<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title><![CDATA[Christianity - Newslocker]]></title><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/</link><atom:link rel="self" href="https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rss/1000/" /><atom:link rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com" /><description><![CDATA[Find your latest Christianity news with just one click. Don't miss out on anything happening!]]></description><language>en-au</language><copyright>Copyright (C) 2026 newslocker.com</copyright><lastBuildDate>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 20:17:00 +0200</lastBuildDate><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Bill Pannell, Black Evangelical Who Raised the Issue of Racism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bill Pannell, a Black evangelical who pushed white evangelicals to recognize their captivity to the culture of American racism, died on October 11 at age 95.&nbsp;The evangelist and seminary professor argued that the Good News is all about reconciliation&mdash;between God and humanity, but also horizontally, between people&mdash;and Christians are called to the ministry of reconciliation. But white Christians who claimed the name evangel, he said, could only seem to muster occasional interest in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-bill-pannell-black-evangelical-who-raised-the-issue-of-racism/</link><pubDate>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 20:17:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-bill-pannell-black-evangelical-who-raised-the-issue-of-racism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Messianic Jews Are Serving Israelis Displaced by Hamas and Hezbollah]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the sirens wailed on October 1, Nirit Bar-David took refuge in her familiar safe room. Iran had just launched another 180 missiles at Israel, and she had about a minute to take cover. So did the other 350 residents of Israel&rsquo;s only Messianic Jewish moshav.Sitting on a pine-covered ridge about ten miles west of Jerusalem, the Yad HaShmona community has lived in steady tension over the past year of war with Hamas in Gaza&mdash;now extended against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Thirty members of t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-messianic-jews-are-serving-israelis-displaced-by-hamas-and-hezbollah/</link><pubDate>Tue, 15 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-messianic-jews-are-serving-israelis-displaced-by-hamas-and-hezbollah/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Friend, Bill Pannell]]></title><description><![CDATA[I first met the late William Pannell in 1993 in a hallway of Christianity Today. I was in my early 20s, just a year removed from graduating college. Dr. Pannell was visiting his old friend, former CT president Paul Robbins, and the pair was on a leisurely tour around the office.&nbsp;I remember being enthralled by this dashing Black man in a tailored suit, his throaty laugh echoing around the building. Excited to see a young Black editor on CT&rsquo;s payroll, Pannell greeted me with that winsom]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-friend-bill-pannell/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 18:32:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-friend-bill-pannell/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the Elder Calls—From Outer Space]]></title><description><![CDATA[Billy Adkison, 91, spent his life farming in East Texas; he never wanted to go to outer space.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to be higher than pulling corn and lower than digging taters,&rdquo; he told CT.All the same, he has watched the skies from his yard to catch a glimpse of the International Space Station passing by&mdash;&ldquo;like a big old star,&rdquo; he said.Adkison wanted to keep an eye on one of his church elders, astronaut Barry &ldquo;Butch&rdquo; Wilmore, whose weeklong trip to space]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-the-elder-callsfrom-outer-space/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-the-elder-callsfrom-outer-space/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Are Parents For?]]></title><description><![CDATA[In his&nbsp;1990 essay collection, Wendell Berry considered the question &ldquo;What are people for?&rdquo; The answer, in true Berry fashion, is a beautifully intricate web of answers that add up to human flourishing.&nbsp;That flourishing is connected to the flourishing of the environment around us, and this answer also has deep theological roots. God&rsquo;s promises in the Old Testament repeatedly revolved around blessing the land and the people together, not separately. We flourish when pla]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-are-parents-for/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-are-parents-for/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Jack Iker, Anglican Who Drew the Line at Women’s Ordination]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jack Iker, a Texas bishop who took 48 congregations and 15,000 parishioners out of the Episcopal Church USA and helped start the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), died on October 5. He was 75.Iker was a conservative Anglo-Catholic who made common cause with evangelicals&mdash;whom he called &ldquo;strange bedfellows&rdquo;&mdash;in order to fight against liberal theological revisionism. He was especially opposed to the ordination of women. He would not accept women as priests in his dioce]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-jack-iker-anglican-who-drew-the-line-at-womens-ordination/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2024 18:53:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-jack-iker-anglican-who-drew-the-line-at-womens-ordination/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Can’t We Talk to Each Other Anymore?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Years ago, I taught a Bible study that I knew would be controversial. I was a couple years into seminary, and my church asked me to join a team of teachers for the weekly women&rsquo;s Bible study. We were going through Genesis, and I received the sign-up sheet after everyone else had already selected their texts, leaving me with one option: Genesis 18&ndash;20. Next to the chapters listed on the sheet, it simply read, &ldquo;Sodom and Gomorrah.&rdquo;Though I was mildly horrified by my assignme]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-cant-we-talk-to-each-other-anymore/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-cant-we-talk-to-each-other-anymore/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Robot Will Lie Down With the Gosling]]></title><description><![CDATA[In an animation landscape full of sequels, prequels, and remakes, The Wild Robot is a welcome respite.Based on Peter Brown&rsquo;s eponymous 2016 novel and brought to the screen in painterly style, the film tells the story of a robot stranded on an island and forced to adapt to her woodland surroundings. Programmed to be helpful, she soon takes as her task raising a gosling and preparing him for an upcoming migration.Reminiscent of Ice Age, Wall-E, and The Iron Giant, The Wild Robot speaks to th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-robot-will-lie-down-with-the-gosling/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-robot-will-lie-down-with-the-gosling/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Priscilla Shirer Surrenders All]]></title><description><![CDATA[Priscilla Shirer remembers the advice she got earlier in her ministry career: You cannot do a thousand things to the glory of God, but you can do one or two.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never forgotten that,&rdquo; she said. Each season of life, she prays and discerns what priorities she believes God has laid out for her. Whatever doesn&rsquo;t align with those is a &ldquo;no for now.&rdquo;&ldquo;This is not always easy,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;No, it&rsquo;s a constantly saying, &lsquo;Lord, please help]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-priscilla-shirer-surrenders-all/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-priscilla-shirer-surrenders-all/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Church Disappointment Is Multilayered]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why are people leaving the church or their faith behind? Some answers boil down to platitudes, like a supposed desire to pursue a sinful lifestyle. But apologist Lisa Fields has found the reasons to be much more complex.Fields, founder of the Jude 3 Project, which equips Black Christians to know what they believe and why, has sat across from many people leaving the church. During these &ldquo;exit interviews,&rdquo; she&rsquo;s discovered that somewhere in nearly every story lurks the specter of]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-disappointment-is-multilayered/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-disappointment-is-multilayered/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Don’t Need a Rule of Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Contemporary culture is brimming with exhortations to discipline. From Jordan Peterson&rsquo;s runaway bestseller&nbsp;12 Rules for Life&nbsp;to Ryan Holiday&rsquo;s&nbsp;The Daily Stoic&nbsp;to James Clear&rsquo;s&nbsp;Atomic Habits, we have no shortage of guidance for embracing a life of order. And that guidance isn&rsquo;t all bad; wisdom from many corners can deepen our understanding of how to live well. Psychologists, Stoics, and even motivational speakers have contributions to make.Some ar]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-dont-need-a-rule-of-life/</link><pubDate>Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-dont-need-a-rule-of-life/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Which Church in Revelation Is Yours Like?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Revelation is often interpreted out of context based on current concerns and fearful speculations about the end times. But after a study trip to Turkey&mdash;and years of teaching Revelation at my local church in Rome and for conferences&mdash;I have come to realize how contextual the book is.Throughout Revelation, John of Patmos uses powerful imagery to exhort early Christians to resist conforming to the Roman world and to encourage them to remain faithful to Jesus in a world of rival rulers an]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/which-church-in-revelation-is-yours-like/</link><pubDate>Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/which-church-in-revelation-is-yours-like/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Appalachia, Helene’s Water Crisis Taps a Global Christian Response]]></title><description><![CDATA[International Christian engineering nonprofit Water Mission usually responds to clean water crises overseas, like flooding in East Africa this year or the earthquake in Turkey last year.But when the South Carolina&ndash;based organization saw the extensive damage to Western North Carolina&rsquo;s water infrastructure after the historic storm Helene, it decided to activate a rare disaster response in the US.&ldquo;We&rsquo;re able to take our systems and plug them in here,&rdquo; said Brock Kreit]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-appalachia-helenes-water-crisis-taps-a-global-christian-response/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:49:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-appalachia-helenes-water-crisis-taps-a-global-christian-response/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bible Doesn’t Fit an Information Age]]></title><description><![CDATA[This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s&nbsp;newsletter. Subscribe&nbsp;here.I recommended the Gospel of Mark to an unbeliever. He read it and found it &ldquo;creepy.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s exactly the response I wanted.This young man is probably an atheist or an agnostic but has lived in such a secular environment that he doesn&rsquo;t seem to think of himself in such terms, any more than you would introduce yourself as &ldquo;non-cannibalistic&rdquo; or &ldquo;anti-horse-theft.&rdquo; H]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bible-doesnt-fit-an-information-age/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2024 17:32:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bible-doesnt-fit-an-information-age/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelicals for Harris Asked to ‘Cease and Desist’ Billy Graham Ad]]></title><description><![CDATA[The&nbsp;ad&nbsp;begins with a clip of Billy Graham, wearing glasses, a gray suit and tie, leaning in toward a pulpit.&ldquo;But you must realize that in the last days, the times will be full of danger,&rdquo; Graham declares. &ldquo;Men will become utterly self-centered and greedy for money.&rdquo;Suddenly, a clip of former president Donald Trump is spliced in. Standing before a row of American flags at a campaign rally in Des Moines, Trump says: &ldquo;My whole life I&rsquo;ve been greedy, gre]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-for-harris-asked-to-cease-and-desist-billy-graham-ad/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2024 15:23:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-for-harris-asked-to-cease-and-desist-billy-graham-ad/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Facing My Limits in a Flood Zone]]></title><description><![CDATA[When we moved to the small town of Canton, North Carolina, last fall, we heard stories about flooding. Living in the mountains spells unpredictability. In 2021, Tropical Storm Fred flooded the river that runs through our city, destroying significant portions of the downtown area. Some homes and businesses were lost.So when we heard that Hurricane Helene had headed our way, people took it seriously. It seemed our little city was on guard and prepared for the storm. But on Friday morning, we still]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/facing-my-limits-in-a-flood-zone/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/facing-my-limits-in-a-flood-zone/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Lessons Christians Can Learn from the Barmen Declaration]]></title><description><![CDATA[In recent weeks, a group of evangelicals crafted a Confession of Evangelical Conviction in response to the &ldquo;social conflict and political division&rdquo; plaguing the American church, especially amid another contentious presidential election season.Few know, however, that this confession was conspicuously modeled on another: the Barmen Declaration of 1934, a framed copy of which hangs in my office. It was penned during Nazi-era Germany by Christians who opposed indirect state interference]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/5-lessons-christians-can-learn-from-the-barmen-declaration/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/5-lessons-christians-can-learn-from-the-barmen-declaration/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Back at Shooting Site, Trump Supporters Pray for His Protection]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Kori Koss heard that Donald Trump was coming back to Butler, she felt her stomach sink.It&rsquo;s been less than three months since a would-be assassin&rsquo;s gunshots narrowly missed the former president. The shooter killed one man, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, and gravely injured two others.&nbsp;Koss lives down the road from the Butler Farm Show grounds, close enough that she and her kids had set out chairs and set up a livestream of the July 13 rally. Close enough that at 6:11 p.m.,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/back-at-shooting-site-trump-supporters-pray-for-his-protection/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 17:58:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/back-at-shooting-site-trump-supporters-pray-for-his-protection/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[JD Vance Says Trump White House Will ‘Fight for Israel’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Several hundred people on the National Mall in Washington cheered Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance as he headlined an October 7th memorial rally, punctuating his remarks on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war with shouts of &ldquo;yes&rdquo; and &ldquo;amen.&rdquo;&ldquo;I know that in this crowd some of us are Christians, some of us are Jews, some of us are people even of no faith,&rdquo; Vance began. &ldquo;But we are united in the basic, common-sense principle that we want the good guys]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jd-vance-says-trump-white-house-will-fight-for-israel/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 16:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jd-vance-says-trump-white-house-will-fight-for-israel/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Are the Light of the Public Square]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Christian public witness has raised a voice of emancipation in American history. Our faith has provided the civic muscle to build schools for the poor and hospitals for the sick. Christians have visited the lonely and comforted the dying. The church has confronted sex trade pimps and run off neighborhood dope peddlers. It&rsquo;s no exaggeration to say that no other institution in America has a comparable record of service. At our best, Christians have illuminated the way toward justice and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-are-the-light-of-the-public-square/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-are-the-light-of-the-public-square/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Have Never Been Deplorable]]></title><description><![CDATA[By the time Hilary Clinton &ldquo;put half of Trump&rsquo;s supporters&rdquo; into &ldquo;the basket of deplorables&rdquo;&nbsp;in 2016, I confess I was frustrated enough to largely agree with her&mdash;even though she was talking about people I cared about in communities like mine. It seemed simple to me at the time: If you don&rsquo;t want to be called &ldquo;deplorable,&rdquo; maybe don&rsquo;t behave so deplorably.&nbsp;Eight years later, I don&rsquo;t need to rehash all the reasons I&rsquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-have-never-been-deplorable/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-have-never-been-deplorable/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Internet’s Sins Are Our Sins. But It Shouldn’t Escape All Blame.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Americans tend to be optimists about technology. We see it as a means of progress, comfort, wealth, and discovery. And why not? Technology has treated us well, and very few among us would pooh-pooh the engine, the hot water heater, the refrigerator, the word processor, the text message.In technology&mdash;it might be a mild blasphemy to say&mdash;we live and move and have our being. Technology shapes how we work, travel, and eat&mdash;even how we think and write and speak to one another. And tec]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-internets-sins-are-our-sins-but-it-shouldnt-escape-all-blame/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-internets-sins-are-our-sins-but-it-shouldnt-escape-all-blame/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Heaven Is A Homeplace]]></title><description><![CDATA[On the morning of Friday, September 27, I sent a frantic text message to my cousin Paul:&ldquo;Been thinking of Granny&rsquo;s house and hoping it survives this storm! Let us know!&rdquo;It wasn&rsquo;t long after I sent the text that the lights went out, along with the internet. And cell signal, already spotty in the mountains, seemed to drop altogether. There we were: me and my husband and our two small children, alone with the wind, the rain, and our worry.I live in the mountains of Western N]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/heaven-is-a-homeplace/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/heaven-is-a-homeplace/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[UK Regulators Investigate Barnabas Aid over Reports of Misused Funds]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the biggest Christian charities in the United Kingdom is being investigated by regulators following reports of financial mismanagement, conflicts of interest, and escalating internal tensions.After opening a statutory inquiry into Barnabas Aid&mdash;a nonprofit that brings in &pound;21.6 million ($28.3 million) a year to assist persecuted Christians&mdash;the UK&rsquo;s Charity Commission announced last week that it had issued financial sanctions against the group.&ldquo;Due to concerns t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-regulators-investigate-barnabas-aid-over-reports-of-misused-funds/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2024 22:25:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-regulators-investigate-barnabas-aid-over-reports-of-misused-funds/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gordon Students Count Cells, Hoping to Unlock Cancer Mysteries]]></title><description><![CDATA[A lab at a small evangelical college in New England might not be the most obvious place for advanced cancer research, but Craig Story isn&rsquo;t letting that stop him.This fall, Story is teaching research students how to conduct immunofluorescence microscopy. Using stains, pieces of tumors taken from lab mice, and an extremely powerful (and pricey) microscope, Story and a team of undergraduate students at Gordon College are working to unravel the mysteries of why some people get cancer when oth]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gordon-students-count-cells-hoping-to-unlock-cancer-mysteries/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gordon-students-count-cells-hoping-to-unlock-cancer-mysteries/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Global Methodist Bishops to Dance]]></title><description><![CDATA[Questions of bishops stirred controversy in Costa Rica. Amid the joy of the convening General Conference of the Global Methodist Church as the new denomination ratified and modified the provisional decisions of its transitional leadership, the episcopacy emerged as the one issue that could rouse serious disagreement.&nbsp;Who would be in charge of the new church? How many bishops would there be? How would they be elected, and how long would they serve? What would they do, specifically? How would]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/global-methodist-bishops-to-dance/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/global-methodist-bishops-to-dance/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gaza War Strains Bible Scholars’ Model of Christian Conversation]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Jesus told the 12 disciples to shake the dust off their feet in protest of any town that did not receive them, it is easy to forget their mission was among fellow believers in Yahweh. Jews were speaking to Jews, and the message was simple: The kingdom of God is near.But Jesus foresaw even greater opposition than rejection, according to Matthew 10. His disciples would be dragged before councils, flogged in the synagogues, and betrayed to death by their own brothers, he warned. &ldquo;I am se]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gaza-war-strains-bible-scholars-model-of-christian-conversation/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gaza-war-strains-bible-scholars-model-of-christian-conversation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chinese Christians Want the Church to Adopt Children with Disabilities]]></title><description><![CDATA[Xiaofei Wang, a pastor&rsquo;s wife at a house church in the Chinese port city of Xiamen, had long heard of families overseas who would adopt children with special needs from China. Some of these adoptive parents had limited finances and other children to care for, yet they were eager to bring another child into their home. She began to wonder, &ldquo;Why aren&rsquo;t there families in China willing to adopt these children?&rdquo;In 2014, Wang began volunteering with a Christian nonprofit that c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chinese-christians-want-the-church-to-adopt-children-with-disabilities/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chinese-christians-want-the-church-to-adopt-children-with-disabilities/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Chinese Christian Who Helped Overcome Illiteracy in Asia]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 1918, Yan Yangchu (Y. C. James Yen) set sail from the United States for France despite the possible threat of submarine attacks during World War I.The recent Yale University graduate, along with 40 other Chinese Christian students, had been invited by the YMCA to provide social activities for 30,000 Chinese laborers in France who were working in munitions plants, doing farm work, loading military supplies, and building or repairing roads.The ship ahead of Yan sank, and the one behind was torp]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-chinese-christian-who-helped-overcome-illiteracy-in-asia/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-chinese-christian-who-helped-overcome-illiteracy-in-asia/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Modern ‘Technoculture’ Makes the World Feel Unnaturally Godless]]></title><description><![CDATA[In his 1996 novel, In the Beauty of the Lilies, John Updike has a fictional Reformed Presbyterian minister feel his faith abandon him like an exhale, leaving his &ldquo;habitual mental contortions decisively relaxed.&rdquo; For this minister, the experience was one of relief, &ldquo;an immense strain of justification&rdquo; lifted &ldquo;at a blow.&rdquo; Unbelief, in this sense, is not so much a choice of the will but the relaxation of the will, with the mind clicking into an atheist-materialis]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/modern-technoculture-makes-the-world-feel-unnaturally-godless/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/modern-technoculture-makes-the-world-feel-unnaturally-godless/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Latino Churches’ Vibrant Testimony]]></title><description><![CDATA[The common language of worship has a way of capturing the heart even when the mind cannot understand. I remembered this as I wiped my tears while Spanish-speaking Christians sang passionately around me at The Sent Summit conference in Orlando last month.Though my tourist-level Spanish could not bear the weight of references to the divine, I knew the meaning of the song in my soul. Voices rang to the glory of God. Words I couldn&rsquo;t translate expressed the depth of our depravity encompassed b]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/latino-churches-vibrant-testimony/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/latino-churches-vibrant-testimony/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelicals Struggle to Preach Life in the Top Country for Assisted Death]]></title><description><![CDATA[Canadian Christians increasingly find their pro-life values in conflict with their nation&rsquo;s rapid acceptance of medical assistance in dying (MAID). Many say churches could be a refuge in Canada&rsquo;s pro-MAID culture, reminding people of human dignity and providing community supports that can help them resist the lure of MAID.But chances are, most Canadian Christians haven&rsquo;t heard their pastors discuss MAID&mdash;and clergy, despite their pro-life convictions, are likely still lear]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-struggle-to-preach-life-in-the-top-country-for-assisted-death/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-struggle-to-preach-life-in-the-top-country-for-assisted-death/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Would Lecrae Do?]]