As churches launch new Bible literacy campaigns and chronological reading plans, ministries are fielding a steady stream of questions about why the books of Scripture are not arranged in the order events occurred. Bible societies, publishers, and teaching ministries say the answer lies in how the canon was formed: books were grouped by literary type
Plans for a United States-funded Ebola quarantine centre at Kenya’s Laikipia Air Base have triggered lethal protests, courtroom challenges and a wider ethical debate in the largely Christian town of Nanyuki over how to balance public health risks with hospitality toward the sick. Laikipia Air Base in central Kenya was selected as the site for a
Two previously unknown sermons by Augustine of Hippo on the Old Testament story of King Saul and the Witch of Endor have been authenticated by an international team of scholars, adding a surprising new chapter to one of Christian history’s most studied voices. The discovery traces back to Latin professor Christian Tornau of the University of
Michigan physician and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in the August 4 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate has become a flashpoint for a new wave of overtly anti-Muslim rhetoric from prominent Republicans and a growing House “Sharia-free” caucus, prompting alarm among Muslim civil-rights advocates and religion researchers who say Islam is increasingly being
Christian leaders and ethicists are increasingly voicing concern that the rapid spread of online prediction markets is normalizing gambling-like behavior and turning human suffering and civic life into occasions for profit. In March, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago used a Washington Post opinion piece to argue that prediction markets offering wagers on war, assassination and
Twenty African governments have formally endorsed a new African Charter on Family, Sovereignty and Values that defines marriage as between a man and a woman and rejects claims of an international right to abortion, positioning the document as a defence of national and cultural autonomy in social policy. The charter was adopted at the Fourth African
Julie Lowe, a longtime counselor with the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), is drawing renewed attention to the hidden cost of difficult adoptions in Christian homes as she speaks publicly about the crises her own family has weathered. Lowe holds a master’s degree in counseling from Biblical Theological Seminary, is a licensed professional counselor, and
As Haiti’s security crisis deepens, Bishop Joseph Gontrand Décoste of Jérémie is warning that armed gangs are now deliberately targeting the Catholic Church, forcing parishes to close and turning sanctuaries into front lines in a struggle for the soul of the nation. In an interview with the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need, Décoste
Taiwan is moving from theory to practice in its preparations for a potential conflict with China, deliberately slowing parts of its mobile internet and investing heavily in military drones as part of a whole-of-society defense strategy that raises both security and pastoral questions for Christians at home and abroad. During recent civil defense exercises, authorities carried
High above Armenia’s capital, on windswept Mount Hatis, workers are assembling a colossal statue of Jesus Christ backed by billionaire businessman and politician Gagik Tsarukyan, who envisions it as the tallest monument of its kind and a new symbol of the nation’s Christian identity. The aluminum figure is planned to stand 33 meters tall atop