From staff writer Emily Belz: We’ve been covering the fraud case of Christian former billionaire Bill Hwang since he was federally charged in 2022. Hwang received a heavy sentence for his crimes this week: 18 years. Financial outlets were very interested in the case, which has drawn parallels to other big Wall Street fraud cases like that of Sam Bankman-Fried. In the trial and sentencing, I was surprised that CT was the only religious media present to cover the case, since Hwang is a significant figure in the Christian world.

The reporters covering the trial were willing to help each other out; the finance reporters would ask me questions about evangelicalism, and I would ask them Wall Street questions. At the sentencing, one reporter asked me to describe Fuller Theological Seminary—where Hwang donated and served on the board. She wondered where it was positioned in evangelicalism. I could answer that question—and thanks to the finance reporters, I now understand financial terms like swaps a lot better.