></title><description><![CDATA[For the first few minutes of Kendrick Lamar&rsquo;s new song, I only half listened, nodding in time to the hypnotic beat while responding to emails on my laptop. Then came the line that made me sit up and stare bug-eyed at my husband, who was listening beside me on the couch.&ldquo;Did he say Lecrae?&rdquo; We kept listening. A few minutes later, Kendrick said the name again. My mouth dropped open. When the song ended, we played it from the top, this time listening carefully.The untitled track,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-would-lecrae-do/</link><pubDate>Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-would-lecrae-do/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Safety Shouldn’t Come First]]></title><description><![CDATA[You may be tempted to read The Pursuit of Safety: A Theology of Danger, Risk, and Security with an eye toward determining whether and to what extent its author, Wheaton College theologian Jeremy Lundgren, agrees with your own risk assessments and safety measures.Don&rsquo;t.Though Lundgren leaves some hints about where he lands on discrete safety questions&mdash;most controversially, COVID-era rules and parenting decisions&mdash;his interest here is the bigger picture. Pursuit is an expansive ex]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/safety-shouldnt-come-first/</link><pubDate>Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/safety-shouldnt-come-first/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[No More Sundays on the Couch]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is Sunday morning and quiet throughout our house. The first morning light is slipping through our blinds, just enough for my husband to read his Bible and for me to write. The only thing I hear is our coffee percolating. Sunday mornings are easily the most peaceful time in our otherwise noisy, demanding schedule.During the pandemic with churches closed, we learned to savor Sunday mornings as especially convivial and serene. After a couple quiet reading hours, my husband, Chris, would prepare]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-more-sundays-on-the-couch/</link><pubDate>Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-more-sundays-on-the-couch/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Hurricane Doesn’t Tell Us Who to Hate]]></title><description><![CDATA[This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s&nbsp;newsletter. Subscribe&nbsp;here.My family is from one of the most hurricane-prone places in the United States&mdash;our hometown was virtually wiped from the map by Hurricane Katrina. Because of this, we spend hurricane season tracking each tropical depression with dread and then, often, relief, when the storm moves somewhere out of the path of the people we love.This time, though, with Hurricane Helene, we exhaled too soon. Instead of hitti]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-hurricane-doesnt-tell-us-who-to-hate/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2024 18:21:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-hurricane-doesnt-tell-us-who-to-hate/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Gettys’ Modern Hymn Movement Has Theological Pull]]></title><description><![CDATA[The success of &ldquo;In Christ Alone&rdquo; established Keith Getty as one of the leading songwriters in what he refers to as the modern hymn movement. The popular breakout song&mdash;which has remained on Christian Copyright Licensing International&rsquo;s Top 100 list for over 15 years&mdash;has come to represent the musical priorities and values of Getty Music, the organization founded by Getty and his wife and collaborator Kristyn.Their team has since developed 38 of the 500 most-used songs]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-gettys-modern-hymn-movement-has-theological-pull/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-gettys-modern-hymn-movement-has-theological-pull/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bible Contains Discrepancies. That Doesn’t Make It Untrustworthy.]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 1983, biblical scholar Robert Gundry was ousted from the Evangelical Theological Society.Gundry, in his lengthy commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, had suggested that Matthew tailored stories about Jesus to his specific audience, sometimes in nonhistorical ways. Theologian Norman Geisler, who spearheaded the ouster, believed this &ldquo;undermine[d] confidence in the complete truthfulness of all of Scripture.&rdquo; Gundry disagreed with this assessment&mdash;he affirmed the doctrine of bibl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bible-contains-discrepancies-that-doesnt-make-it-untrustworthy/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bible-contains-discrepancies-that-doesnt-make-it-untrustworthy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘It’s Okay to Say We’re Born Again’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nowhere on its website or in its founding documents does the new Global Methodist Church call itself evangelical.&nbsp;Perhaps the term is too controversial, too divisive and political.&nbsp;Or perhaps the Methodists are just out of practice.&ldquo;You know, as Methodists, it&rsquo;s okay to say we&rsquo;re born again,&rdquo; said Asbury Theological Seminary professor Luther Oconer, preaching to the more than 900 people gathered in San Jos&eacute;, Costa Rica, last week for the denomination&rsqu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-okay-to-say-were-born-again/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-okay-to-say-were-born-again/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gen Z Protestants Want to Be Famous for Their Hobbies and Talents]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gen Z Protestants don&rsquo;t want to be known for their faith.Instead, they want their talents, interests, hobbies, and education levels to be the ways they make a name for themselves.They see their faith as a support during challenging times. Prayer is the second most common way that they cope with stress, tied with distracting themselves by watching or reading something.And while they may often be regarded as an &ldquo;anxious generation,&rdquo; they are optimistic about the future. Four in f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gen-z-protestants-want-to-be-famous-for-their-hobbies-and-talents/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gen-z-protestants-want-to-be-famous-for-their-hobbies-and-talents/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who Is My Neighbor?]]></title><description><![CDATA[My neighborhood, just outside of Washington, DC, has a strong sense of local community. I know the people on our block, and I love bumping into folks&mdash;at PTA meetings, sports outings, or the grocery store. My neighborhood has quaint traditions: We celebrate holidays with cookie exchanges. Local groups play music on front lawns in the summer. On these lovely nights when people are walking the block, I don&rsquo;t see the divisions and divides that worry me when I read the news.So I was surpr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/who-is-my-neighbor/</link><pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/who-is-my-neighbor/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Evangelicalism of Jimmy Carter]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Jimmy Carter spoke about his faith in Christ while campaigning for president in 1976, many evangelicals were ecstatic.&nbsp;No previous presidential candidate had claimed to be &ldquo;born again&rdquo; or spoken so openly about his relationship with Jesus. Nor had any welcomed journalists to his adult Sunday school class, which Carter continued to teach even while running for the White House. But then again, no other presidential candidate was a deacon in a Southern Baptist church.The Unite]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-evangelicalism-of-jimmy-carter/</link><pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-evangelicalism-of-jimmy-carter/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Widespread Helene Misery Stretches Christian Relief Groups]]></title><description><![CDATA[Devastating hundreds of miles from the Florida Gulf Coast to Georgia to the mountains of North Carolina, Hurricane Helene has created a complicated equation for Christian organizations that are on the frontline of disaster response.&ldquo;In my more than 20 years of disaster experience, I can&rsquo;t think of a time when such a large area was at risk,&rdquo; Jeff Jellets, the disaster coordinator for The Salvation Army&rsquo;s work in the South, said in a statement.Samaritan&rsquo;s Purse chief]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/widespread-helene-misery-stretches-christian-relief-groups/</link><pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 2024 22:52:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/widespread-helene-misery-stretches-christian-relief-groups/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[25 Precepts for This (and Every) Election]]></title><description><![CDATA[The high season of American politics is here. Stomachs are knotted. Electoral trend lines undulate. Betting markets tremble.And what of the American church? Many of us are trembling too: with fear, with rage, with anticipation of whatever may be in store for us in Washington&mdash;and in our own kitchens and sanctuaries.A few weeks ago, a colleague of mine here at CT wrote an article pertaining to politics, and the online backlash was furious. The social media responses crossed every prudential]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/25-precepts-for-this-and-every-election/</link><pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/25-precepts-for-this-and-every-election/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fasting Is A Good Thing. But For Some of Us, It’s Complicated.]]></title><description><![CDATA[For a time when I was a child, I wanted nothing unless it was grilled cheese&mdash;without the bread. My loving parents accommodated me by placing a special order when we went to restaurants. Eventually, I became a vegetarian after making the connection between the animals I professed to love and what was on my plate.By the time I was a teenager, I ate a greater variety of dishes. But pickiness had given way to something more sinister. A friend and I ate burgers and fries, then guiltily pooled o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fasting-is-a-good-thing-but-for-some-of-us-its-complicated/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fasting-is-a-good-thing-but-for-some-of-us-its-complicated/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Faith Lived Close to the Land]]></title><description><![CDATA[My dad eased his pickup truck along the rolling sidehill, tracing the curves in the rows of hay stretching before us, the steering wheel wandering beneath his hand. The afternoon sun was high and warm. We could have fallen asleep beneath its affectionate glow, were it an afternoon lazy enough to let our family rest.But it was not such an afternoon&mdash;for our family of farmers, few afternoons were. My dad threw the truck in park, and at just four years old, I knew this stop was important enoug]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/faith-lived-close-to-the-land/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/faith-lived-close-to-the-land/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can a Lebanese Seminary Move Beyond the Liberal-Conservative Impasse?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The oldest Protestant seminary in the Middle East has a new vision.Officially founded in 1932 but with origins dating back to the 19th-century missionary movement, the Near East School of Theology (NEST) is operated by the Presbyterian, Anglican, Lutheran, and Armenian Evangelical denominations.Installed this week, its 11th president is a nondenominational Lebanese evangelical.Martin Accad, formerly academic dean at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS), was installed on Sunday at the histori]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-a-lebanese-seminary-move-beyond-the-liberal-conservative-impasse/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-a-lebanese-seminary-move-beyond-the-liberal-conservative-impasse/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lausanne Theologians Explain Seoul Statement that Surprised Congress Delegates]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Lausanne Movement&rsquo;s decision to release a 97-point, 13,000-word theological statement on the inaugural day of its fourth world congress has sparked a week of debate and conversation.The seven-part treatise, which stated theological positions on the gospel, the Bible, the church, the &ldquo;human person,&rdquo; discipleship, the &ldquo;family of nations,&rdquo; and technology, went live online shortly before the event kicked off on Sunday night.The Seoul Statement &ldquo;was designed to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lausanne-theologians-explain-seoul-statement-that-surprised-congress-delegates/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Sep 2024 05:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lausanne-theologians-explain-seoul-statement-that-surprised-congress-delegates/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Christians Are Watching Porn, But Fewer Think It’s a Problem]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pornography use has continued to climb over the past decade, especially among young people who are exposed to explicit images earlier than ever. Yet most Americans today don&rsquo;t see porn as a bad thing for society, and many Christians say they aren&rsquo;t worried about its effects.That&rsquo;s according to a new report released this week from Barna and Pure Desire, a ministry for people with pornography addictions.Researchers found that 61 percent of Americans say they view porn at least oc]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-christians-are-watching-porn-but-fewer-think-its-a-problem/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:25:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-christians-are-watching-porn-but-fewer-think-its-a-problem/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Global Methodists Find Joy in Costa Rica]]></title><description><![CDATA[There were lots of tears at the Global Methodist Church&rsquo;s first General Conference, held this week in San Jos&eacute;, Costa Rica, to officially found the new denomination. They were tears of joy, relief, and gratitude for the holy love of God.&ldquo;I cried,&rdquo; said Jeff Kelley, pastor of a Global Methodist church in McCook, Nebraska. &ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t cried in worship in a long time. And then we had worship the next day, and I cried again.&rdquo;John Weston, pastor of a Silverda]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/global-methodists-find-joy-in-costa-rica/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/global-methodists-find-joy-in-costa-rica/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When I Opened My Bible, God Gave Me a Magnifying Glass]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 1991, as a young girl, I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. It was not an easy decision, for I was born and raised in a devout Sikh family. Sikhism is among the youngest of the world religions, founded in AD 1469 in the northern state of Punjab, India.I was born in a military hospital in Meerut in the state of Uttar Pradesh as the youngest of four children. My father&rsquo;s service with the Indian army required us to move every few years.Being a very smart child in kindergarten, I was prom]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-i-opened-my-bible-god-gave-me-a-magnifying-glass/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-i-opened-my-bible-god-gave-me-a-magnifying-glass/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘The Office’ Meets Exodus in ‘The Promised Land’]]></title><description><![CDATA[We tend to imagine Moses as someone larger than life. Films like The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt, and Exodus: Gods and Kings focus on the heroic role he played in the epic struggle for the Israelites&rsquo; liberation from slavery. They build up to dramatic moments like the parting of the Red Sea and the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.The Promised Land takes a somewhat different approach. It&rsquo;s a comedy done in the style of mockumentaries like The Office and Parks and Recreation]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-office-meets-exodus-in-the-promised-land/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-office-meets-exodus-in-the-promised-land/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastors, We Have to Play the Long Game]]></title><description><![CDATA[This year has been rough for the church in Dallas&ndash;Fort Worth where I pastor. At least eight pastors, and recently another, have been publicly disqualified for inappropriate relationships or abusive behavior. Enough people emerged from the wreckage and made their way to our local body that I addressed the pain of this summer from the pulpit a couple of times.As so many have done in recent years, we could look at the mess, shake our fists, and declare, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m done with the church!&]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-we-have-to-play-the-long-game/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-we-have-to-play-the-long-game/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Middle East Muslims are Finding Jesus. Can They Fit Within a Weakened Church?]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the Arab world today, the war in Gaza dominates the news, with its small Palestinian Christian community caught in the crossfire. But over the last decade, ancient churches have faced persecution in Syria and Iraq, while political instability and terrorism have threatened believers in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan.Nevertheless, the church&rsquo;s activity in this region is about much more than war and persecution, as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) chapter of the Lausanne Movement&rsquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/middle-east-muslims-are-finding-jesus-can-they-fit-within-a-weakened-church/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/middle-east-muslims-are-finding-jesus-can-they-fit-within-a-weakened-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How the ‘Jezebel Spirit’ Keeps Empowering Sin]]></title><description><![CDATA[This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s&nbsp;newsletter. Subscribe&nbsp;here.Early in our marriage, when my wife and I had just moved to a new city while I was starting doctoral work, we attended a worship service&mdash;knowing almost no one there but hoping to make friends. The preacher, who mumbled a bit, was trying to make a rhetorical point about the importance of a good name: &ldquo;I mean, how many of you ladies out there have the name Jezebel?&rdquo; Time seemed to be in slow mo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-jezebel-spirit-keeps-empowering-sin/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:02:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-jezebel-spirit-keeps-empowering-sin/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lausanne Report: Most Missionaries Are Reaching the Reached]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today, more than 40 percent of the world has not yet been evangelized. Yet about 97 percent of the current global total of 450,000 Christian missionaries are sent to people who already have access to the gospel.Another startling fact: In 1900, more than 80 percent of the world&rsquo;s Christians lived in Europe or North America, but today only about 25 percent live in those regions. The remainder reside in the Global South, which includes Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.The geographic s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lausanne-report-most-missionaries-are-reaching-the-reached/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:01:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lausanne-report-most-missionaries-are-reaching-the-reached/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cross in an Age of ‘Spiritual Derangement’]]></title><description><![CDATA[I love the church, but I can&rsquo;t say I always understand or even like it. And in my more than half a century inside it, I can&rsquo;t remember a time when the American church seemed less clear about its identity and purpose.The Lord decreed love as our signature characteristic (John 13:35), yet Christians have earned a reputation for hatefulness and even raunchiness. From our epidemic of leadership failures to the steady hemorrhaging of the disillusioned, it feels as if we&rsquo;ve lost our]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-cross-in-an-age-of-spiritual-derangement/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-cross-in-an-age-of-spiritual-derangement/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Emptying the Nest in Hope, not Fear]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you&rsquo;re in the midst of launching a child into adulthood, preparing them to keep the faith as they grow up, you&rsquo;ve probably already begun to train them in apologetics.It might not be formal apologetics, though that&rsquo;s what comes to mind for me: debates, arguments, refuting other people&rsquo;s beliefs point by point. That kind of apologetics can be helpful for people legitimately wrestling with faith and Scripture. For teenagers especially, it can be a wonderful tool&mdash;evi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/emptying-the-nest-in-hope-not-fear/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/emptying-the-nest-in-hope-not-fear/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Evangelical’s Warning to Evangelical Christian Nationalists Aims Beyond the Easy Targets]]></title><description><![CDATA[Donald Trump&rsquo;s manifold sins and acts of wickedness are so numerous that they are almost too tedious to repeat. He is a danger to democracy, a would-be fascist who has promised that voting for him means never needing to vote again, and he fomented the worst event in recent American history, the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol&mdash;the refrain could go on&nbsp;ad nauseam, ad&nbsp;infinitum.Yet Joel Looper convincingly shows that these are the obvious political symptoms of a subtle t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-evangelicals-warning-to-evangelical-christian-nationalists-aims-beyond-the-easy-targets/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-evangelicals-warning-to-evangelical-christian-nationalists-aims-beyond-the-easy-targets/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fourth Lausanne Congress Embraces Younger Leaders, ‘Marketplace’ Christians, and Technology ]]></title><description><![CDATA[This story will be updated.Steve Oh can trace his family&rsquo;s Christian heritage back to the Protestant missionaries who arrived in Korea in the 1800s.&nbsp;&ldquo;My family has been blessed by the global missionary movement,&rdquo; said Oh, a Korean Australian pastor who leads Sydney Living Hope Community Church.&nbsp;This week, Oh is one of 5,200 Christians from more than 200 countries in Incheon, South Korea, for the fourth Lausanne Congress. The gathering comes as a &ldquo;full circle mom]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fourth-lausanne-congress-embraces-younger-leaders-marketplace-christians-and-technology/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 01:56:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fourth-lausanne-congress-embraces-younger-leaders-marketplace-christians-and-technology/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who’s the Christian Candidate? Americans Say Neither]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most Americans don&rsquo;t see either of this year&rsquo;s presidential candidates as particularly religious or Christian.In a new survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, 64 percent of adults said they don&rsquo;t consider former president Donald Trump religious and 53 percent said they don&rsquo;t consider Kamala Harris religious. A majority also agreed that they wouldn&rsquo;t describe either as &ldquo;Christian.&rdquo;A plurality of Americans&mdash;41 percent&mdash;say]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/whos-the-christian-candidate-americans-say-neither/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Sep 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/whos-the-christian-candidate-americans-say-neither/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The United Nations Is a Mission Field]]></title><description><![CDATA[I flash my United Nations (UN) access badge to the police officer, and he waves me through the security barrier. As I approach the plaza, I see snipers with rifles on the roof and hear a dozen different languages. Black limousines are everywhere as presidents and prime ministers converge in New York City, preparing their speeches for the UN General Assembly, which kicked off earlier this month.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s been five years since I became Mennonite Central Committee&rsquo;s (MCC) representativ]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-united-nations-is-a-mission-field/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:22:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-united-nations-is-a-mission-field/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[With Drug Abuse Raging, Zimbabwe’s Churches Turn from Punishment to Mercy]]></title><description><![CDATA[A drug abuse crisis is raging in Zimbabwe, with experts and medics warning that a staggering 57 percent of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s youth are involved with illicit drugs, from cocaine and ecstasy to tainted cough syrup and illegally brewed beers.&nbsp;The church hasn&rsquo;t been spared, and many leaders say they&rsquo;re unsure how to respond.