Today’s Briefing

Biblical archaeologists try to see under Jerusalem without digging.

Chick-fil-A wants families to be less online—just download its new entertainment app first.

In the Christmas story, the holy family’s flight to Egypt gives us a new perspective on how God works: across millennia, not minutes or days or even years.

Fewer than 1 percent of Serbians are Protestants. A social anthropologist talks with CT about the role of the tiny evangelical minority in the Orthodox culture of the Balkans.

Is today’s evangelicalism overcorrecting its fundamentalist past?

Behind the Story

From editorial director of news Kate Shellnutt: When I was a little kid, my family had a small stack of Adventures in Odyssey tapes that we would listen to in our station wagon or on the big silver cassette player at home. My family wasn’t evangelical, so we didn’t have things like Psalty the Singing Songbook, VeggieTales, Captain Bible, or really any other Christian content. We didn’t go to church. But we did go to Chick-fil-A.

We’d eat in the corner of the second-story food court at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I’d get a kids’ meal with a tape—they were white and printed and with the Chick-fil-A logo. I thought Adventures in Odyssey and Focus on the Family were made by Chick-fil-A until I was an adult.

Obviously, Adventures in Odyssey is a hugely popular and long-running production of its own, but now Chick-fil-A is actually making up and distributing original productions. This CT piece on the Legends of Evergreen Hills and its new Play app looks at how today’s Christian families are responding to the offerings.

paid content

Many Christians wrestle with questions about the nature of hell and final judgment. For those seeking to explore different theological perspectives on these challenging topics, Curt Parton’s Until the Last One’s Found offers a systematic examination of both traditional views and universal reconciliation. Parton methodically walks readers through the biblical and theological arguments that shape various Christian understandings of salvation’s scope.

Unlike dense academic works, this accessible book presents complex theological concepts in clear, straightforward language. Whether you hold traditional views or are curious about alternative interpretations, this concise guide provides thoughtful analysis of one of Christianity’s most challenging doctrinal discussions.

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In Other News

A California man shot two kindergarteners on the playground of an Adventist school before killing himself.
The launch of NASA’s next mission to the moon has been pushed back to April 2026. CT previously interviewed the pilot, Victor Glover, a Christian who asked people to pray for the astronauts and their families.
Church construction prompted rumors that Orange Country, Florida, was planning a moratorium on church buildings. The county says it is not.
Evangelicals are close to giving away 60,000 Bibles in Lyon, France.

PAID CONTENT FOR REACHING SOULS

The World Has Changed. Can Global Missions Change with It?

Want to be part of the next generation of global missions? Discover how indigenous missionaries with Reaching Souls International are transforming communities through the Gospel—inspiring over 1 million decisions for…

Today in Christian History

December 9, 1608: English poet John Milton is born in London. Though most famous for his epic Paradise Lost, he also penned an exposition of Christian doctrine, a plan for Christian education, and various political writings.

Supreme Court Considers State Bans of Transgender Procedures for Minors

In its first major case on transgender issues, the US Supreme Court seems poised to uphold state restrictions on medical transition for youth. Dozens of protestors gathered on the steps…

The Rabbit Room’s ‘Christmas Carol’ Draws on Dickens’s Pure Religion

No matter how many times I hear “Come Thou Fount,” I still think of an angry Victorian man shouting, “Bah, humbug!” when we reach the Ebenezer line. The name has…

Me and Bobby McGee

Show Notes The Bulletin welcomes Andy McCarthy (National Review) to talk about the Hunter Biden pardon. Then, Russell, Mike, and Clarissa talk about South Korean protests as conflict in Syria…

Died: ‘Late Great Planet Earth’ Author Hal Lindsey

Hal Lindsey, who popularized end times theology by connecting biblical prophecy to current and near-future events, died on November 25 at the age of 95. Lindsey became a household name…

in the magazine

As this issue hits your mailboxes after the US election and as you prepare for the holidays, it can be easy to feel lost in darkness. In this issue, you’ll read of the piercing light of Christ that illuminates the darkness of drug addiction at home and abroad, as Angela Fulton in Vietnam and Maria Baer in Portland report about Christian rehab centers. Also, Carrie McKean explores the complicated path of estrangement and Brad East explains the doctrine of providence. Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt shows us how art surprises, delights, and retools our imagination for the Incarnation, while Jeremy Treat reminds us of an ancient African bishop’s teachings about Immanuel. Finally, may you be surprised by the nearness of the “Winter Child,” whom poet Malcolm Guite guides us enticingly toward. Happy Advent and Merry Christmas.

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