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CT Daily Briefing – 11-18-2025

November 17, 2025
November 17, 2025
CT Daily Briefing

This edition is sponsored by Westfall Gold

Today’s Briefing

Even churches are no longer safe spaces as the ongoing conflict in North Darfur scatters 80,000 Sudanese from the capital city.

Asking on behalf of Gen Alpha: Where does 6-7 show up in the Bible?

In Taking Religion Seriously, libertarian political scientist Charles Murray connects a theoretical discussion around the importance of religion with his personal journey of faith.

Thomas Tweed’s new book reminds us of the complexity of America’s religious past, beyond just Puritans and European immigrants.

Behind the Story

From features editor Kristy Etheridge: Last week I pitched an article on the 6-7 trend that’s sweeping kids and teens on multiple continents. My nine-year-old son, Noah, is prime Gen Alpha, and I’ve heard him say, “Six- sevennnnn,” for what seems like 667,000 times over the last month. I can relate to parents and teachers who are at their wits’ end over this. But my brittle heart was softened when my son heard a little boy say “6-7!” on the subway platform near our home in Brooklyn. Noah instantly said it back, complete with the hand motions. Both boys lit up before boarding trains moving in opposite directions. 

Another thing that made this relentless trend endearing to me was hearing how my former church in Charlotte, North Carolina, used it to share the gospel. Hundreds of kids showed up at Mecklenburg Community Church’s family outreach on a Friday night earlier this month. The focus was on worship, and the verse of the night was Psalm 28:6–7.

I did not know that when I called up my friend Jonathan White, who serves as pastor and director of children’s programming. I just had a feeling he had embraced the 6-7 madness. He said the kids were tuned in all night, waiting to shout out their favorite number every time it popped up. As for the longevity of this nonsense phrase? “I have a feeling it’ll last several more months with kids,” Jonathan told me, but he thinks it may get too annoying (for adults) to keep working it into the program. “I could change my mind. If it’s still a joke, I’ll write it into the Christmas services.”

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In Other News

Today in Christian History

November 18, 1095: Pope Urban II opens the Council of Clermont to reform the Church and to plan the First Crusade. The 200 bishops attending the council decreed that those traveling to Jerusalem would be granted a plenary indulgence (see issue 40: The Crusades).

in case you missed it

Republicans and Democrats Clash on Epstein File Release

On Wednesday, Democrats released emails from the late Jeffrey Epstein that seem to indicate President Donald Trump may have been aware that Epstein sexually abused trafficked women and girls. Republicans…

Review: ‘House of David’ Season 2

David grows up, and the series grows with him, in House of David season 2. (Note: This review contains spoilers.) When we last saw David (Michael Iskander), he had just…

How He Leaves

John Mark McMillan regularly hears from fans asking when he’ll play in their cities.  “Someone will message me and say, ‘I love your music! How come you never come to…

Kenyan Clergy Oppose Bill Aimed at Regulating Churches

When Matthew Okeyo heard in 2023 that a religious sect leader had led hundreds of followers to starve to death in Kenya’s Shakahola Forest, he felt “shocked but not surprised.”…

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.

CT Daily Briefing

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