entire statement of principles here.

Some basics: “CT is committed to orthodox Christian doctrines on the Trinity, Scripture, Adam and Eve, the Fall, Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, resurrection, and biblical inerrancy. We affirm the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed as well as CT’s own statement of faith. These commitments shape our journalism and all content production at every stage.

“We try to approach every issue through the lens of Scripture, and therefore we oppose any attempt to put humanity’s purported wisdom above God’s. We remember that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, so we are skeptical of ideological pronouncements. We value street-level reporting over suite-level orating.”

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In Other News

The Department of Homeland Security has moved to put up a six-year block on funding to an arm of Catholic Charities in Texas that serves migrants.
An Atlanta church eliminated around $1.5 million in medical debt for more than 1,000 locals.
An increasing number of Finland youth believe in the existence of God, a recent study showed.

Today in Christian History

January 5, 1527: Swiss Anabaptist reformer Felix Manz is drowned in punishment for preaching adult baptism, becoming the first Protestant martyred by other Protestants (see issue 5: Anabaptists).

From Panic Attacks to Physical Discipline

Ten years ago, I was at the unhealthiest moment of my life. I was a former missionary who had become a corporate lawyer. I had a head filled with great…

The ‘Unreached’ Aren’t Over There

The term unreached people groups is increasingly a misnomer in the 21st century. We need a more vivid phrase to encapsulate the dynamism and fluidity of missions today. The growth…

Geography Matters More Than You Think

The idea of unreached people groups is still relevant, useful, and helpful for missions today. Scripture is unequivocal about how God works through us and in us to tell the…

Reexamining Thomas Jefferson

This piece was adapted from CT’s books newsletter. Subscribe here. Walter Isaacson, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written (Simon & Schuster, 2025) Walter Isaacson’s brief book The Greatest Sentence Ever Written marks…

in the magazine

As we enter the holiday season, we consider how the places to which we belong shape us—and how we can be the face of welcome in a broken world. In this issue, you’ll read about how a monastery on Patmos offers quiet in a world of noise and, from Ann Voskamp, how God’s will is a place to find home. Read about modern missions terminology in our roundtable feature and about an astrophysicist’s thoughts on the Incarnation. Be sure to linger over Andy Olsen’s reported feature “An American Deportation” as we consider Christian responses to immigration policies. May we practice hospitality wherever we find ourselves.

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