&nbsp;&ldquo;At first, ten years ago, we would suspend church youths dabbling in cocaine or ecstasy pills or illicit whiskies, intimidating them with Bible verses]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/with-drug-abuse-raging-zimbabwes-churches-turn-from-punishment-to-mercy/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/with-drug-abuse-raging-zimbabwes-churches-turn-from-punishment-to-mercy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Give Gen-Z Students Some Credit]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you tried to design an ideal setting for learning how to be a good neighbor, it would look a lot like a college campus.As the president of a campus ministry, I might be a little biased in that assessment. But imagine the reality that a brand-new college student faces when they come to campus for the first time. Thousands are already there from every walk of life: athletes, musicians, activists, artists, people of different cultures and ethnicities, introverts and extroverts, people who like t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/give-gen-z-students-some-credit/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/give-gen-z-students-some-credit/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brenna Blain: ‘Suffering Clarified My Theology’]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first thing you notice about Brenna Blain is probably her tattoos, a patchwork of ink stretching from her shoulders to her hands. A death&rsquo;s-head hawkmoth spreads its wings around her neck, with a marking at its center that resembles a human skull.For this 28-year-old Christian speaker and teacher in the Pacific Northwest, her brazen ink isn&rsquo;t a liability&mdash;it&rsquo;s an invitation. The neck tattoo opens unlikely conversations with those she says &ldquo;would never choose to t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brenna-blain-suffering-clarified-my-theology/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brenna-blain-suffering-clarified-my-theology/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Berlin Church Plant Embraces All That Jazz]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s Saturday night, and you&rsquo;re looking for jazz in Germany&rsquo;s capital. You could catch an after-midnight jam session at A-Trane in Charlottenburg, get cozy in the stylish, intimate ambience of the Zig Zag Club in Friedenau, or catch a solo saxophonist serenading the crowd at Berlin&rsquo;s oldest jazz club, Quasimodo.And there&rsquo;s one more option: You could wait until morning and go to church in the Wedding district.One part church plant, one part jazz project, Kiez Church]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/berlin-church-plant-embraces-all-that-jazz/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/berlin-church-plant-embraces-all-that-jazz/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The ‘Antioch of Asia’?]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 1983, Ed Pousson picked up Patrick Johnstone&rsquo;s Operation World prayer guide and read an entry on Singapore. In it, the Southeast Asian country was described as the &lsquo;Antioch of Asia.&rsquo;&nbsp;The American missionary and his Malaysian wife, Lai Kheng, had previously lived and served in Malaysia and were planning to make their home there after leaving the mission field.&nbsp;Reading about Singapore changed the course of their lives.&nbsp;&ldquo;It was a defining moment for both of]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-antioch-of-asia/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-antioch-of-asia/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reading Scripture through Embodied Eyes]]></title><description><![CDATA[We all lead diverse sensory lives&mdash;in the form of memories, reflections, emotions, and events that become embedded into our embodied lives.It is through our five senses that we encounter the world, and these experiences get encoded into the fabric of our beings to be later recalled, from compassion and peace to trauma and violence. In other words, our physical senses matter to how we walk through this life. But more than that, they reflect the creativity and beauty of God himself.We are all]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/reading-scripture-through-embodied-eyes/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/reading-scripture-through-embodied-eyes/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Houston Ballet Debuts New Work Based on … C.S. Lewis]]></title><description><![CDATA[C. S. Lewis wrote at the end of his book The Four Loves that he didn&rsquo;t feel like he could fully express the nature of love on the page. &ldquo;I dare not proceed,&rdquo; he concluded.Now one of the largest ballet companies in the United States is trying to fill in where words fall short, commissioning Four Loves by choreographer Silas Farley with a full orchestral score by composer Kyle Werner. The one-act ballet premiered at Houston Ballet over the weekend.&nbsp;At a dress rehearsal befor]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/houston-ballet-debuts-new-work-based-on-cs-lewis/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/houston-ballet-debuts-new-work-based-on-cs-lewis/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brazilian Evangelicals Are Split on Lausanne’s Legacy]]></title><description><![CDATA[For years, integral mission&mdash;a theological vision that saw evangelism and social justice as inseparable components of Christian life, or as &ldquo;two wings of an airplane,&rdquo; as Ecuadorian theologian Ren&eacute; Padilla once wrote&mdash;has been a legacy of the Lausanne Movement in Brazil. The concept was developed in the 1970s by members of the Latin American Theological Fellowship and motivated Brazilian evangelicals to fight street violence in Rio, battle alcohol abuse in indigenous]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brazilian-evangelicals-are-split-on-lausannes-legacy/</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2024 18:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brazilian-evangelicals-are-split-on-lausannes-legacy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Becoming a Church for People of All Abilities]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was our first Christmas season as a family of four, and we were excited to attend our new church&rsquo;s lessons-and-carols service. As my husband carried our infant daughter into the service, I noticed my son marveling at the decorations and the music. I could see him taking it all in with reverence and delight.After a few hymns my son didn&rsquo;t know, it was clear he wanted to sing something familiar. Unfortunately, his song of choice was not in our hymnal. As he continued to express with]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/becoming-a-church-for-people-of-all-abilities/</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/becoming-a-church-for-people-of-all-abilities/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don’t ‘Spiritually Bypass’ Your Church-Hurt Neighbor]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Pray, believe, and receive&mdash;or doubt and do without&rdquo; was a phrase I often heard in my Christian circle. And although it was not intended to be a harmful adage, it became one.That is, after I worked at a ministry where I was bullied, isolated, and left to fend for myself. When I finally decided to quit, friends and family still expected me to keep going to church. But I was so wounded from what I had experienced that the thought of attending church literally made me sick to my s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-spiritually-bypass-your-church-hurt-neighbor/</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-spiritually-bypass-your-church-hurt-neighbor/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[SBC to Sell Nashville Headquarters to Cover Cost of Abuse Cases]]></title><description><![CDATA[An investigation into how leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) have dealt with sexual abuse by clergy has cost more than $12 million over the past three years, causing the nation&rsquo;s largest Protestant denomination to put its Nashville headquarters up for sale, the SBC&rsquo;s Executive Committee announced on Tuesday.&nbsp;The expenditures, which include $3 million spent fending off a lawsuit filed by a former SBC president, have led the committee to spend down its reserves in wh]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-to-sell-nashville-headquarters-to-cover-cost-of-abuse-cases/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Sep 2024 20:12:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-to-sell-nashville-headquarters-to-cover-cost-of-abuse-cases/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Seminary Professor Accused of Secret Second Marriage]]></title><description><![CDATA[The St. Louis ministers weren&rsquo;t prepared to debate polygamy.&nbsp;Darren Young and Thurman Williams, who work in urban ministry in St. Louis, say they joined an accountability group with fellow local pastor and Fuller Theological Seminary professor Vince Bantu for moral support and mutual discipleship.&nbsp;They felt honored to be in the group with him. Bantu is a rising star in American evangelicalism&mdash;an energetic Black scholar doing important research on the origins of Christianity]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/seminary-professor-accused-of-secret-second-marriage/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Sep 2024 15:05:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/seminary-professor-accused-of-secret-second-marriage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[These Christians Have Not Given Up on North Korea]]></title><description><![CDATA[The past seven years have been agonizing for any foreigner serving North Koreans.Since 2017, the US has barred its citizens from going into North Korea without special permission, all but halting humanitarian organizations and businesses based in the US from operating there.When COVID-19 hit in 2020, nearly all foreigners left China, including those serving near the North Korean border.These two events have impacted how Christian nonprofits all over the world serve this isolated country, officia]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/these-christians-have-not-given-up-on-north-korea/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/these-christians-have-not-given-up-on-north-korea/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sports Betting Has Become Too Prevalent for Christians to Ignore]]></title><description><![CDATA[The odds are good that you know someone who wagered on sports in the past year. With the rise in online sports betting, the industry now makes more than all the US major pro sports leagues combined. Americans are expected to bet $35 billion on NFL games alone this season.Gambling is not a new temptation, but I believe that the advent of online sports gambling raises the stakes considerably on how seriously Christian leaders should address questions around the moral and theological nature of gamb]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sports-betting-has-become-too-prevalent-for-christians-to-ignore/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sports-betting-has-become-too-prevalent-for-christians-to-ignore/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mobilizers See Millions of Future Missionaries in Overseas Filipino Workers]]></title><description><![CDATA[When Delyn Garcia moved from the Philippines to Israel in 2018 to work as a caregiver, her goal was to earn enough money for her family back home to build a house.Yet life as an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) was extremely difficult. The first year, she had to pay back the agency 1 million pesos ($17,700), meaning that some months she could send only 10,000 pesos ($180) home to her family. Day and night, she cared for her employer&rsquo;s mother, an ailing 91-year-old, cooking, cleaning, giving]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mobilizers-see-millions-of-future-missionaries-in-overseas-filipino-workers/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mobilizers-see-millions-of-future-missionaries-in-overseas-filipino-workers/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Can Turn Off the News and Still Be a Good Citizen]]></title><description><![CDATA[Forget October surprises; this election season has already had a dizzying number of twists and turns: criminal trials, consequential debates, attempted assassinations, a candidate dropping out and being replaced, and new vice-presidential picks coming on the national scene.&nbsp;And every major development has been accompanied by plenty of 24&ndash;48 hour sideshows&mdash;controversies, partisan squabbles, scandals, and conspiracy theories. The crush of news may be catching up to Americans: Whil]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-can-turn-off-the-news-and-still-be-a-good-citizen/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-can-turn-off-the-news-and-still-be-a-good-citizen/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shielded from Truth at Our Own Expense]]></title><description><![CDATA[Around my sophomore year of college, I approached my African American History professor,&nbsp;Dennis C. Dickerson, to inquire about my performance. Honestly, I was fishing for a compliment. I spoke frequently in class and expected his praise. And since he was one of a limited number of Black professors on campus, I thought he&rsquo;d flatter me as a show of solidarity given our shared identity.&nbsp;He did not. In no uncertain terms, Dickerson told me I was a poor communicator and needed to tigh]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shielded-from-truth-at-our-own-expense/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shielded-from-truth-at-our-own-expense/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[School Screens Are Worst for the Least of These]]></title><description><![CDATA[Halfway through fifth grade, the school district issued a laptop to our son. Up to then, his &ldquo;accelerated learning&rdquo; classroom had been a pretty good fit. He had a great teacher, dynamic peers, and a pace that challenged and stimulated him.But with the laptop, our son&rsquo;s learning immediately went off-track. He browsed the internet in class, played online games, fiddled around with display settings, changed his desktop photo, and then changed the photo again. His grades, behavior,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/school-screens-are-worst-for-the-least-of-these/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/school-screens-are-worst-for-the-least-of-these/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Parents Today Are Kinder and Gentler. They Can Still Take Sin Seriously.]]></title><description><![CDATA[My husband and I found out we were expecting our first child in the summer of 2020. Ongoing pandemic lockdowns in California gave me ample time to read parenting books and research baby products.I was raised in the shadow of fundamentalist evangelicalism at the turn of the 21st century, my parents and their peers guided by authoritarian parenting experts like James Dobson and Michael and Debi Pearl. I was eager to lay a different foundation for our own parenting philosophy, and I was also intere]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/parents-today-are-kinder-and-gentler-they-can-still-take-sin-seriously/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/parents-today-are-kinder-and-gentler-they-can-still-take-sin-seriously/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[God at the Bottom of the Glass]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a child I had no formal religious training. My parents were not opposed to faith, but they did not find it particularly relevant to daily life.&nbsp;At age five, I was sent to a local Episcopal church to sing in the boys&rsquo; choir so that I could learn music. I learned to love the hymns, but the theology washed over me without leaving any discernible residue. I can still play most of those hymns by heart on the piano&mdash;yet for the most part, I have trouble remembering the words because]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-at-the-bottom-of-the-glass/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-at-the-bottom-of-the-glass/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Half of Pastors Plan to Vote for Trump, Nearly a Quarter Wouldn’t Say]]></title><description><![CDATA[Like other Americans, pastors are deciding who they&rsquo;ll vote for in the November election. Compared to previous elections, however, they&rsquo;re much more hesitant to share their preference.Almost all US Protestant pastors (97%) plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election, according to a&nbsp;Lifeway Research study&nbsp;conducted August 8&ndash;September 3, 2024. But almost a quarter (23%) refused to answer the question of whom they&rsquo;ll cast their ballot for. Few felt the same hesi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/half-of-pastors-plan-to-vote-for-trump-nearly-a-quarter-wouldnt-say/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 18:39:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/half-of-pastors-plan-to-vote-for-trump-nearly-a-quarter-wouldnt-say/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Wesley Is Fire Now’ and Evangelicals Are Being Strangely Warmed]]></title><description><![CDATA[Shawn Hamilton does what a lot of college-aged guys do on Christian campuses. He goes to class. He does his homework and reads his Bible. He plays video games, hangs out with his friends, and thinks about prevenient grace.&ldquo;The Holy Spirit tries to beckon people,&rdquo; the 22-year-old told CT. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s more than just common grace, as Calvin articulates it. It&rsquo;s the reason why all people can do good things. Because we are totally depraved, but it&rsquo;s the Holy Spirit conti]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wesley-is-fire-now-and-evangelicals-are-being-strangely-warmed/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wesley-is-fire-now-and-evangelicals-are-being-strangely-warmed/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Unclench Your Fist]]></title><description><![CDATA[Questions about the place of Christianity and the posture of Christians in a pluralistic society have never been merely theoretical for me. They have always been very personal.I was first drawn to the Christian faith as a child in London. Both the city and the school I attended there were marked by profound religious, ethnic, and cultural pluralism. A few years later, while a freshman in high school, I began to follow Christ more intentionally after a conversion experience in a church youth grou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/unclench-your-fist/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/unclench-your-fist/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Rural Cambodian Community that Fostered 76 Children]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 2008, Keo Ravy and Amy Sullivan of Children in Families (CIF) drove to an orphanage outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to pick up two toddlers with severe developmental delays. They then brought the children to a rural village where they would meet their new foster families.In the car, four-year-old Sam Ang, who was blind and could not yet eat solids, suddenly started violently banging his head against the car floor. Startled, Sullivan tried to stop him, unaware that due to neglect, this was hi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-rural-cambodian-community-that-fostered-76-children/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-rural-cambodian-community-that-fostered-76-children/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[South Korea’s Missions Success Won’t Be Its Future]]></title><description><![CDATA[Beginning in 2002, South Korean national Somang Son served as a missionary in New Delhi, India, for five years. In 2015, she embarked on another mission trip to the southern Indian city of Bengaluru.It was a new city and a different team, but one thing remained the same: She was the youngest missionary there.Son, 45, sees this same dynamic playing out in her work as a member care coordinator in a mission agency that reaches out to Muslims.&ldquo;In the last three or four years, we never had any]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/south-koreas-missions-success-wont-be-its-future/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/south-koreas-missions-success-wont-be-its-future/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Arrested Filipino Pastor Apollo Quiboloy Claims He’s the Messiah]]></title><description><![CDATA[Apollo Quiboloy called himself the &ldquo;Appointed Son of God.&rdquo;But to Filipino and American authorities, he was a man wanted for years on charges of sexual abuse and human trafficking.Quiboloy, the 74-year-old leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, surrendered to authorities on September 8 after 2,000 security officers descended on the religious sect&rsquo;s massive complex in Davao City in the Philippines. Thousands of followers gathered at the 74-acre compound to protest Quiboloy&rsquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/arrested-filipino-pastor-apollo-quiboloy-claims-hes-the-messiah/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/arrested-filipino-pastor-apollo-quiboloy-claims-hes-the-messiah/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Egyptian Christians Show ‘Love of Jesus’ to Displaced Palestinians]]></title><description><![CDATA[&nbsp;Almost six months have passed since Issa Saliba boarded a bus in Gaza with 15 other Christians to seek safety in Egypt. But he still relishes how they sang, clapped, and danced as they escaped devastation.The air conditioning cooled his nerves, frayed from the harrowing journey to the border. Later that day, the wayside stop provided his first full meal.As 1.9 million Palestinians&mdash;90 percent of Gaza&rsquo;s population&mdash;remain internally displaced, less known is that 100,000 have]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/egyptian-christians-show-love-of-jesus-to-displaced-palestinians/</link><pubDate>Mon, 16 Sep 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/egyptian-christians-show-love-of-jesus-to-displaced-palestinians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Expert: Ukraine’s Ban on Russian Orthodox Church Is Compatible with Religious Freedom]]></title><description><![CDATA[During Tuesday night&rsquo;s presidential debate, Kamala Harris accused Donald Trump of a fondness for dictators, alleging that he supported a negotiated settlement with Vladimir Putin following Russia&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine. Trump, declining to affirm that a Ukrainian victory would serve US interests, replied that if he were still in the Oval Office, the war would never have happened, and he claimed that he could bring it to an end even as president-elect.Both candidates failed to address]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/expert-ukraines-ban-on-russian-orthodox-church-is-compatible-with-religious-freedom/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:16:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/expert-ukraines-ban-on-russian-orthodox-church-is-compatible-with-religious-freedom/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ohio Haitians Feel Panic, Local Christians Try to Repair Divides]]></title><description><![CDATA[On Thursday, Viles Dorsainvil, a former pastor in Haiti and the leader of Haitian Community Help and Support Center in Springfield, Ohio, was getting phone call after phone call from local immigrants feeling &ldquo;panic&rdquo; over their safety.The 60,000-person city has felt the strain and culture clash of welcoming 15,000 Haitians over the past four years, most of whom have temporary legal status in the US due to violence in their home country. Those tensions escalated this week as false rumo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ohio-haitians-feel-panic-local-christians-try-to-repair-divides/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 17:47:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ohio-haitians-feel-panic-local-christians-try-to-repair-divides/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Church Can Help End The Phone-Based Childhood]]></title><description><![CDATA[As American kids head back to school this fall, many will do so with smartphones in hand. The average age at which American kids receive their first phone&nbsp;is just 11, and most public schools only ban&nbsp;nonacademic classroom phone use&mdash;and&nbsp;struggle to enforce&nbsp;even that.We know this is a problem. Research from academics like Jonathan Haidt and Jean Twenge&nbsp;continues to show American young people are in a mental health crisis, and there&rsquo;s compelling evidence that th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-can-help-end-the-phone-based-childhood/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-can-help-end-the-phone-based-childhood/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Taste and See If the Show is Good]]></title><description><![CDATA[Of this year&rsquo;s Emmy-nominated television shows, my husband and I have watched all of The Crown, a fair bit of Abbott Elementary, and a couple episodes of Only Murders in the Building. We used to have a Hulu subscription, so we watched the first season of The Bear and several seasons of What We Do in the Shadows. (We&rsquo;ve since canceled our subscription, so regrettably, no Reservation Dogs.)Ask me what I liked or disliked about any of these shows, and I can tell you: the dialogue, the s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/taste-and-see-if-the-show-is-good/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/taste-and-see-if-the-show-is-good/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Pastor’s Wife Was Murdered. God Had Prepared Him for It.]]></title><description><![CDATA[When disaster strikes, it&rsquo;s easy to comfort ourselves with empty phrases like &ldquo;It&nbsp;was a freak accident&rdquo; or &ldquo;That&rsquo;s so unlikely to happen.&rdquo; Much easier, certainly, than acknowledging that none of us are immune to tragedy. We soothe ourselves with statistics of survival, but inside we know the path of our lives has already been determined. Data is no weapon against God&rsquo;s sovereignty.&nbsp;Those unlikely, catastrophic events do happen&mdash;as they did]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-pastors-wife-was-murdered-god-had-prepared-him-for-it/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-pastors-wife-was-murdered-god-had-prepared-him-for-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What It Takes to Plant Churches in Europe]]></title><description><![CDATA[The goal is audacious. But as far as James Davis, founder of the Global Church Network, is concerned, Christians need deadlines. Otherwise, they will never do what they need to do to fulfill the Great Commission.His group gathered in Zurich, Switzerland, last September with 400 ministry leaders from across Europe who committed to raising up and equipping more than 100,000 new pastors in the next decade. The network plans to establish 39 hubs in Europe, with a goal of 442 more in the years to com]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-it-takes-to-plant-churches-in-europe/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-it-takes-to-plant-churches-in-europe/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Uneasy Conscience of Christian Nationalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Too many of us assume that Christian nationalism promises a road map to a New Jerusalem or a New Rome or a New Constantinople. That&rsquo;s understandable, given the triumphal and martial rhetoric of would-be theocrats. But what if the actual road map is to none of those places?&nbsp;What if the new Christian nationalism wants to take us not to the rebuilt shining city on a hill of Cotton Mather&rsquo;s Massachusetts Bay Colony but just to double coupon night at the Bellagio in Las Vegas?