A miracle of global fraternity in our fractured, polarized, warring world has been created by one of humanity’s great shared languages: football. The FIFA Football (Soccer) World Cup is watched by billions of people around the world every four years. Sport presents an opportunity for people to come together, expend energy, and learn precious life skills. Where would we be without it?
In the midst of persecution and abuse, believers suffering trauma in the Sahel have a new option for healing as they rebuild their lives. A healing center offers a pathway to recovery that centers on Jesus as the one who heals, bringing wholeness of mind, body, spirit, and soul. The healed then tend to want to help their abusers come to know Jesus too.
In the British Crown's "The Sovereign Grant" annual report, King Charles is revealed as "Supreme Governor of the Church of England... protecting the space for Faith (sic) within the multi-faith nation". This reveals a subtle shift in the British monarch's mandate. Not just protecting but potentially validating all faiths, which is biblically untenable.
The release of files by the US Government revealing the existence of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) has generated much creative content online. But the myth of little green (or grey) beings is just that—a fantasy. It does, however, open the door for great gospel conversations about spiritual realities!
The anti-Christian realities in India provide ample evidence that a culture can quickly turn against freedom of religion. Sadly, in India, some Christian leaders claim that if there is one place you can go to remain unaware of what is happening, it is in established churches on a Sunday morning! Thankfully the Holy Spirit is not so constrained and Christians continue to multiply in the midst of heightening persecution.
AI is not a better search engine. It is a force multiplier for organizational capacity. Many ministries have not yet realized this and are not prepared to shift to an AI world. This is not just about efficiencies, the donor dollar is at stake. Ministries are already reaching a new type of donor with the help of AI. Those who aren't may eventually suffer erasure.
An aggressive South Korean missionary cult called Shincheonji is luring unwary believers in Africa and elsewhere to enroll in Bible training online or at its local “Zion Truth Bible Centers.” Its recruiters slip into churches, Bible studies, and campus fellowships. Let believers beware.
In Myanmar, the Church is often the strongest surviving institution in an isolated community, destroying it weakens not only worship but the community’s capacity to resist the oppressive control of Myanmar's military junta. Christians are often thought of as collateral damage in Myanmar’s civil war, but they are also being targeted.
Through God's providence, the Creator oversees every event in the universe. There is no such thing as real chance; it’s only apparent. We can get caught up trying to force a scientific reading of the Bible that it was not meant to convey. This understanding helps when it comes to our engagement with science and evolutionary findings and theories.
The process of refining should be central to our understanding of how God works in our lives, to mature us into the full and complete standard of Christ, but it can be tempting to resist this precious process. We need to lean into God during our fiery trials, trusting that his purposes will result in a positive transformation.
Unity, one of Christianity’s most beautiful concepts, is one of its most abused. Throughout Church history, unity has been used to silence criticism, suppress prophetic voices, protect institutions, and preserve existing power structures. But that is not the unity Jesus prayed for.
We no longer live in a world shaped by the assumptions of Christendom. This is a post-Christian era, and sadly we are seeing signs that we are in a post, post-Christian era. As followers of Jesus, we need to make virtue virtuous again, to be the good we long to see in the world.
