May 30, 2025

This edition is sponsored by RightNow Media

weekend reads

In the new book Why Religion Went Obsolete, a sociologist attributes the demise of traditional faith in America to what he calls the “Millennial zeitgeist”—“the fierce cultural winds whipped up by a perfect storm of social, technological, economic, and political disruptions, all compounded by the failures and misdeeds of religious leaders and organizations.” We asked a political scientist, a theologian, and a youth ministry expert to review the book and also published a response from its author.

Those cultural forces may be pulling young people away from the church—but they’re also impacting those who stay, especially along the lines of sex. As Gen Z men and women increasingly worship differently, the church will need to integrate “tradition and innovation, structure and emotion, agency and communion in worship” in order to meet their distinct needs in “harmony, not homogeny.” (That might mean thinking carefully about the role of liturgy.)

Should the church respond to all of these disruptions with new initiatives? Or should we fall back on traditional practices? Nowhere are these questions more relevant than when it comes to artificial intelligence. One of our tech-skeptic editors interviewed leaders from a faith-aligned AI company to find out what role they think chatbots should play in our congregational life.

The What and the Why of Religious Decline

The Gen Z Worship War

Should We Bring AI into the Church?

weekend listen

“It is a characteristic of charisma across the ages that it tends to repel and revolt as much as it does attract. That paradox is really interesting to me.”

This week on The Russell Moore Show, professor and journalist Molly Worthen discusses her new book Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History. | Listen here.

Molly Worthen on Being Spellbinding

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editors’ picks

Caroline Fea, associate engagement editor: John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed has been on my TBR [to be read list] since it was published in 2021, and I am finally getting around to reading it. So far, I’ve enjoyed his takes on Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest and Penguins of Madagascar.

Daniel Silliman, senior news editor: This interview with Sufjan Stevens is pretty amazing. I guess like a lot of evangelical millennials, I have conflicted older-sibling feelings about him. But I’ve never related more than when he described one of his most-loved albums as “evidence of creative and artistic failure.”

Elise Brandon, copy editor: If you have an overgrown mint plant invading your garden, try steeping a handful of the leaves and half a cup of honey in boiling water, then mixing that concentrate with ice water in a pitcher. My mom made iced mint tea almost every week in the summers, so it brings me back to childhood every time I drink it.

prayers of the people

For Coptic Christian migrants.
For seminary students haunted by Sudan’s civil war.
For Christians working in health care.
For catechized toddlers.

Jordan Peterson’s Pause

YouTube atheists were right to expect a better response to the question “Are you a Christian?” But there are worse answers.

Died: ‘Duck Dynasty’ Patriarch Phil Robertson

The founder of the successful family duck-call business was also a Bible teacher and champion for conservative causes.

A Graceless Exit

The Mission: Impossible franchise believes the world needs forgiveness … but its leading man is problematically perfect.

European Evangelism Congress Preaches Hope Despite Rising Secular Tide

Franklin Graham recalls, “God has often chosen the worst of time to do his best work.”

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IN THE MAGAZINE

It’s easy to live in a state of panic, anxiety, and fear, from the pinging of our phones to politics and the state of the church. In this issue, we acknowledge panic and point to Christian ways through it. Russell Moore brings us to the place of panic in Caesarea Philippi with Jesus and Peter. Laura M. Fabrycky writes about American inclinations toward hero-making. Mindy Belz reports on the restorative work of Dr. Denis Mukwege for rape victims in Congo. We’re also thrilled to give you a first look at the Global Flourishing Study, a multiyear research project about what makes a flourishing life across the globe. While panic may be profitable or natural, we have a sure and steady anchor for our souls in Jesus.

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