&nbsp;J]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-uneasy-conscience-of-christian-nationalism/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-uneasy-conscience-of-christian-nationalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Soul of MAGA]]></title><description><![CDATA[Donald Trump stands wrapped in the arms of Secret Service agents&mdash;their dark sunglasses and suits blending like a many-armed, many-eyed modern seraphim. Blood streams from his right ear, and his face is contorted with rage, determination, and pain. He thrusts his fist skyward. Behind him, the Star-Spangled Banner yet waves. You couldn&rsquo;t pose a more iconic image if you tried.In the months before the assassination attempt, I watched dozens of old Trump speeches and read a stack of his b]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-soul-of-maga/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-soul-of-maga/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Slaying Dragons in Our Modern-Day Quest]]></title><description><![CDATA[As I write this, the Olympics are streaming into our living rooms. I watch with a particular interest. In what seems like another life, I was a national champion gymnast and Olympic hopeful before my career ended in a catastrophic spinal injury. But I love the Olympics with every fiber of my being and enjoy watching how elite athletes respond to the planetary pressure of the world&rsquo;s biggest competition.&nbsp;Often, when they commence the competition, the athletes are on their heels. The mo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/slaying-dragons-in-our-modern-day-quest/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/slaying-dragons-in-our-modern-day-quest/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Humility in the Age of Cancel Culture]]></title><description><![CDATA[In a special episode of&nbsp;The Bulletin,&nbsp;Christianity Today&rsquo;s senior director of CT Media, Mike Cosper, interviewed New York Times&nbsp;columnist Frank Bruni about his book&nbsp;The Age of Grievance. Where polarization has split churches, families, and friendships, Bruni suggests that the root of this polarization is grievance, an animating impulse in our culture that focuses on scarcity instead of abundance. This conversation offers a way forward for Americans or anyone who looks a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/humility-in-the-age-of-cancel-culture/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/humility-in-the-age-of-cancel-culture/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Against the Culture of Demonization]]></title><description><![CDATA[I grew up in a small evangelical church in California&rsquo;s Central Valley where there were more blue collars than white. About 25 families filed into the pews each Sunday; they were loving, generous, and thoughtful. We camped the Sierra Nevadas, backpacked Yosemite, and set crab traps in Half Moon Bay. We studied the Word, shared meals when misfortune struck, and made more after-church trips to Taco Bell than any human being should be able to withstand. It was evangelicalism of the sunny Cali]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/against-the-culture-of-demonization/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 19:58:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/against-the-culture-of-demonization/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Daniel Bourdanné, Millipede Scientist Turned IFES Leader Who Loved Christian Books]]></title><description><![CDATA[Daniel Bourdann&eacute;, a scientist from the central African nation of Chad who inspired young evangelicals around the world as the general secretary of IFES and a longtime champion of Christian book publishing in Africa, died on September 6 at age 64 as a result of cancer.&nbsp;After years of ministry to students, Bourdann&eacute; became general secretary of IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students) in 2007, serving in this role until 2019. An avid reader (and sometimes writer),]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-daniel-bourdann-millipede-scientist-turned-ifes-leader-who-loved-christian-books/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 19:52:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-daniel-bourdann-millipede-scientist-turned-ifes-leader-who-loved-christian-books/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Squandering of ‘God’s Not Dead’]]></title><description><![CDATA[A decade ago, Barack Obama was president. Louis C. K. was hosting Saturday Night Live. And the first film in the God&rsquo;s Not Dead franchise was in theaters.You may know the concept: A college student stands up to an atheist philosophy professor who&rsquo;s trying to bully his class into denying God. The two engage in several debates; the student successfully defends God&rsquo;s existence. The professor ends up turning his life over to Jesus before he&rsquo;s hit by a car and killed.The movie]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-squandering-of-gods-not-dead/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-squandering-of-gods-not-dead/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meet the ‘Precocious Atheist’ Still Pining for a Misplaced Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[Donna Freitas&rsquo;s spiritual autobiography, Wishful Thinking: How I Lost My Faith and Why I Want to Find It, stands in the tradition of the &ldquo;dark-night-of-the-soul&rdquo; memoir. But unlike mystics such as St. John of the Cross, who found their way through dark times into the light of faith, Freitas is unsure whether she ever believed in God to begin with.A successful scholar and author of teen and adult fiction, Freitas was raised in a devout Catholic home in Rhode Island. She writes n]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meet-the-precocious-atheist-still-pining-for-a-misplaced-faith/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meet-the-precocious-atheist-still-pining-for-a-misplaced-faith/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kenya Greets Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music with Excitement—and Skepticism]]></title><description><![CDATA[In June, Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music&rsquo;s Chandler Moore performed with actor and rapper Will Smith at the BET Awards. Smith premiered his single &ldquo;You Can Make it&rdquo; on a dark, smoke-filled stage, standing in a circle of fire with a small choir of vocalists in a raised semicircle behind him. The performance incorporated the sound of a gospel choir and solos by Franklin and Moore, but those nods to Christian music seemed to be in service of a message that was only vaguely s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kenya-greets-kirk-franklin-and-maverick-city-music-with-excitementand-skepticism/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kenya-greets-kirk-franklin-and-maverick-city-music-with-excitementand-skepticism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Will Your Presidential Vote Send You to Hell?]]></title><description><![CDATA[This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s&nbsp;newsletter. Subscribe&nbsp;here.Since by nature of my work I&rsquo;ve had to weigh in on a lot of controversial issues over the years, I&rsquo;ve been cussed out a time or two. Sometimes, I&rsquo;ve been yelled at with, &ldquo;God damn you!&rdquo; When an unbeliever says that, it&rsquo;s one thing. Christians, though, mean it literally.A family I know and love was rattled recently to get a note from someone they considered a longtime friend]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/will-your-presidential-vote-send-you-to-hell/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2024 18:22:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/will-your-presidential-vote-send-you-to-hell/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pro-Life Voters Find Trump Disappointing—but Harris Even Worse]]></title><description><![CDATA[During the first presidential debate between former president Donald Trump and vice president Kamala Harris, both candidates spent a few minutes discussing abortion policy, yet pro-life Christians didn&rsquo;t get the conviction or clarity they were hoping to hear.&nbsp;Trump twice declined to give a clear answer on whether he would veto a federal abortion ban should Congress pass one and reiterated that he believes abortion restrictions are best left to the states. Meanwhile, Harris said she wo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pro-life-voters-find-trump-disappointingbut-harris-even-worse/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2024 17:05:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pro-life-voters-find-trump-disappointingbut-harris-even-worse/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Worship Together or Bowl Alone]]></title><description><![CDATA[From wherever you&rsquo;re sitting, this likely feels like a low point for the church in America. (Elsewhere it&rsquo;s a different matter.)&nbsp;Some of our neighbors see the church as an agent of reaction, pressing the brakes on every major movement for progress since the country&rsquo;s founding. Others believe the church is a wolf in the process of losing its sheep&rsquo;s clothing, finally being revealed as toxic, abusive, and self-protective. For still others, the church is a nonstarter, e]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-together-or-bowl-alone/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-together-or-bowl-alone/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Colombia’s Most Popular Christian Artist Landed in Houston]]></title><description><![CDATA[Colombian cyclists often refer to themselves as escarabajos or &ldquo;beetles,&rdquo; drawing a comparison between the journeys of the small bugs across their varied terrain with those of bicyclists pedaling up and down their country&rsquo;s mountainsides. For one of Latin America&rsquo;s most popular Christian artists&mdash;a self-proclaimed escarabajo&mdash;a grueling ride can help generate a new song.&ldquo;There is no recipe. I don&rsquo;t have anything special. While I&rsquo;m riding my bik]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-colombias-most-popular-christian-artist-landed-in-houston/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-colombias-most-popular-christian-artist-landed-in-houston/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[10 Prayers for a Volatile Election Season]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have often heard from others that written prayer seems less inspired than other types of prayer. While I understand this sentiment, I have found that in my own life and in the lives of those around me, there are times when we long to pray but just don&rsquo;t have the words. In these moments and moments of communal prayer and lament, I find written prayers to be especially welcomed.We&rsquo;re in the last couple months leading up to an election some say is the &ldquo;most important&rdquo; of o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/10-prayers-for-a-volatile-election-season/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/10-prayers-for-a-volatile-election-season/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bethany Sues Michigan for Denying State Contracts Due to Faith-Based Hiring]]></title><description><![CDATA[After decades of resettling refugee families and placing unaccompanied refugee children in foster homes, Bethany Christian Services announced Tuesday that it is suing the state of Michigan for denying its contracts due to long-standing faith-based hiring practices.Bethany&mdash;the country&rsquo;s largest Christian adoption and foster agency and one of ten refugee resettlement agencies in the US&mdash;says Michigan&rsquo;s requirement that partners must hire from across faith traditions is discr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bethany-sues-michigan-for-denying-state-contracts-due-to-faith-based-hiring/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2024 16:22:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bethany-sues-michigan-for-denying-state-contracts-due-to-faith-based-hiring/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[China’s New Adoption Policy Leaves Children in the Balance]]></title><description><![CDATA[On September 4, the US state department informed adoption service providers and waiting families that the People&rsquo;s Republic of China (PRC), would &ldquo;no longer carry out foreign adoption work,&rdquo; except in a few narrow cases.Several hundred American families have been matched with children in China. Many families were scheduled to bring their children home in January 2020, the same month that China closed down due to its zero-COVID policy and have been waiting for over four and a ha]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chinas-new-adoption-policy-leaves-children-in-the-balance/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chinas-new-adoption-policy-leaves-children-in-the-balance/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Acceptance Stage of Lost Evangelical Influence]]></title><description><![CDATA[American Christianity is in cultural and political decline. In 1937, 70 percent of Americans reported that they belonged to a church. These numbers held relatively steady through much of the 20th century. But in the past 25 years, an estimated 40 million Americans have stopped attending church. As Ernest Hemingway said, bankruptcy comes gradually and then suddenly.The American public square, previously white and Protestant, is quickly becoming a pluralistic bazaar of diverse cultures, religions,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-acceptance-stage-of-lost-evangelical-influence/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-acceptance-stage-of-lost-evangelical-influence/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Joseph and the Unintended Authoritarian Politics]]></title><description><![CDATA[As an Old Testament scholar, I&rsquo;ve been spending much of my time writing a commentary on Exodus. And as I worked through the first chapter, considering the predicament of the enslaved Hebrews in Egypt, it hit me: The exploitation of the Israelites was made possible by the drastic administrative policies Joseph implemented during the years of famine. The descendants of Jacob had arrived in Egypt under the (somewhat) mutually beneficial arrangements Joseph had made with the support of the pre]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/joseph-and-the-unintended-authoritarian-politics/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/joseph-and-the-unintended-authoritarian-politics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Had a Horrific Childhood. I’m Glad I Exist.]]></title><description><![CDATA[It is midnight, and my phone is ringing. Blinking the sleep out of my eyes, I roll over to see my older sister&rsquo;s name flashing across the screen.&ldquo;Hello?&rdquo;My sister says nothing at first. She is crying. The sound jolts me awake.&ldquo;Are you okay?&rdquo; I ask.Finally, she speaks: &ldquo;I killed my baby.&rdquo;Shock lodges itself in my throat. My sister&rsquo;s pain is suddenly in my chest, crushing my heart against my rib cage. I scramble down the bunk bed ladder, my feet slip]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-had-a-horrific-childhood-im-glad-i-exist/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-had-a-horrific-childhood-im-glad-i-exist/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Talk About God and Politics in Polarized Times]]></title><description><![CDATA[How do we talk about Big Things when it seems so risky? It feels hard these days to even mention Jesus in conversation when we are faced with hostility toward Christianity. As faith is declining in the West, how will people find Christ if we can&rsquo;t talk about him with nonbelieving friends and family? Our churches, families, and communities often feel so polarized we can&rsquo;t talk about politics or values either.So we&rsquo;re understandably wary of talking about God or Christ or politics]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-talk-about-god-and-politics-in-polarized-times/</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-talk-about-god-and-politics-in-polarized-times/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Andar Ismail, Prolific Writer Who Made Theology Simple]]></title><description><![CDATA[Andar Ismail, a prolific Christian writer who distilled theological truths into short stories accessible to ordinary Indonesians, died of congestive heart failure on August 25. He was 84.From 1981 to 2022, the pastor and seminary professor wrote 33 books, each containing 33 short stories, for his Selamat series. Ismail described his literary style as gado-gado (&ldquo;hodgepodge&rdquo;)&mdash;after an Indonesian dish with mixed vegetables and peanut sauce&mdash;because the stories were an amalga]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-andar-ismail-prolific-writer-who-made-theology-simple/</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-andar-ismail-prolific-writer-who-made-theology-simple/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[China Ends International Adoptions, Leaving Hundreds of Cases in Limbo]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Chinese government has officially ended its international adoption program, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced Thursday, ending hopes for hundreds of US families who were matched with children before the COVID-19 pandemic but had adoptions put on hold in 2020.Karla Thrasher, senior director of international adoptions at Lifeline Children&rsquo;s Services based in Birmingham, said the announcement was shocking to the adoption agency and to its 48 families who were matched with C]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/china-ends-international-adoptions-leaving-hundreds-of-cases-in-limbo/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 14:10:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/china-ends-international-adoptions-leaving-hundreds-of-cases-in-limbo/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Take Me Out to Something Bigger Than a Ballgame]]></title><description><![CDATA[In 1929, a Kansas preacher named Charles Sheldon had to get something off his chest.Best known as the author of In His Steps (1896)&mdash;a novel that encouraged Christians to ask, &ldquo;What would Jesus do?&rdquo;&mdash;Sheldon reflected on a recent experience during a stormy winter night in Topeka. Most of the town was shut down that evening. But there was one exception: the local college&rsquo;s basketball arena. There, the scheduled game took place, and fans packed the gymnasium to the raft]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/take-me-out-to-something-bigger-than-a-ballgame/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/take-me-out-to-something-bigger-than-a-ballgame/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Public School Can Be a Training Ground for Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[Depending on your circles, mentioning &ldquo;public school&rdquo; may elicit strong reactions. Many Christians in America avidly allege its degeneracy, while many others fiercely defend its merits. And although this debate isn&rsquo;t new, it has come back to the foreground of our public life in recent years.Last month, for example, a video went around in which actor Kirk Cameron&nbsp;described&nbsp;Christian parents who send their children to public school as &ldquo;subcontract[ing their] paren]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/public-school-can-be-a-training-ground-for-faith/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/public-school-can-be-a-training-ground-for-faith/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Boomers: Serve Like Your Whole Life Is Ahead of You]]></title><description><![CDATA[Not long ago, I visited my 99-year-old father and 97-year-old mother. My dad had just passed his driver&rsquo;s test again, and a year before that, he published yet another book. He told me he wants to take up painting again. Then, with a mischievous look in his eye, my dad turned to me, a 60-something baby boomer, and said, &ldquo;Son, what are you going to do with yourself? You&rsquo;ve got your whole life ahead of you!&rdquo;A hundred years ago, this kind of comment would have seemed nonsensi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/boomers-serve-like-your-whole-life-is-ahead-of-you/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/boomers-serve-like-your-whole-life-is-ahead-of-you/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bangladeshi Christians and Hindus Advocate for a Secular Country]]></title><description><![CDATA[Amid a spike in violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh, a national council of Buddhists, Hindus and Christians is renewing a campaign for the Muslim-majority South Asian nation to remove Islam as the state religion.&nbsp;In mid-July, student-led protests demanding reform of the country&rsquo;s job quota system turned violent, culminating in the collapse of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s government on August 5. After Hasina&rsquo;s resignation, the anger aimed at her gov]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bangladeshi-christians-and-hindus-advocate-for-a-secular-country/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bangladeshi-christians-and-hindus-advocate-for-a-secular-country/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Find Common Ground When You Disagree About the Common Good]]></title><description><![CDATA[How do Christians live faithfully and as good neighbors in a world we don&rsquo;t control?In 2020, Tim Keller and I coedited a book titled&nbsp;Uncommon Ground. Our project convened a group of evangelical and evangelical-adjacent friends to reflect&mdash;as the subtitle said&mdash;on how Christians can live faithfully in a world of difference.&nbsp;Since then, however, I&rsquo;ve rephrased the question for my own work. We should be faithful, yes, but also neighborly. And our world is not just ho]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-find-common-ground-when-you-disagree-about-the-common-good/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-find-common-ground-when-you-disagree-about-the-common-good/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelical Broadcasters Sue Over IRS Ban on Political Endorsements]]></title><description><![CDATA[A group of evangelical broadcasters who hosted&nbsp;Donald Trump at their national conference earlier this year are suing the Internal Revenue Service over the so-called Johnson Amendment, a tax law that bars nonprofits from supporting political candidates.Lawyers for the National Religious Broadcasters, along with two Baptist churches and a conservative group called Intercessors for America, argue in their suit that the ban on engaging in politics restricts their freedom of speech and freedom o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-broadcasters-sue-over-irs-ban-on-political-endorsements/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-broadcasters-sue-over-irs-ban-on-political-endorsements/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Being a Church of Good Repute]]></title><description><![CDATA[The church desperately needs both good gospel works and good gospel workers for the Good News message. The apostle in his letter to Titus makes a clear connection between faith and practice. Why is this so important? Our faithful obedience to God&rsquo;s word ensures that &ldquo;in everything,&rdquo; we can &ldquo;adorn the doctrine of God our Savior&rdquo; (Titus 2:10, ESV throughout).Evangelistic churches know the place of good works in Good News proclamation. Because Jesus has cleansed us and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/being-a-church-of-good-repute/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/being-a-church-of-good-repute/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Triumphalism After Dobbs Was a Mistake]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&rsquo;ve been in the pro-life movement for 40 years. My wife founded the Austin Crisis Pregnancy Center (ACPC) in 1984 and later chaired the national umbrella group for such centers, Care Net. I chaired the ACPC for a while and later chaired meetings of pro-life leaders in Washington, DC.We&rsquo;ve also personally helped unmarried women unhappily surprised by pregnancy. One lived with us for nine months, during which time she gave birth. Another got married in our living room and also gave bi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/triumphalism-after-dobbs-was-a-mistake/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/triumphalism-after-dobbs-was-a-mistake/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Deep in the Heart of Megachurch Country, Dallas Mourns a Summer of Pastor Scandals]]></title><description><![CDATA[On a recent Sunday morning, Gateway Church, one of the largest nondenominational megachurches in the United States, sprang to life.Golf carts ferried people from distant parking spaces to the front door. The airport-terminal-sized campus in Southlake, just outside of Dallas, filled with people.They purchased coffees from the caf&eacute; in the lobby, and children played in the two-story indoor playground. In the service, cameras on booms dipped to grab shots over the crowd as the worship band le]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/deep-in-the-heart-of-megachurch-country-dallas-mourns-a-summer-of-pastor-scandals/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/deep-in-the-heart-of-megachurch-country-dallas-mourns-a-summer-of-pastor-scandals/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Formation for the ‘Toolbelt Generation’ ]]></title><description><![CDATA[I always assumed my sons would go to college. My husband and I were indelibly formed by our own college years of deep reading, endless discussion, and applying what we&rsquo;d learned in the classroom to our faith and the world. University life helped us grow toward being &ldquo;as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves&rdquo; (Matt. 10:16), renewed for the service of God (Rom. 12:2). I expected my children would begin adulthood the same way.But in his junior year of high school, our oldest s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-formation-for-the-toolbelt-generation/</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Sep 2024 07:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-formation-for-the-toolbelt-generation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[German Pastor to Pay for Anti-LGBTQ Statements]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nearly five years after a German pastor sparked controversy with comments about homosexuality, the legal dispute appears to be over with a settlement of 5,000 euros (about $5,550 USD).Olaf Latzel, pastor of a conservative congregation in the state-privileged Protestant Church, called homosexuality &ldquo;degenerative&rdquo; and &ldquo;demonic.&rdquo; He condemned what he called the &ldquo;hobbylobby&rdquo; and slammed &ldquo;these criminals&rdquo; at a Berlin LGBTQ pride celebration, &ldquo;runn]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/german-pastor-to-pay-for-anti-lgbtq-statements/</link><pubDate>Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:04:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/german-pastor-to-pay-for-anti-lgbtq-statements/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Should Christians Across Denominations Be Singing the Same Songs?]]></title><description><![CDATA[If you feel like it&rsquo;s hard to keep up with the cascade of new worship music, you&rsquo;re not alone. The industry is producing new releases at a quicker clip, and the typical lifespan of a worship song&mdash;the time a song remains in regular rotation for church worship teams&mdash;has shortened.&nbsp;Faced with a seemingly endless supply of new music, worship leaders are looking for ways to incorporate new music without skipping over the process of discerning whether the style and message]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-christians-across-denominations-be-singing-the-same-songs/</link><pubDate>Fri, 30 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-christians-across-denominations-be-singing-the-same-songs/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rwanda Explains Why It Closed Thousands of Churches. Again.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rwanda has shut down almost 10,000 places of worship in the past two months, and now its president has proposed making churches pay taxes on their income.The country&rsquo;s crackdown on houses of worship comes as part of an ongoing push to protect Rwandans from church corruption and fraud and to ensure that their buildings meet certain physical standards.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Just weeks after winning his fourth term, President Paul Kagame condemned &ldquo;mushrooming churches&rdquo; that &ldquo;squ]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rwanda-explains-why-it-closed-thousands-of-churches-again/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2024 20:01:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rwanda-explains-why-it-closed-thousands-of-churches-again/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Activist Lila Rose Under Fire for Suggesting Trump Hasn’t Earned the Pro-Life Vote]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t stand for pro-life principles, you don&rsquo;t get pro-life votes.&rdquo;That&rsquo;s what Lila Rose, a leading pro-life activist, posted Monday on social media, in response to the latest move from Donald Trump&rsquo;s campaign to moderate its stance on abortion.It&rsquo;s the line that put her at the center of controversy this week, with Trump supporters blaming her for jeopardizing the GOP ticket and calling her a grifter. The clash spurred further debate over what co]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/activist-lila-rose-under-fire-for-suggesting-trump-hasnt-earned-the-pro-life-vote/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2024 18:10:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/activist-lila-rose-under-fire-for-suggesting-trump-hasnt-earned-the-pro-life-vote/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What to Watch for in ‘Rings of Power’ Season 2]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, season 2, are out August 29 on Amazon Prime. Christianity Today asked three writers to screen the season in advance and identify a theme for fans to keep in mind as they watch.Evil in disguise&ldquo;Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light,&rdquo; warns the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 11:14). So too in J. R. R. Tolkien&rsquo;s mythology does the dark lord Sauron sometimes appear in &ldquo;fair form.&rdquo; In the guise of nobility,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-to-watch-for-in-rings-of-power-season-2/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-to-watch-for-in-rings-of-power-season-2/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Christian Colleges Will Close. Can They Finish Well?]]></title><description><![CDATA[On June 25, 2024,&nbsp;Eastern Nazarene College announced&nbsp;that it will close at the end of the year. I specify the date because it matters: The news came well after faculty members had begun planning syllabi and courses for the fall semester. To say this was a bombshell for them and their students is an understatement. Six months&rsquo; notice might be long in other contexts, but in academia, it&rsquo;s scandalously brief.This story is not unique among Christian colleges, and it raises an i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-christian-colleges-will-close-can-they-finish-well/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-christian-colleges-will-close-can-they-finish-well/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Choose This (Labor) Day Whom You Will Serve]]></title><description><![CDATA[Next week&rsquo;s Labor Day holiday honors the contributions workers make to society and celebrates the power and goodness of human work. But the historical roots of the holiday&mdash;which is grounded in advocacy against horrific working conditions, including those faced by child laborers&mdash;reminds us that work can also be awful.Recent research bears witness to both sides of this reality. Studies demonstrate how employment makes a significant contribution to well-being in ways that go beyon]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/choose-this-labor-day-whom-you-will-serve/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/choose-this-labor-day-whom-you-will-serve/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When to Respond to Slander (and When to Ignore It)]]></title><description><![CDATA[This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s&nbsp;newsletter. Subscribe&nbsp;here.Not long ago, a woman told me about a conflict she was having with a fellow member of her church. Conflict might be the wrong word, since it seemed mostly one-sided. The woman said that the other church member was telling falsehoods about her in hallway conversations and social media groups.&ldquo;You seem to mostly ignore it when people lie about you,&rdquo; the woman said to me. &ldquo;Is that because it wou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-to-respond-to-slander-and-when-to-ignore-it/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 Aug 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-to-respond-to-slander-and-when-to-ignore-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[It Is Not Best for Man to Eat Alone]]></title><description><![CDATA[When the waiter brought out my long-awaited high tea that day, I didn&rsquo;t expect I&rsquo;d still be grieving it decades later.<br />
I was 21 and enjoying my first &ldquo;real&rdquo; spring break during a debt-building week away in London. After years of devouring chaste romances set in England, I&rsquo;d learned that Harrods was the best place to experience the glories of scones, clotted cream, and tiny sandwiches, all served on tiers of gleaming china and, of course, washed down with hot tea. So]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/it-is-not-best-for-man-to-eat-alone/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/it-is-not-best-for-man-to-eat-alone/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[David Bentley Hart’s Brain-Breaking Argument for the Supremacy of the Mind]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a beautiful garden in perfect bloom, existing somewhere outside of time and place. There, four pagan gods have gathered together for an intense, six-day Platonic symposium about the nature of the mind and the spiritual world (after which they will rest on the seventh day).This in a nutshell is the setting and the organizational premise, old and new all at once, of David Bentley Hart&rsquo;s new book, All Things Are Full of Gods: The Mysteries of Mind and Life. Hart, an Eastern Orthodox]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/david-bentley-harts-brain-breaking-argument-for-the-supremacy-of-the-mind/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/david-bentley-harts-brain-breaking-argument-for-the-supremacy-of-the-mind/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kristyn Getty: Joni Eareckson Tada Got Me Singing]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the famed disability advocate nears 50 years of ministry, a friend reflects on her legacy.It&rsquo;s said you should never meet your heroes. But Joni Eareckson Tada is different.I first heard Joni speak when I was 15 years old, sitting in the balcony level of the Waterfront Hall in Belfast. I had heard her story from my mom. I had watched the movie about her life. I knew that she had been in a wheelchair for decades as the result of a teenage diving accident. I had read about how she continue]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kristyn-getty-joni-eareckson-tada-got-me-singing/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kristyn-getty-joni-eareckson-tada-got-me-singing/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[19 Christian Para Athletes to Root For at the Paris 2024 Paralympics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Meet Paralympians from around the world who are unashamed of the gospel.Around 4,400 Para athletes will vie for victory in 22 sports at the summer Paralympics, which run from August 28 to September 8 in Paris.The Paralympics use a system of classification to ensure that Para athletes competing in the same category have &ldquo;similar functional abilities in terms of movement, coordination and balance.&rdquo; Each class includes a letter representing the sport (like S for swimming) and a number (]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/19-christian-para-athletes-to-root-for-at-the-paris-2024-paralympics/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/19-christian-para-athletes-to-root-for-at-the-paris-2024-paralympics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nicaragua Taxes Tithes After Closing 1,500 Churches and Nonprofits]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hundreds of evangelical ministries lose legal status as Ortega regime confiscates assets and imposes up to 30 percent fee on offerings.A series of policies recently enacted by the Nicaraguan government will significantly impact the activities of churches and ministries operating in the country.Viewed by religious freedom specialists as an effort to increase the state&rsquo;s control over religious institutions, the measures impose taxes on tithes and offerings while mandating that organizations]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nicaragua-taxes-tithes-after-closing-1500-churches-and-nonprofits/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 18:50:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nicaragua-taxes-tithes-after-closing-1500-churches-and-nonprofits/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[South Africa’s Brain Drain Takes Wealthy Tithers from Churches]]></title><description><![CDATA[An exodus of educated and generous families has pinched ministry budgets&mdash;and threatened the lavish lifestyles of mega-rich pastors.<br />
In the last two decades, over 400,000 South Africans have left their country to set up a new life abroad in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. They are mostly highly educated and highly skilled young families looking to escape crime and economic decay at home.This exodus has prompted authorities to warn that South Africa&rsquo;s t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/south-africas-brain-drain-takes-wealthy-tithers-from-churches/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/south-africas-brain-drain-takes-wealthy-tithers-from-churches/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Nightmares and Daydreams’ Fuses Jakarta’s Social Ills with the Supernatural]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Indonesian series by Joko Anwar reveals the horror of a spirit-filled world without a savior.Indonesia is an enchanted culture full of folklore involving ghosts, demons, and djinns (shape-shifting spirits from Arabian and Muslim mythology).These stories usually involve a moral of some kind: Do not leave a house unattended, for this invites the dwelling of demons. Always respect the elderly, lest they return to haunt you. Settle squabbles within your family, or their spirit will fail to trans]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nightmares-and-daydreams-fuses-jakartas-social-ills-with-the-supernatural/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nightmares-and-daydreams-fuses-jakartas-social-ills-with-the-supernatural/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[God Calls Me to Give. But to Everyone?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A missionary's framework for generosity.A few years ago, a widow approached a church in Uganda to ask for help. After discussing her situation, the church council recommended they give her food. The pastor, however, encouraged the leaders to first find out about her family situation.After speaking with her relatives, the council discovered that her children were well off, but refused to take care of the widow because of a family argument. So the pastor organized a reconciliation meeting. The chi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-calls-me-to-give-but-to-everyone/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-calls-me-to-give-but-to-everyone/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[It’s a Theological World After All]]></title><description><![CDATA[We need trained theologians to help us think through ideological and ethical questions in light of God&rsquo;s Word and world.It&rsquo;s no secret that theological education is in a state of crisis today. In recent years, faculty layoffs and the downsizing of evangelical seminaries and Christian colleges in the make it hard to overstate the grimness of the prognosis.Yet as a theologian myself, I find this troubling trend to be a symptom of a larger problem: There&rsquo;s a growing sense, at leas]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-a-theological-world-after-all/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-a-theological-world-after-all/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How a TikTok Trad Wife Decodes Our Cultural Moment]]></title><description><![CDATA[A viral video reminds us that God works through disciples, not edgelords.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Sometimes, a viral video can explain a cultural moment better than a stack of sociology journals. This is one of those times. Standup comedian Josh Johnson expertly explained the ironies of the recent double-cancellation of a racist-talking TikTok &ldquo;trad wife.&rdquo; His larger point is one we need to hear right now.Johnson explained in his se]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-tiktok-trad-wife-decodes-our-cultural-moment/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-tiktok-trad-wife-decodes-our-cultural-moment/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nearly Half of the World’s Migrants Are Christian]]></title><description><![CDATA[With few nones entering the US, religious immigrants are stalling secularization.The world&rsquo;s 280 million immigrants have greater shares of Christians, Muslims, and Jews than the general population, according to a new Pew Research Center study released Monday.&ldquo;You see migrants coming to places like the US, Canada, different places through Western Europe, and being more religious&mdash;and sometimes more Christian in particular&mdash;than the native-born people in those countries,&rdqu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nearly-half-of-the-worlds-migrants-are-christian/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nearly-half-of-the-worlds-migrants-are-christian/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Love Your Local Public School]]></title><description><![CDATA[Even if you have kids in private education&mdash;or no kids at all&mdash;you can be the hands and feet of Christ on campus.Recent years have seen a large shift away from public education in America. Beyond private school options, charter schools are popping up across the country, and homeschool curriculum options are expanding. As a public school teacher and a Christian, I&rsquo;ve empathized with friends as they pray and toil over the weighty, complex question of how to educate their kids.I bel]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-love-your-local-public-school/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-love-your-local-public-school/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Our Anger Era: Too Many Americans Stay Enraged Rather than Seeking Help]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian counselors wish more people would acknowledge their rage in a boiling cultural moment.More Americans than ever are seeking help for mental health issues like depression and anxiety. But they seem to be avoiding help for another emotion, even though it comes up across life stages and can be destructive: anger.Current events have fanned the flame of wrath even more. Like many Americans, Nycole DeLaVara has seen angry conversations about the news invade her church life&mdash;especially ov]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-our-anger-era-too-many-americans-stay-enraged-rather-than-seeking-help/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-our-anger-era-too-many-americans-stay-enraged-rather-than-seeking-help/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Angry Enough to Turn Tables? It Might Not Be Righteous Zeal.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian counselor Brad Hambrick talks about how we deal with our own fury in heated times.<br />
Brad Hambrick oversees counseling ministries at Summit Church, a North Carolina church with 14 campuses and about 13,000 in attendance. He also teaches biblical counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of books like Angry with God.How do you distinguish between good and bad anger?All anger says two things: &ldquo;This is wrong, and it matters.&rdquo; In the interpersonal]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/angry-enough-to-turn-tables-it-might-not-be-righteous-zeal/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/angry-enough-to-turn-tables-it-might-not-be-righteous-zeal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christians Are Peculiar, and That’s Okay]]></title><description><![CDATA[I joined Christianity Today not as a trite multicultural experiment but to contribute to the wonderful weirdness of building the kingdom.The word weird is weirdly being thrown around by politicians as if it&rsquo;s an official political critique. Once that label is hurled at someone, they return to middle school ethics and recite the gospel of rubber and glue. Most people don&rsquo;t want to be weird.However, I can&rsquo;t help but think of the strange predicaments that Yahweh has put his people]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-are-peculiar-and-thats-okay/</link><pubDate>Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-are-peculiar-and-thats-okay/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[For Missionaries, Mental Health Feels Like a Burden and a Liability]]></title><description><![CDATA[How sending agencies are trying to bring overseas workers off the perfect Christian &ldquo;pedestal&rdquo; and into a counseling chair.The long-standing stigma around mental health care has faded from many American churches, but has the shift made its way to the ends of the earth?When you&rsquo;re an overseas missionary, a season of deep depression, panic attacks, or chronic anxiety can seem to put your ministry in jeopardy, keeping you from the work you are being called and paid to do.Yet missi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-missionaries-mental-health-feels-like-a-burden-and-a-liability/</link><pubDate>Mon, 19 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-missionaries-mental-health-feels-like-a-burden-and-a-liability/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bangladesh’s Religious Minorities Want Peace Amid Country’s Turmoil]]></title><description><![CDATA[While Hindus publicly confront mob violence against their community, Christians are apprehensive about speaking out.Bangladesh&rsquo;s religious minorities have reported looting, arson, and vandalization following Sheikh Hasina&rsquo;s abrupt resignation as prime minister last month.Thousands of young people first took to the streets in June to protest a court ruling that reinstated a civil service quota system many found discriminatory and exclusive. But after Hasina insulted protesters, demons]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bangladeshs-religious-minorities-want-peace-amid-countrys-turmoil/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2024 21:46:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bangladeshs-religious-minorities-want-peace-amid-countrys-turmoil/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Zealand Uncovers Historic Abuse in Church-Run Institutions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Survivors, advocates, and pastors call for &ldquo;true repentance&rdquo; among religious groups that ran schools and homes between 1950 and 1999.Not long after Frances Tagaloa accepted Christ at 16, she started experiencing flashbacks.Over the next few years, Tagaloa began piecing together long-buried memories and came to recognize that she had been sexually abused between the ages of five and seven by a Catholic Marist Brother who taught at a school in the Auckland suburb of Ponsonby.Tagaloa on]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-zealand-uncovers-historic-abuse-in-church-run-institutions/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-zealand-uncovers-historic-abuse-in-church-run-institutions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The UK Race Riots Need the Voices of Returned Missionaries]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m a missiologist and a migrant who lives in Liverpool. Can Christians who have served overseas stand up for my community?Though born in Malawi, for the past eight years, I have made Liverpool my home. In this UK port city where, for centuries, millions of immigrants have passed through and at times settled, the vibrant migrant community is small but connected. Each June, for instance, we celebrate the Africa Oy&eacute; festival, a live music event that draws tens of thousands to the city]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-uk-race-riots-need-the-voices-of-returned-missionaries/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Aug 2024 08:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-uk-race-riots-need-the-voices-of-returned-missionaries/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Timothy Dudley-Smith, Who Turned Metrical Poetry into Hundreds of Hymns]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Church of England minister wrote &ldquo;Tell Out, My Soul,&rdquo; &ldquo;Lord, for the Years,&rdquo; &ldquo;Sing a New Song,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Faithful Vigil Ended.&rdquo;Timothy Dudley-Smith, author of &ldquo;Tell Out, My Soul,&rdquo; &ldquo;Lord, for the Years,&rdquo; &ldquo;Sing a New Song,&rdquo; and more than 400 other hymns, died in Cambridge, England, on August 12. He was 97.Dudley-Smith was a Church of England bishop, serving as the suffragan, or assistant bishop, of Thetford in Norw]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-timothy-dudley-smith-who-turned-metrical-poetry-into-hundreds-of-hymns/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 18:25:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-timothy-dudley-smith-who-turned-metrical-poetry-into-hundreds-of-hymns/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Philly Pastor: Church Parking Can Be a ‘Stumbling Block’ in the Bike Lane]]></title><description><![CDATA[A PCA congregation gives up their Sunday spots after weeks of protests from cyclists.<br />
If all goes well, worshippers at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia will be able to park on the streets near the church in peace.They just may have to walk a little bit farther to do so.Earlier this week, after months of protest by Philly Bike Action, a local association of cyclists, the church decided to give up a city permit that allowed congregants to park on the street outside the building. Those tem]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/philly-pastor-church-parking-can-be-a-stumbling-block-in-the-bike-lane/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/philly-pastor-church-parking-can-be-a-stumbling-block-in-the-bike-lane/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Zimbabwe, Secular Education Is Overtaking Historic Mission Schools]]></title><description><![CDATA[The private school boom corresponds with a bigger move away from colonial-era denominations.Neville Mlambo, 65, a retired missionary, shakes his head. His United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (UCCZ) church had educated some of the finest Black ministers, CEOs, bishops, and judges in the last 100 years when Western colonialism and the church landed together in Zimbabwe.&ldquo;Colonial church-owned schools were prestigious. They groomed the cream of Black army commanders or city mayors,&rdquo; said]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-zimbabwe-secular-education-is-overtaking-historic-mission-schools/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-zimbabwe-secular-education-is-overtaking-historic-mission-schools/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Pastor Led 400 to Starve, Some Kenyan Christians Open to Church Restrictions]]></title><description><![CDATA[The local evangelical alliance that fought government proposals in 2016 now says it supports regulations to prevent a future Shakahola.A year after more than 400 members of a Christian sect starved to death in eastern Kenya&rsquo;s Shakahola forest, a Kenyan task force is calling for policy regulations it hopes will allow the government to better balance religious liberty and human rights.Paul Mackenzie, who led Shakahola&rsquo;s Good News International Church, is still in custody awaiting the o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-pastor-led-400-to-starve-some-kenyan-christians-open-to-church-restrictions/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-pastor-led-400-to-starve-some-kenyan-christians-open-to-church-restrictions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why the American Church Can’t Fix Loneliness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Broken bonds and burned bridges can&rsquo;t be mended by imaginary networks of relationships.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.I don&rsquo;t know how to say, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m lonely,&rsquo; without sounding like I&rsquo;m saying, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m a loser,&rsquo;&rdquo; a middle-aged man said to me not long ago. &ldquo;And I don&rsquo;t know how to say it without sounding like I&rsquo;m an ungrateful Christian.&rdquo;After all, this man said, he&rsquo;s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-the-american-church-cant-fix-loneliness/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-the-american-church-cant-fix-loneliness/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wanted: No Visa Issues, Fast Wi-Fi, and a Ballroom that Inspires Intimacy with God]]></title><description><![CDATA[Global Christian organizations scour the world in search of the best conference sites.This September, about 5,000 Christians will assemble in Incheon, South Korea, for the Lausanne Movement&rsquo;s Fourth Congress on World Evangelization. Some of them wish Lausanne had picked a location with a better exchange rate and lower hotel prices near the conference venue.However, local costs are just one of many considerations when global Christian organizations select a conference site. Beyond the commo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wanted-no-visa-issues-fast-wi-fi-and-a-ballroom-that-inspires-intimacy-with-god/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wanted-no-visa-issues-fast-wi-fi-and-a-ballroom-that-inspires-intimacy-with-god/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[N.T. Wright: What Jesus Would Say to the ‘Empire’ Today]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Jesus and the Powers, cowritten with Michael F. Bird, calls Christians into the political sphere.In a year seeing over 50 countries at the polls&mdash;half of which could shift geopolitical dynamics&mdash;the timing of Jesus and the Powers&rsquo; release was no accident.A few years ago, N. T. Wright (author of Surprised by Hope) and Michael F. Bird (Jesus Among the Gods)&mdash;who had collaborated on The New Testament in Its World&mdash;realized there was a lack of biblical guidance on how C]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nt-wright-what-jesus-would-say-to-the-empire-today/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nt-wright-what-jesus-would-say-to-the-empire-today/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some Evangelicals Are Leaving Protestantism for Other Traditions]]></title><description><![CDATA[A number of high-profile Christians have converted to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. What is driving them away?In recent decades, there has been a significant and sustained trend of Protestants converting to Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The most notable figure recently is J. D. Vance, the vice-presidential running mate of former president Donald Trump.But he&rsquo;s not alone. Vance is just one name in the growing list of high-profile, theologically conservative Christians]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-evangelicals-are-leaving-protestantism-for-other-traditions/</link><pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-evangelicals-are-leaving-protestantism-for-other-traditions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Anxious Generation&amp;mdash;of Parents]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus told us not to worry, but worry is our culture&rsquo;s parenting default. It&rsquo;s harming our kids.As my daughter dangled 10 feet above the ground, legs wrapped around the thick, smooth trunk of a vine in the middle of the Belizean jungle, I stood below her and considered how far she was from solid ground, a paved road, and the nearest hospital.Needless to say, this had not been on my agenda for the day. We were visiting a small village on a mission trip to western Belize with friends f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-anxious-generationampmdashof-parents/</link><pubDate>Tue, 13 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-anxious-generationampmdashof-parents/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some Churches Lose Coverage as Insurers Hit by a Wave of Storm Claims]]></title><description><![CDATA[Natural disaster costs have overwhelmed the market for carriers, which are raising rates or dropping policies for congregations in high-risk areas.<br />
John Parks was taking his first sabbatical in 40 years of ministry when he got a call from his church&rsquo;s accountant with some bad news.Church Mutual, the church&rsquo;s insurance company, had dropped them.&ldquo;This does not make sense,&rdquo; Parks, the pastor of Ashford Community Church in Houston, recalls thinking at the time. &ldquo;We&rsqu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-churches-lose-coverage-as-insurers-hit-by-a-wave-of-storm-claims/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-churches-lose-coverage-as-insurers-hit-by-a-wave-of-storm-claims/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Homeschooling for the Common Good]]></title><description><![CDATA[I never thought I&rsquo;d be a homeschool parent, not least because I support public education. An improbable shift changed my perspective.I am an educator. I believe in the good of education for everyone and that public schools should be amply funded and resourced. I believe in contributing to the common good even when it doesn&rsquo;t directly benefit me. And in the summer of 2020, my wife and I found ourselves in what I&rsquo;d once have called a most improbable situation: We became homeschoo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/homeschooling-for-the-common-good/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Aug 2024 12:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/homeschooling-for-the-common-good/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Watching the Olympics as a French Christian]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelical leader Erwan Cloarec shares his reactions to the opening ceremony, why he is enjoying the games, and how he hopes the church is seizing the moment to live out its faith.On Sunday, at the start of the second week of the Olympics, France won its 44th medal, surpassing its previous record total for a modern Olympics. Few might have predicted either the country&rsquo;s extraordinary athletic success or the this national joy, which seemed in short supply after contentious snap national e]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/watching-the-olympics-as-a-french-christian/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/watching-the-olympics-as-a-french-christian/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Olympics’ Most Iconic Photo Has a Christian Message]]></title><description><![CDATA[The raised index finger of levitating surfer Gabriel Medina is the latest sign that sports success has made Brazilian evangelicals less marginalized and more confident.<br />
There&rsquo;s a hidden Christian message behind what may be the most celebrated image of the 2024 Olympics.On July 29, in round three of the shortboard surfing competition, Brazil&rsquo;s Gabriel Medina faced off against Japan&rsquo;s Kanoa Igarashi, who eliminated Medina in the last Olympics. In his second wave, Medina emerged f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-olympics-most-iconic-photo-has-a-christian-message/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-olympics-most-iconic-photo-has-a-christian-message/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Doris Brougham, Missionary Who Taught English to Taiwan]]></title><description><![CDATA[For more than 70 years, Brougham used Studio Classroom and her trumpet to introduce Taiwan to Jesus.Doris Brougham, an American missionary, who for 70 years used English and music to share Christ with millions of Taiwanese people, died Tuesday at the age of 98.Through radio, television, magazines, live performances, and in-person classes, Brougham&rsquo;s organization Overseas Radio &amp; Television (ORTV) taught everyone from dignitaries to middle school students how to speak English. At the sa]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-doris-brougham-missionary-who-taught-english-to-taiwan/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-doris-brougham-missionary-who-taught-english-to-taiwan/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Churches Lose When They Fight like the World Fights]]></title><description><![CDATA[A journalist counts the cost of prolonged cultural conflict in the life of one fractured congregation.By now, you&rsquo;ve seen the statistics. In the United States, churches are shrinking. Christian belief is waning. &ldquo;Nones&rdquo; comprise a greater share of the population than Protestants or Catholics. And the trendlines don&rsquo;t look good.By now, you&rsquo;ve also seen the explanations&mdash;many of them published in the pages of Christianity Today. Leadership crises, denominational]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-churches-lose-when-they-fight-like-the-world-fights/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-churches-lose-when-they-fight-like-the-world-fights/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Top Christian Highlights of the Paris Olympics]]></title><description><![CDATA[How athletes are sharing their faith and pointing to God. (Updated whenever we get another good story.)For most spectators, the Olympics are a display of the highest level of athletic skill. But for many Christian athletes, they provide an opportunity to express their faith to each other and to the world. Below are some of the most memorable moments of Christian expression at the Paris Olympics.This post will be updated throughout the Olympics. If you see a story you want highlighted, feel free]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-top-christian-highlights-of-the-paris-olympics/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-top-christian-highlights-of-the-paris-olympics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Cannot Lie Your Way to the Truth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Falsehoods are easy to tell in politics, and they can even creep into the church. But nothing takes us farther from the Truth himself.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.When Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate this week, some people took to social media to contrast him with his Republican counterpart, J. D. Vance. Lots of those contrasts were fair game&mdash;that of a former high school coach ve]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-cannot-lie-your-way-to-the-truth/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-cannot-lie-your-way-to-the-truth/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Evangelical Diploma Divide]]></title><description><![CDATA[How a new class division burst into American evangelicalism&mdash;and what it means for church unity.The United States is now in the throes of the politics of class division, and American evangelicalism is no exception.College-educated evangelical Christians may be the least prepared for this new class-based polarization, because it doesn&rsquo;t break along old class fault lines. As recently as two decades ago, social class in the US was primarily determined by income or wealth, &ldquo;haves&rd]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-evangelical-diploma-divide/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-evangelical-diploma-divide/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Why Changes to India’s Colonial Criminal Code Concern Christians]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Supreme Court lawyer on how recent legal reforms could affect the country&rsquo;s minorities.On June 23, authorities arrested Sarju Prasad, a pastor in Uttar Pradesh, for conducting Sunday worship in his house. Earlier that day, two Hindu men, one claiming to be a journalist, had entered his house during the morning service and taken photographs.That evening, two policemen detained Prasad on charges of plans to commit cognizable offenses. However, their explanations only came out later; at the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-why-changes-to-indias-colonial-criminal-code-concern-christians/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-why-changes-to-indias-colonial-criminal-code-concern-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Read the Bible in Color]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why a group of multi-ethnic editors began working on a new commentary of the New Testament.I was sitting in a coffee shop, books taking up too much space on the tiny table in front of me, bemoaning the lack of attention the academy paid to the Black church and the distinctive interpretative habits of African American church leaders and scholars. My time in religious higher education had signaled, in ways large and small, its belief that the tradition that shaped me had little to say to the rest]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-read-the-bible-in-color/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-read-the-bible-in-color/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gordon College Loses Religious Liberty Case for Loan Forgiveness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelical school sees discrimination in COVID-19 relief fund&rsquo;s employee-counting rules.Gordon College could be on the hook to repay $7 million of COVID-19 relief funds. A federal court rejected eight of the evangelical school&rsquo;s arguments that it should be eligible for loan forgiveness.Gordon&rsquo;s lawyers made the case that the religious liberty protections in the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act should allow the institution to count employees in a differ]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gordon-college-loses-religious-liberty-case-for-loan-forgiveness/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gordon-college-loses-religious-liberty-case-for-loan-forgiveness/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Paris Olympics’ Altar to an Unknown God]]></title><description><![CDATA[The organizers deny their tableau referenced Da Vinci&rsquo;s Last Supper. But the imagery speaks volumes about the spiritual needs of our confused society.The controversy over the Paris Olympics&rsquo; alleged mockery of Leonardo da Vinci&rsquo;s The Last Supper during the opening ceremony takes us all the way back to ancient Greece. Not to Olympia, the site of the original Games, but to Athens, as documented by the evangelist Luke in Acts 17. Then, as now, Christians had to navigate a tragic m]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-paris-olympics-altar-to-an-unknown-god/</link><pubDate>Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-paris-olympics-altar-to-an-unknown-god/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Choctaw Bibles Connect Christians with Lost Heritage]]></title><description><![CDATA[Translation and digitization projects are seeking to revitalize the Indigenous language.Kenny Wallace doesn&rsquo;t have a lot of people to talk to in Choctaw.But he does have a Bible app with a new translation of Scripture in the Indigenous language that his ancestors spoke. And it has an audio sync feature that allows him to listen to the words aloud, to hear how they sound.&ldquo;Sometimes, that&rsquo;s the only Choctaw voice I ever hear,&rdquo; Wallace told CT. &ldquo;Not only is it feeding]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/choctaw-bibles-connect-christians-with-lost-heritage/</link><pubDate>Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/choctaw-bibles-connect-christians-with-lost-heritage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Short History of Parental Rights]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians in America enjoy the right and duty to educate our children as conscience dictates, thanks to a balanced legal tradition.When the COVID-19 pandemic pushed K&ndash;12 schooling online and gave public school parents a new window into how and what their children were learning, a nationwide debate erupted. Public curricula on race, class, and gender and the role of parents in shaping their children&rsquo;s education came under scrutiny as they hadn&rsquo;t for two decades.By 2023, 22 stat]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-short-history-of-parental-rights/</link><pubDate>Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-short-history-of-parental-rights/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why I Left My Professorship to Homeschool My Kids]]></title><description><![CDATA[In a disintegrated, stressful culture, my family has found respite&mdash;and a strengthened faith&mdash;in learning together.The modern life is remarkably compartmentalized. We are family members at home, but all our other roles take us elsewhere, and we must perform them only in strictly designated spaces.Nowhere is this more obvious than in how we handle children and career. We live in a society that is family unfriendly and built on the religion of &ldquo;workism,&rdquo; which places work fir]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-i-left-my-professorship-to-homeschool-my-kids/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-i-left-my-professorship-to-homeschool-my-kids/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Asian American Churches, Generational Differences Deter Young Leaders]]></title><description><![CDATA[Survey: Majority Asian churches are half as likely to have leaders under 30.<br />
One of the first spiritual formation books written for Asian American Christians, released by InterVarsity Press in 1998, is entitled Following Jesus Without Dishonoring Your Parents. Even in its title, the book acknowledges how Asian Americans&rsquo; faith and discipleship are inextricably intertwined with family and culture. Questions of calling, mission, church community, and spiritual practices are often seen throug]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-asian-american-churches-generational-differences-deter-young-leaders/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-asian-american-churches-generational-differences-deter-young-leaders/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Assassination Attempt in Brazil Brought Politics into Churches]]></title><description><![CDATA[Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed a month before the 2018 election. Polarization and Christian nationalism has only grown since then.On September 6, 2018, the eve of Brazil&rsquo;s Independence Day, a crowd of people was carrying Jair Bolsonaro through the streets of Juiz de Fora when a man approached and stabbed the then-presidential candidate in the abdomen.Bolsonaro was rushed to the hospital; the knife had damaged his small intestine and a nearby vein, causing heavy internal]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-assassination-attempt-in-brazil-brought-politics-into-churches/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-assassination-attempt-in-brazil-brought-politics-into-churches/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Wrestling Taught an Olympic Gold Medalist About God]]></title><description><![CDATA[As he prepares for the Paris Olympics, wrestler Kyle Snyder talks about how faith helped him loosen up and love his teammates.<br />
Kyle Snyder, the youngest US wrestler to ever win Olympic gold in 2016, is competing in the Olympics again this year with Team USA, now as a more veteran member of the team.He has many other accolades, including three NCAA championships, two world championships, and a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The top wrestling competitors are the US, Russia, and Iran, whi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-wrestling-taught-an-olympic-gold-medalist-about-god/</link><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-wrestling-taught-an-olympic-gold-medalist-about-god/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[O Say Can You See God in These 5 National Anthems?]]></title><description><![CDATA[At the Paris Olympics, songs from South Africa to Peru will call for divine protection and blessing.Often, the most moving moments of the Olympic Games are when athletes climb onto the podium to receive their gold medals as their country&rsquo;s anthem plays. When Hidilyn Diaz won the women&rsquo;s 55-kilogram class in weightlifting at the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021, it was the Philippines&rsquo; first-ever gold medal in any sport. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she heard her country&rsquo;s n]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/o-say-can-you-see-god-in-these-5-national-anthems/</link><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/o-say-can-you-see-god-in-these-5-national-anthems/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nigerian Church Watches, Prays as Ocean Rises]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ayetoro was founded to be a city on a hill. Now it&rsquo;s facing a watery apocalypse.Thompson Akingboye is old enough to remember a time when the ocean was not a threat to his home in the coastal town of Ayetoro in Nigeria&rsquo;s southwestern Ondo State. That was back in 1997, when he was just nine years old.<br />
But in the 2000s, the storm surges began, and then everything changed.<br />
Homes, factories, schools, and maternity clinics built up over the town&rsquo;s long history began to be slowly cons]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nigerian-church-watches-prays-as-ocean-rises/</link><pubDate>Mon, 29 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nigerian-church-watches-prays-as-ocean-rises/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Alliance Aims to Unite Chinese Churches Divided by Geopolitics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Leader explains why members of the World Evangelical Alliance visited leaders of China&rsquo;s government-sanctioned Three-Self churches.Anyone wanting to bring together the more than 100 million Chinese-speaking Christians around the world must deal with the thorny issue of the church in China. There, Christians are split between unregistered house churches and the government-sanctioned Three-Self church. Additionally, heated differences in political views make it difficult for the global Chine]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-alliance-aims-to-unite-chinese-churches-divided-by-geopolitics/</link><pubDate>Sat, 27 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-alliance-aims-to-unite-chinese-churches-divided-by-geopolitics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Extreme political rhetoric stokes fear and encourages apathy. Christians can offer a productive counterpart.This is the most important election of our lifetime.&rdquo; I&rsquo;ve heard this said every presidential election in my lifetime, but, this time, the stakes are being raised even higher. The 2024 election is not just the most important&mdash;the consequences of it are existential.At a fundraiser in February, President Joe Biden called Donald Trump the &ldquo;one existential threat,&rdquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-most-important-election-of-our-lifetime/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-most-important-election-of-our-lifetime/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Penalty or No, Athletes Talk Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[The public square is increasingly hostile to religion. But don&rsquo;t be surprised when Olympic athletes overflow with thanks to God.The opening ceremonies of the Olympics are extravagant celebrations of national glories and global unity. But if you watch past this week&rsquo;s opener to the Games themselves, you&rsquo;ll notice an unusual pattern: Athletes are always talking about God.If you caught last month&rsquo;s Olympic trials, you&rsquo;ll have noticed the same thing. Athletes of every k]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/penalty-or-no-athletes-talk-faith/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/penalty-or-no-athletes-talk-faith/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Americans Are Still Inviting People to Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[Young, evangelical, and African American churchgoers ask the most.When churchgoers show up to their church&rsquo;s worship service, they&rsquo;re often hoping to have a guest with them.A Lifeway Research study of US Protestant churchgoers finds 3 in 5 (60%) say they have extended at least one invitation in the past six months for someone to attend their church, including 19 percent who have made one invitation, 21 percent with two invitations and 20 percent with three or more invitations.A third]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/americans-are-still-inviting-people-to-church/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/americans-are-still-inviting-people-to-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kamala Harris Against History]]></title><description><![CDATA[The candidate's "unburdened by what has been" and "coconut tree" lines push her party toward a troubling partisan divide over the past itself.President Joe Biden is out of the 2024 race, and Vice President Kamala Harris is angling to lead her party&rsquo;s ticket. In the surge of interest in her revised candidacy this past week, online attention has focused on two of her turns of phrase. One is a line Harris has apparently been repeating for many years, returning to it so often that a four-minu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kamala-harris-against-history/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2024 06:39:31 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kamala-harris-against-history/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Praising God Is an Act of Political Defiance]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Book of Psalms reminds us that worship demands our unequivocal devotion and allegiance.The Psalms capture the full range of human experience. Personal and collective, sorrowful and rejoicing, remembering God&rsquo;s faithfulness and wondering what has become of it&mdash;the biblical book, prayed by generations of believers, invites us to enter God&rsquo;s presence with piercing honesty.For those of us weaned on the positivity of American evangelicalism, the psalms of lament can take us aback]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/praising-god-is-an-act-of-political-defiance/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/praising-god-is-an-act-of-political-defiance/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can Christian Publishing Survive in a Country Where Few Still Read?]]></title><description><![CDATA[As smartphones steal potential readers in Indonesia, booksellers are looking to new ideas.Only 1 out of every 1,000 Indonesians is an avid reader, according to UNESCO&rsquo;s 2012 reading interest index. The country also ranks second to last in a list of the world&rsquo;s most literate countries, which examined tests as well as &ldquo;literate behaviors&rdquo; such as the number of libraries and newspapers and the availability of computers and years of schooling in a nation.In such a challenging]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-christian-publishing-survive-in-a-country-where-few-still-read/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-christian-publishing-survive-in-a-country-where-few-still-read/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[28 Christian Athletes to Cheer On at the Paris 2024 Olympics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Meet Olympians who love God from around the world.Many Olympics lovers learn that their favorite athletes love Jesus through social media posts or postgame interviews following their success on the field, court, or track or in the pool. But the overwhelming majority of Christians competing in the Games won&rsquo;t end up on the podium.For many, simply arriving at the Games will be a testament to overcoming injuries, mental health challenges, or grief due to the loss of loved ones. Below are the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/28-christian-athletes-to-cheer-on-at-the-paris-2024-olympics/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/28-christian-athletes-to-cheer-on-at-the-paris-2024-olympics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[ERLC Retracts Announcement Firing President Brent Leatherwood]]></title><description><![CDATA[UPDATE: The chair of the board of trustees, Kevin Smith, has resigned.<br />
The Southern Baptist Convention&rsquo;s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) announced Monday evening that its president Brent Leatherwood suddenly lost his job&mdash;only to retract the statement the next morning.The board of trustees stated on Tuesday that the decision had been made without an authorized meeting or vote and that Leatherwood &ldquo;remains the President of the ERLC and has our support moving forwar]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/erlc-retracts-announcement-firing-president-brent-leatherwood/</link><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/erlc-retracts-announcement-firing-president-brent-leatherwood/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[African Bible Colleges Don’t Have Enough Books]]></title><description><![CDATA[In an absence of resources, leaders struggle to train pastors.When Samuel Ndima was a student at a Bible college in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, he struggled to complete assignments in his theology courses. Though he grasped the material, he had to scramble when it came to anything requiring research.Ndima&rsquo;s seminary fees included only a few textbooks, but many papers required research from books, journals, and commentaries. Like most of his classmates, Ndima could barely pay tuition and h]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/african-bible-colleges-dont-have-enough-books/</link><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/african-bible-colleges-dont-have-enough-books/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Homelessness Hits Record High, Straining Rescue Missions]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s not migrants. Christian shelters are seeing more single moms who can&rsquo;t shoulder the cost of living.It was 2:45 p.m., and people were lined up around the block in Tribeca, Manhattan, for the 3 p.m. intake at the emergency shelter of the Bowery Mission, a Christian nonprofit that has served New Yorkers since 1879.&ldquo;Am I on the list?&rdquo; one woman called out to Lea Burrell, the Bowery manager. The woman had to get in a standby line. Just inside the doorway, a security guard]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/homelessness-hits-record-high-straining-rescue-missions/</link><pubDate>Tue, 23 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/homelessness-hits-record-high-straining-rescue-missions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘This Is the Day’ for Filipinos to Develop Their Own Worship Music]]></title><description><![CDATA[In a country known for loving Western praise music&mdash;Hillsong&rsquo;s second-biggest market&mdash;a grassroots movement is singing new tunes.Arnel Cadeli&ntilde;a, a pastor and worship leader in Manila, remembers when his parents called their only &ldquo;born again&rdquo; relative for help. It was 1983, Cadeli&ntilde;a was 12, and his family was convinced that his teenage sister was possessed by a demon.&ldquo;He showed up with two guitars and two singers,&rdquo; Cadeli&ntilde;a recalled. &l]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/this-is-the-day-for-filipinos-to-develop-their-own-worship-music/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/this-is-the-day-for-filipinos-to-develop-their-own-worship-music/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Canadian Christian Colleges Hit Hard by New Immigration Restrictions]]></title><description><![CDATA[International undergraduates were part of many schools&rsquo; plans for sustainability. A new government rule changes that.It seemed like a door had opened.Providence University College and Theological Seminary in Manitoba started an associate&rsquo;s degree program that could be marketed to international students. To president Kenton Anderson&rsquo;s delight, the two-year degree attracted a significant number of applicants eager to study in Canada. Several hundred students enrolled.For the priv]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/canadian-christian-colleges-hit-hard-by-new-immigration-restrictions/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/canadian-christian-colleges-hit-hard-by-new-immigration-restrictions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Historic First Baptist Dallas Sanctuary Burns in Four-Alarm Fire]]></title><description><![CDATA[The 134-year-old landmark, now a nearby secondary meeting space for the church, went up in flames in downtown Dallas.<br />
The historic sanctuary at First Baptist Church Dallas burned Friday evening, July 19. The cause of the blaze is not yet known. The Victorian-style, red brick sanctuary building was erected 1890 and is a recognized Texas Historic Landmark.According to media reports, Dallas Fire and Rescue received a call at 6:05 p.m., Friday evening regarding a building on fire in downtown Dallas.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/historic-first-baptist-dallas-sanctuary-burns-in-four-alarm-fire/</link><pubDate>Sat, 20 Jul 2024 07:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/historic-first-baptist-dallas-sanctuary-burns-in-four-alarm-fire/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Pennsylvania, Locals Remember Corey Comperatore’s ‘Greater Love’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Communities surrounding Trump&rsquo;s rally site feel the shock of the tragic shooting.Corey Comperatore loved reading Romans.His pastor at Cabot Methodist Church, Jonathan Fehl, recalled how much Comperatore drew strength from the book. It was the first thing he&rsquo;d recommend to new believers.But it may be that Comperatore is remembered by another portion of Scripture, John 15:13: &ldquo;Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one&rsquo;s life for one&rsquo;s friends.&rdquo;Comperato]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-pennsylvania-locals-remember-corey-comperatores-greater-love/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2024 16:08:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-pennsylvania-locals-remember-corey-comperatores-greater-love/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Party Will Not Win This Election]]></title><description><![CDATA[And that&rsquo;s a good thing&mdash;because how we think about victory is not only delusional but damaging.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.With Election Day 2024 in sight, I can make one bold prediction: Your party is not going to win.You might challenge me on this, saying, &ldquo;But, RDM, you don&rsquo;t know what party I, the reader, support.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s true&mdash;but I stand by my forecast. That&rsquo;s because no matter what party wins t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-party-will-not-win-this-election/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-party-will-not-win-this-election/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pakistan’s Presbyterians Have United. Reconciling Will Take Time.]]></title><description><![CDATA[After 60 years of division, leaders hope that coming together will strengthen the church's witness.On March 25 of this year, a group of Pakistani Presbyterian church leaders gathered in one of their homes. There, the 20 or so people decided to bring their factions together after years of contentious division. Later, they gathered for tea and seviyan, a sweet vermicelli dessert cooked in sugar and milk or oil, at Gujranwala Theological Seminary.There were no contracts or legal documents to mark t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pakistans-presbyterians-have-united-reconciling-will-take-time/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pakistans-presbyterians-have-united-reconciling-will-take-time/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is God Calling Me to Obscurity or Influence?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I want to write to build up the body of Christ, but platform building takes time away from my local congregation.I recently spoke with a pastor in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His congregation is small&mdash;150 or so members&mdash;and his routine is busy, with duties extending far beyond the walls of the church building.The pastor&rsquo;s typical week is a testament to his dedication to his parishioners. Most of his time is devoted to visitation, prayer, and pastoral care, often in nursing homes a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-god-calling-me-to-obscurity-or-influence/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-god-calling-me-to-obscurity-or-influence/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelicals Agree That Biden Should Drop Out]]></title><description><![CDATA[Poll: Black Protestants are among the only groups who remain confident in the president&rsquo;s mental capacities.With mounting scrutiny over President Joe Biden&rsquo;s fitness for the 2024 election, most evangelical Protestants believe that Biden should drop out of the race, though a sizable number of Black Protestants continue to back him.A new poll from AP-NORC found that evangelicals agree with the rest of the country: 67 percent of evangelicals and 70 percent of Americans overall want Bide]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-agree-that-biden-should-drop-out/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jul 2024 22:55:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-agree-that-biden-should-drop-out/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Put Away Your Swords]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus used his final moments with his disciples before the crucifixion to heal his opponent&rsquo;s ear&mdash;and model the way of love.In the Gospel narratives, a gaggle of soldiers came to arrest Jesus before his crucifixion. Trying to stop them, the apostle Peter brandished a sword to defend Jesus from danger but missed his target, striking one of the soldiers&mdash;ironically enough&mdash;on the ear. Jesus responded by using one of his final moments in person with his followers to teach them]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/put-away-your-swords/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/put-away-your-swords/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hillbillies Deserve More than an Elegy]]></title><description><![CDATA[VP candidate J.D. Vance&rsquo;s best-selling memoir told a compelling story about my home region in Appalachia. But it was not the whole story.On Monday, Donald Trump announced his pick for vice presidential candidate: J. D. Vance, the junior US senator from Ohio.Some would say Vance has had a meteoric rise, from venture capitalist to best-selling author, from junior senator to VP candidate, all in less than a decade. Like most people in America, I was introduced to Vance through his book.Hillbi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hillbillies-deserve-more-than-an-elegy/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hillbillies-deserve-more-than-an-elegy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Renewed Invitation to Seek the Kingdom]]></title><description><![CDATA[In these fractured times, we want to focus on Jesus&rsquo; call to chase after his will.Consider this a reintroduction.In our March issue, I explained that 2024 would be a transformative year for Christianity Today. This magazine is the first deposit on that promise. Everything from the wordmark to the colors, fonts, layout, and structure have been reimagined and remade. We hope you agree that this delivers a more compelling experience. We want each issue to be a jewel, a work of art, a feast of]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-renewed-invitation-to-seek-the-kingdom/</link><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-renewed-invitation-to-seek-the-kingdom/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Art of Fashioning the Soul]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt on faith and sight from Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation.I grew up fearing the power of the eyes. I was supposed to avert my eyes from certain television shows, movies, books, and images. When it came to men, I was afraid of my gaze&mdash;and doubly afraid of theirs. Just looking at the sale rack was risky if I wanted to avoid envy and irresponsible spending. Even at 40, I still hide my eyes when I feel afraid.But I&rsquo;ve come to realize th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-art-of-fashioning-the-soul/</link><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-art-of-fashioning-the-soul/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Our Culture Is Obsessed with Being Seen. But Jesus Calls Us to Be Hidden.]]></title><description><![CDATA[In an age of social media celebrity and showy spirituality, we are invited into a holy unawareness.If a good deed done is not posted on social media, did it really happen? If an act of generosity is not caught on camera and never goes viral, was it a worthwhile gesture? These questions, facetious as they seem, point out something I&rsquo;ve observed in my own life: a deep desire to display my goodness to others. There&rsquo;s even a modern term for it: virtue signaling.According to Jesus, this i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-culture-is-obsessed-with-being-seen-but-jesus-calls-us-to-be-hidden/</link><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-culture-is-obsessed-with-being-seen-but-jesus-calls-us-to-be-hidden/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[El Salvador’s Prisons Are Full. Prison Ministries Are Not.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian organizations are struggling to reach prisoners in a country where 1 in 56 people is in jail.In just over two years, El Salvador&rsquo;s government has sent 80,000 people to prison. With over 111,000 peopleincarcerated, the country has the world&rsquo;s highest proportion of people behind bars&mdash;one inmate for every 56 people.The current situation stems from a zero-tolerance policy toward the gangs that once proliferated in the country. Salvadoran gangs are considered transnational]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/el-salvadors-prisons-are-full-prison-ministries-are-not/</link><pubDate>Tue, 16 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/el-salvadors-prisons-are-full-prison-ministries-are-not/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Duty in a Spiral Toward Unrest]]></title><description><![CDATA[Political violence looms large in our national history, to our shame. It does not have to define our future.Foreign policy theorists have a term for when two countries unwillingly drift toward war. It&rsquo;s called a security dilemma, and as Harvard international relations scholar Stephen M. Walt has explained at Foreign Policy magazine, it&rsquo;s a scenario where &ldquo;the actions that one state takes to make itself more secure&mdash;building armaments, putting military forces on alert, form]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-duty-in-a-spiral-toward-unrest/</link><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jul 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-duty-in-a-spiral-toward-unrest/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trump’s Would-Be Assassin and the Twisted Quest for Human Glory]]></title><description><![CDATA[Political violence offers a false sense of meaning. The church must model a different kind of glory.In the hours of confusion and chaos since the assassination attempt at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, in which the former president was injured and several others killed or critically wounded, partisans of all sorts immediately began to speculate about the motives of the shooter.For many, this raised a weighty question about radicalization and what&rsquo;s gone wrong in American]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trumps-would-be-assassin-and-the-twisted-quest-for-human-glory/</link><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jul 2024 01:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trumps-would-be-assassin-and-the-twisted-quest-for-human-glory/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Our Old Leaders Won’t Walk Away, and That’s About More Than Politics]]></title><description><![CDATA[What the presidential debate and its aftermath should tell us about our culture of geriatric childishness.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.A friend of mine told me that he was at a long-planned gathering of half Republicans and half Democrats for the purpose of talking through partisan polarization. They watched the presidential debate together, and everyone was nervous that the respectful disagreements would devolve into the cheering and booing of tea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-old-leaders-wont-walk-away-and-thats-about-more-than-politics/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-old-leaders-wont-walk-away-and-thats-about-more-than-politics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[One Body, Many Denominational Meetings]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our anxiety over church factions should lead us to dependence on Christ.When I was in seminary 12 years ago, most of my classmates and I were discerning which denomination to join. Since many of us in our nondenominational seminary felt called to church leadership, this was a big decision. It&rsquo;s one thing to worship somewhere, but it&rsquo;s another to take ordination vows.Being a pastor is a bit like being married: We pledge faithfulness to God within a specific family of people. The stake]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-body-many-denominational-meetings/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-body-many-denominational-meetings/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why We’re Weird for Thinking That Tim Scott Is Weird]]></title><description><![CDATA[The politician&rsquo;s public commitment to abstinence has made him an outlier in a sex-obsessed culture. But is the church any friendlier to older single men?Tim Scott entered politics decades ago as a proud 30-year-old virgin. Campaigning at the height of 1990s evangelical &ldquo;purity culture,&rdquo; he proclaimed that sex should be reserved for marriage. Years later, chastity was still one of his talking points&mdash;even as he seemed to admit that his own commitment to abstinence had falte]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-were-weird-for-thinking-that-tim-scott-is-weird/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-were-weird-for-thinking-that-tim-scott-is-weird/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Precarious Position of India&rsquo;s Christians&amp;mdash;and Its Democracy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lawyer and author P. I. Jose discusses the growing influence of Hindutva ideology and its threat to India&rsquo;s constitutional order.During the last decade in India, a Hindu nationalist government has taken the helm, and Hindutva ideology, once considered as fringe, has become firmly entrenched and empowered politically and socially.Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi first rose to power in 2014, India has grappled with rising religious nationalism, posing significant challenges to its founding]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-precarious-position-of-indiarsquos-christiansampmdashand-its-democracy/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-precarious-position-of-indiarsquos-christiansampmdashand-its-democracy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelical Presbyterians Take on Debate Over Celibate Gay Pastors]]></title><description><![CDATA[As it brings in churches from mainline and conservative Presbyterian denominations, the EPC feels the tension in compromise.A Presbyterian denomination that prides itself on freedom in nonessentials has found its cooperative ministry model strained by the latest discussion of human sexuality.Presbyterian historian Donald Fortson has been a member of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) since its inception in 1981, and he says he has never seen a more &ldquo;raucous&rdquo; General Assembly t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-presbyterians-take-on-debate-over-celibate-gay-pastors/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-presbyterians-take-on-debate-over-celibate-gay-pastors/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jesus Will Speak in 100 Tongues, Thanks to Man Who Helped Disney’s Elsa Sing in 41 Languages]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rick Dempsey explains how his decades of localization expertise is being applied to The Chosen.In 2014, Disney released a video of Elsa singing her hit &ldquo;Let It Go&rdquo; in 25 languages. If you didn&rsquo;t know any better, you might have assumed that Idina Menzel, who sang perhaps the most popular Disney ballad in history, had performed each version.Significant credit for this House of Mouse magic belongs to Rick Dempsey, who then served as senior vice president of creative for Disney Cha]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-will-speak-in-100-tongues-thanks-to-man-who-helped-disneys-elsa-sing-in-41-languages/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2024 01:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-will-speak-in-100-tongues-thanks-to-man-who-helped-disneys-elsa-sing-in-41-languages/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Billionaire Found Guilty of Massive Wall Street Fraud]]></title><description><![CDATA[In a case that alluded to the investor&rsquo;s faith, a federal jury convicted Bill Hwang of market manipulation and defrauding banks.Supporters of Christian investor and philanthropist Bill Hwang closed their eyes and prayed in federal court as they waited for a verdict on a case accusing him of massive Wall Street fraud. Hwang himself, serene throughout the proceedings, read a Bible devotional and took notes in the margins&mdash;a practice he had done throughout the trial&mdash;as he awaited t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-billionaire-found-guilty-of-massive-wall-street-fraud/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2024 01:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-billionaire-found-guilty-of-massive-wall-street-fraud/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Catholic Miracle Stories Should Take Us Outside Our Protestant Comfort Zones]]></title><description><![CDATA[Even when they strain credulity, they can challenge our assumptions about popular piety and the limits of the possible.On May 17, the Roman Catholic commission responsible for correcting errors in church teaching issued a guidance document with &ldquo;Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena.&rdquo; While remaining open to genuine manifestations of the Holy Spirit, it addressed &ldquo;serious critical issues that are detrimental to the faithful. &hellip; When con]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/catholic-miracle-stories-should-take-us-outside-our-protestant-comfort-zones/</link><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:03:29 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/catholic-miracle-stories-should-take-us-outside-our-protestant-comfort-zones/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Artistic Humility in the Age of ‘Hot AI Jesus’]]></title><description><![CDATA[As digital enticements proliferate, Michelangelo and the apostle Paul teach us to seek humbler, faithful art forms.Why pray alone or with your family if you can pray with big-biceped celebrities on the Hallow app? Why limit yourself to reading or hearing the Gospels if you can have a Jesus with all the thrill and appeal of a bingeable Netflix series? Why cultivate the Ignatian prayer skill of active imagination when you can passively experience an immersive exhibit that brings a storm on the Sea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/artistic-humility-in-the-age-of-hot-ai-jesus/</link><pubDate>Wed, 10 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/artistic-humility-in-the-age-of-hot-ai-jesus/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Republican Party Backs Away from Pro-Life Stance in New Platform]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelicals oppose Donald Trump&rsquo;s shift to leave abortion policy up to the states.The new Republican National Convention platform endorsed by Donald Trump is missing the strong pro-life stance evangelicals have come to expect from the GOP.Instead of calling for a concerted national push to curtail abortion, as the official party platform has done for the past 40 years, the new document removes that language and deems the matter best left to individual states to decide.Even evangelical lea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/republican-party-backs-away-from-pro-life-stance-in-new-platform/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 21:42:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/republican-party-backs-away-from-pro-life-stance-in-new-platform/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Iranian Christians Question Reformist Credentials of New President]]></title><description><![CDATA[Heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian takes the helm of the Islamic Republic, having campaigned for ethnic and religious minorities while pledging to reach out to the West.The surprise election in Iran of the sole reformist candidate for president was met with an unsurprising reaction from the United States.Heart surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian tallied 53 percent of the vote for a clear but narrow victory over hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili in an electoral process the State Department labe]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/iranian-christians-question-reformist-credentials-of-newpresident/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 20:35:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/iranian-christians-question-reformist-credentials-of-newpresident/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Until the Next World Comes, Christians Hold This World Together]]></title><description><![CDATA[How the early church&rsquo;s example of public witness helps us avoid the extremes of triumphalism and retreat.Early on in my reading and study of early Christianity, I was struck by an assertion from an unnamed author writing to a man named Diognetus in the second century. This author, in his Epistle to Diognetus, declared that &ldquo;what the soul is to the body, Christians are to the world.&rdquo;The author was getting at a paradox resting at the heart of our faith: Christians dwell in the wo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/until-the-next-world-comes-christians-hold-this-world-together/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/until-the-next-world-comes-christians-hold-this-world-together/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Pentecostal Who Shaped Swedish Politics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lewi Pethrus founded the Christian Democrats, started a still-in-print newspaper, and preached his countercultural values to whomever would listen, explains historian Joel Halldorf.Joel Halldorf is a fourth-generation Swedish Pentecostal, so it was natural for him when he became a historian of evangelical religion and politics to take a strong interest in the most famous figure in his tradition: Lewi Pethrus.Born in 1884, Pethrus was a tireless, creative leader of a relatively small religious gr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-pentecostal-who-shaped-swedish-politics/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-pentecostal-who-shaped-swedish-politics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Serving Our Children Means Saying No to Youth Gender Medicine]]></title><description><![CDATA[The administration&rsquo;s new stance against childhood surgeries is only a start. Jesus has grave warnings for those who cause little ones to stumble.The Biden administration&rsquo;s newly announced opposition to gender transition surgeries for minors is welcome. But Christians would be mistaken to let this news make us less vigilant on this issue.The announcement only came after The New York Times reported late last month on efforts by the administration to &ldquo;remove age limits for adolesc]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/serving-our-children-means-saying-no-to-youth-gender-medicine/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/serving-our-children-means-saying-no-to-youth-gender-medicine/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: The Pentecostal Who Shaped Swedish Politics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lewi Pethrus founded the Christian Democrats, started a still-in-print newspaper, and preached his countercultural values to whomever would listen, explains historian Joel Halldorf.Joel Halldorf is a fourth-generation Swedish Pentecostal, so it was natural for him when he became a historian of evangelical religion and politics to take a strong interest in the most famous figure in his tradition: Lewi Pethrus.Born in 1884, Pethrus was a tireless, creative leader of a relatively small religious gr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-the-pentecostal-who-shaped-swedish-politics/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-the-pentecostal-who-shaped-swedish-politics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Two Elections, France Is Divided. Can Evangelicals Make a Difference?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Though they make up only 1 percent of the population, these believers want their presence to be meaningful.Like the rest of the country, French evangelicals went to the polls on Sunday for the second round of parliamentary elections in what became a showdown between the far right and the rest of the country. The Nouveau Front Populaire (New Popular Front), a fragile new coalition of leftist parties, formed a &ldquo;Republican front&rdquo; with the centrist parties allied with President Emmanuel]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-two-elections-france-is-divided-can-evangelicals-make-a-difference/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Jul 2024 00:03:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-two-elections-france-is-divided-can-evangelicals-make-a-difference/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[UK Evangelicals Look Ahead to Potential Changes After Labour Victory]]></title><description><![CDATA[Survey finds that evangelical voters are motivated by care for those in need.<br />
The United Kingdom elected a new prime minister in a landslide win for the Labour Party, a significant shift of political power after 14 years of Conservative-led government.Neither party secured the majority of the country&rsquo;s evangelical vote, but evangelicals of varying affiliations will be following how the new Labour government addresses areas of concern for the church, including the treatment of refugees, the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-evangelicals-look-ahead-to-potential-changes-after-labour-victory/</link><pubDate>Mon, 08 Jul 2024 19:17:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-evangelicals-look-ahead-to-potential-changes-after-labour-victory/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Modern Secularism Makes No Sense Without Christianity]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new book argues that early Protestant thinking helped fuel an anti-supernatural worldview. But that worldview retains more Protestantism than it cares to admit.Where did our modern secular age come from? What was the source of the Western idea that belief in God is optional or irrelevant?A decade ago, Notre Dame history professor Brad Gregory argued that it came from the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther and John Calvin certainly didn&rsquo;t intend this result, as Gregory argued in The Un]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/modern-secularism-makes-no-sense-without-christianity/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/modern-secularism-makes-no-sense-without-christianity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jesus Didn’t Grasp for Status. But I Sure Do.]]></title><description><![CDATA[He &ldquo;made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.&rdquo; I dread admitting I don&rsquo;t have a fancy new job.This past spring, I finally finished my master&rsquo;s program&mdash;adviser emailed, final submitted, graduation forms signed. But instead of relief or accomplishment, the primary thing I&rsquo;m feeling is dread. After 50 applications and multiple interviews, my job offer total is zero.The source of my dread is not just my lack of employment, I&rsquo;m realizing. I]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-didnt-grasp-for-status-but-i-sure-do/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-didnt-grasp-for-status-but-i-sure-do/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Theocracy Is Not the Enemy of Pluralism]]></title><description><![CDATA[God&rsquo;s rule is inherently true and doesn&rsquo;t require that we force it on anyone.A liberal acquaintance told me recently that while he generally dislikes evangelicals, he doesn&rsquo;t find me to be as bad as the rest: &ldquo;At least you don&rsquo;t rant about wanting to establish a theocracy!&rdquo; I decided to accept what he said as a compliment, even though I regretted not coming clean with him about theocracy.Truth be told, my wife and I do belong to a pro-theocracy organization. I]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/theocracy-is-not-the-enemy-of-pluralism/</link><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/theocracy-is-not-the-enemy-of-pluralism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[There Is No President Who Is Righteous, No, Not One]]></title><description><![CDATA[A government built on the assumption of its leader&rsquo;s good character is a government badly built.The Supreme Court&rsquo;s Monday ruling on presidential immunity from criminal prosecution did not offer boundless endorsement of the executive officeholder&rsquo;s prerogative to do whatever he wants without fear of consequence.But it came far too close, holding that the Constitution &ldquo;entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclus]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/there-is-no-president-who-is-righteous-no-not-one/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/there-is-no-president-who-is-righteous-no-not-one/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Protests Turn Violent, Kenyan Churches Stand with Gen Z]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Sunday after authorities killed people protesting a finance bill, many pastors call for justice.Among the many people William Ruto thanked after winning Kenya&rsquo;s 2022 presidential electionwere religious leaders, significant numbers of whom had enthusiastically campaigned for the career politician.&ldquo;I am sure their prayers will not be in vain,&rdquo; Ruto said, considered by many to be the East African country&rsquo;s first evangelical president.Kenyan church leaders have more to pr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-protests-turn-violent-kenyan-churches-stand-with-gen-z/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-protests-turn-violent-kenyan-churches-stand-with-gen-z/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Evangelical School Exemplifies Special Needs Education in Jordan]]></title><description><![CDATA[Director describes how Alliance school&rsquo;s&nbsp;&ldquo;Christian spirit&rdquo; addresses social challenges to achieve academic inclusion of students with disabilities.Ten years ago, evangelicals in Jordan helped pioneer inclusive education for students with disabilities. A decade later the minister of education patronized their commencement event.Founded in 2014, Alliance Academy Jordan (AAJ), owned by the local Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) church, began with 54 students in kinder]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-evangelical-school-exemplifies-special-needs-education-in-jordan/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-evangelical-school-exemplifies-special-needs-education-in-jordan/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Lovely Country That Smells of Evil]]></title><description><![CDATA[A memoir of apartheid-era South Africa juggles affection, anger, and hope for redemption.I was a student at Syracuse University during the years of South Africa&rsquo;s apartheid regime. A few tents had been set up in protest on the quad outside the impossibly tall windows of my figure-drawing class&mdash;I believe the plan was to sleep outside until the school divested from companies doing business in South Africa. I felt guilty for not joining them. By the third day the tents had disappeared.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-lovely-country-that-smells-of-evil/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-lovely-country-that-smells-of-evil/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Isaac Asimov Believed the World Could Go on for Thousands More Years. Why Can’t Christians?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why the church so often (erroneously) predicts our own demise.The signs are escalating every day. The world is in turmoil. We are on the cusp&mdash;right now&mdash;of the end of the age.&rdquo; So reads the disclaimer for an upcoming eschatological conference featuring some prominent American evangelical leaders.Across the Atlantic, as a pastor in Belgium, I&rsquo;ve also regularly heard from people in evangelical circles convinced or worried about current events revealing the fact that Christ i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/isaac-asimov-believed-the-world-could-go-on-for-thousands-more-years-why-cant-christians/</link><pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/isaac-asimov-believed-the-world-could-go-on-for-thousands-more-years-why-cant-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Another Kanakuk Abuse Survivor Sues Camp for Fraud]]></title><description><![CDATA[Twenty years after a trusted counselor used faith to groom him for abuse, a Colorado man says he is trying to reclaim part of his life and take a stand for fellow victims.<br />
Andrew Summersett felt his world shatter twice.The first time was in 2009, when the Christian camp counselor he idolized was convicted of child abuse. It was then that Summersett saw though years of manipulation, trauma, and teenage confusion and realized he also was a victim.The second time came in 2021, when he read reports]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/another-kanakuk-abuse-survivor-sues-camp-for-fraud/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/another-kanakuk-abuse-survivor-sues-camp-for-fraud/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[It’s Not Reverse Mission If You Just Stay in Your Own Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[Johnson Ambrose Afrane-Twum wants African migrant Christians to collaborate with and revitalize churches in the UK.Several years ago, Johnson Ambrose Afrane-Twum was under consideration to become a black lead pastor of a white-majority church in the United Kingdom, when a white friend approached him.&ldquo;Johnson, everybody here knows that you can lead this church,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;There is only one problem: Some people say they don&rsquo;t want you as a pastor because you speak with a Gh]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-not-reverse-mission-if-you-just-stay-in-your-own-church/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-not-reverse-mission-if-you-just-stay-in-your-own-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Celebrating the Stars and Their Maker on Māori New Year]]></title><description><![CDATA[As Matariki is celebrated in New Zealand, Christians navigate a return to the festival&rsquo;s pagan roots.The appearance of the Matariki star cluster (also known as Pleiades) in the New Zealand sky just before sunrise in late June or early July marks the new year in traditional M&#257;ori culture. Celebrated with feasts, prayers at dawn, and time spent with family, Matariki is a time to remember those who died in the past year, celebrate and give thanks for the present, and look forward to the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/celebrating-the-stars-and-their-maker-on-mori-new-year/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/celebrating-the-stars-and-their-maker-on-mori-new-year/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Biblical Reflections from a Ukrainian Theologian’s War Diary]]></title><description><![CDATA[As Russia&rsquo;s invasion fades from Western interest, daily musings from an evangelical seminary leader remind readers of the war&rsquo;s ongoing reality for Ukrainian Christians who stay and serve.Editor&rsquo;s note: Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Taras Dyatlik, an evangelical Ukrainian theological educator, has shared his daily reflections in a WhatsApp group. The following are two recent journal entries from June (edited for style and clarity).In a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/biblical-reflections-from-a-ukrainian-theologians-war-diary/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/biblical-reflections-from-a-ukrainian-theologians-war-diary/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Presidential Debates Can’t Help Us Face the Future]]></title><description><![CDATA[Character matters more than talking points in choosing a leader. And it&rsquo;s hard to know what questions to ask about it.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.It used to be that watching two 80-year-old men argue about what to do in the Middle East might happen accidentally at McDonald&rsquo;s at seven on a Saturday morning. Now, the whole world is watching because one of those two men will get the nuclear codes.The presidential debates this year will ha]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/presidential-debates-cant-help-us-face-the-future/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/presidential-debates-cant-help-us-face-the-future/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Are Brazil’s Catholic Street Festivals Idolatry or Harmless Fun? Evangelicals Weigh In]]></title><description><![CDATA[Second only to Carnival, festivals for St. Anthony, St. John, and St. Peter pack the June calendar. Pastors debate if the Festas Juninas are folk celebrations or idol worship.When it comes to festivals, the world knows Brazil best for Carnival, its raucous celebration of Mardi Gras, full of elaborate costumes, dancing on the street, and revelry.But ask many Brazilians, and they&rsquo;ll tell you they enjoy their June festivals even more. Originating from European pagans to celebrate the arrival]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/are-brazils-catholic-street-festivals-idolatry-or-harmless-fun-evangelicals-weigh-in/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/are-brazils-catholic-street-festivals-idolatry-or-harmless-fun-evangelicals-weigh-in/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A New Blueprint for Chinese Churches: Beyond the Four Walls]]></title><description><![CDATA[In a rapidly urbanizing China, some houses of worship are taking inspiration from the Bible while rethinking local architectural tradition.A scroll-shaped steeple. An imposing ark-shaped atrium. A pipe organ feature reminiscent of 19th-century North American Methodist churches.These are some of the more striking elements in the Three-Self churches that Brazilian German architect Dirk U. Moench has designed in China. The Lutheran founded the design firm INUCE in 2011 and has offices in Fuzhou, Ch]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-new-blueprint-for-chinese-churches-beyond-the-four-walls/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-new-blueprint-for-chinese-churches-beyond-the-four-walls/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rites of Passage Can Help Boys Become Men]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus&rsquo; initiation in Jerusalem can guide American churches in raising Christian men.Twin crises afflict contemporary America: The Great Dechurching and The End of Men, as the titles of recent books label them. Put briefly: Many churches fail to lead young people into Christian maturity, while contemporary culture fails to bring boys into mature manhood.We cannot solve either crisis without solving both, together. And we have resources for addressing these crises together&mdash;time-honored]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rites-of-passage-can-help-boys-become-men/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rites-of-passage-can-help-boys-become-men/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Inflamed Passions, Itching Ears, and Other Pitfalls to Avoid While Watching Presidential Debates]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Christians can navigate the Trump-Biden showdown with discernment and love for neighbor.As the 2024 election approaches, so too does our inexorable march toward presidential debates. And while the year&rsquo;s first debate today takes place far earlier in the calendar than normal, this is far from a normal election.Joe Biden, already the oldest president in American history, is facing criticism and questions about his readiness to lead and mental acuity. Donald Trump, also advanced in age, c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/inflamed-passions-itching-ears-and-other-pitfalls-to-avoid-while-watching-presidential-debates/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/inflamed-passions-itching-ears-and-other-pitfalls-to-avoid-while-watching-presidential-debates/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[CRC Tells LGBTQ-Affirming Congregations to Retract and Repent]]></title><description><![CDATA[Congregations that don&rsquo;t comply with its traditional stance have a year to enter a process of discipline and restoration.Two years ago, the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) clarified its stance against homosexuality. Last week, the denomination clarified its expectations for churches whose LGBTQ-affirming teachings contradict that stance.At its 2024 Synod, the CRC instructed affirming congregations to repent, retract any divergent public statements, and comply with the deno]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/crc-tells-lgbtq-affirming-congregations-to-retract-and-repent/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 20:22:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/crc-tells-lgbtq-affirming-congregations-to-retract-and-repent/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Scarcity’s Strange Gifts]]></title><description><![CDATA[Church attendance is down. Giving is iffy. Ministers are tired. But God is with us in lean times too.There are many reasons to expect that the Western church, at least, is heading into a long season of scarcity. Much of the European church is already there, and here in the States, we aren&rsquo;t so far behind: Attendance is down, though there is reason to suspect this trend line may have plateaued. Giving to church ministries was up in recent years, but the group giving the most is aging quickl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/scarcitys-strange-gifts/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/scarcitys-strange-gifts/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mexican Female Leaders Are Breaking Through Politically. Are Evangelical Women Too?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Four leaders weigh in on whether a woman president will change gender dynamics in the church.Earlier this month, Mexico elected its first female president when Claudia Sheinbaum won 59.7 percent of the vote. The former mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum also previously served as an engineer and a university professor.In recent years, Mexico has been hailed internationally as a model for female political leadership. In the 1990s, the government introduced policies promoting female participation as p]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mexican-female-leaders-are-breaking-through-politically-are-evangelical-women-too/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mexican-female-leaders-are-breaking-through-politically-are-evangelical-women-too/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Why Israel’s Most Pious Jews Refuse Military Service]]></title><description><![CDATA[Messianic Jewish leader explains how Christians can best engage the ultra-Orthodox Haredim, who tremble at God&rsquo;s word as they avoid the war in Gaza.Amid the war in Gaza, Israel&rsquo;s most religious Jews threatened to emigrate.The statement issued by the chief rabbi of the Sephardic community in March had nothing to do with fear of Hamas rockets or the continuing fight against them. Neither was it related to protests over the remaining hostages or calls for ceasefire.The concern instead w]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-why-israels-most-pious-jews-refuse-military-service/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-why-israels-most-pious-jews-refuse-military-service/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Inside Out 2’ Puts Anxiety in Its Place]]></title><description><![CDATA[The summer&rsquo;s hit sequel offers wisdom for young Christians worrying about the future.I don&rsquo;t, you know, feel God&rsquo;s presence like I used to. What&rsquo;s wrong with me?&rdquo;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure if I really even believe in Jesus. Can I?&rdquo;&ldquo;My Christian high school never taught me about racism in America. What do I do with what I&rsquo;m learning? How can I ever go back to that kind of Christianity again? Should I?&rdquo;I am privileged to sit with Christian young]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/inside-out-2-puts-anxiety-in-its-place/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/inside-out-2-puts-anxiety-in-its-place/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Arab Israeli Christians Stay and Serve as Gaza War Riles Galilee]]></title><description><![CDATA[With tens of thousands displaced from the northern border with Lebanon, believers balance their Palestinian and Israeli identities in pursuit of peace with all.One Friday evening, a young woman sat her toddler on her lap at Christ the King Evangelical Episcopal Church in Ma&rsquo;alot-Tarshiha, a mixed Arab-Jewish town in northern Israel five miles from the border with Lebanon. Like mothers everywhere, she clapped her hands and beckoned a response.What does the cow say? &ldquo;Moo,&rdquo; the ch]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/arab-israeli-christians-stay-and-serve-as-gaza-war-riles-galilee/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/arab-israeli-christians-stay-and-serve-as-gaza-war-riles-galilee/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When My Sermon Riled Our City]]></title><description><![CDATA[Preaching on sex and gender led to local uproar and national headlines. Here are seven things I learned.October 13, 2019, seemed like every other Sunday. And it was&mdash;until it wasn&rsquo;t.My sermon that day on Genesis 1:27 unexpectedly made national headlines, changing my life, our church, and the relationship our church had built with our community.Since then, I&rsquo;ve reflected on what transpired and how the things that we learned might help other churches as they prepare to teach on se]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-my-sermon-riled-our-city/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-my-sermon-riled-our-city/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Two Cheers for the Wedding Industrial Complex]]></title><description><![CDATA[For all their faults, our marriage rituals present family and promise-keeping as beautiful, desirable, and worth the effort.It&rsquo;s summer, and for a professor at a Christian college&mdash;an evangelical school in the South, no less&mdash;that means it&rsquo;s wedding season. On my campus, jokes about &ldquo;ring by spring&rdquo; still abound.Talk about a counterculture. Few things are less in tune with the zeitgeist. Americans are marrying and having children later than ever. And even in eva]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/two-cheers-for-the-wedding-industrial-complex/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/two-cheers-for-the-wedding-industrial-complex/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Can Love Rap, Jesus, and the Color Pink]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first female artist on Lecrae&rsquo;s label, Wande talks to CT about being a woman in Christian hip-hop and how the genre can be an entry point for learning gospel truths.<br />
Five years ago, when Yewande Dees became the first female artist with Reach Records, it was a milestone for the Christian hip-hop label and for all of Christian hip-hop. The 28-year-old Nigerian-born rapper, who currently performs as Wande, is one of only a handful of women on the scene.Wande began as a reporter covering C]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-can-love-rap-jesus-and-the-color-pink/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-can-love-rap-jesus-and-the-color-pink/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Roe’s Reversal, Most Churches Still Aren’t Involved with a Local Pregnancy Center]]></title><description><![CDATA[Over two years of new state-level restrictions, younger Christians, Hispanics, and megachurch attendees are more likely to say their congregation supports their community&rsquo;s alternative to abortion clinics.<br />
Two years ago, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade and the right to an abortion. In the aftermath, many churchgoers say they&rsquo;ve seen their congregations involved in supporting local pregnancy resource centers.On June 24, 2022, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women&rsquo;s Health Organizati]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-roes-reversal-most-churches-still-arent-involved-with-a-local-pregnancy-center/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-roes-reversal-most-churches-still-arent-involved-with-a-local-pregnancy-center/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Three Evangelical ‘Founding Fathers’ and Their Complicated Relationships to Slavery]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new book steers between full condemnation and &ldquo;men of their time&rdquo; dodges.How should white evangelicals think about slavery and past evangelical heroes who affirmed its practice? A new book by historian Sean McGever, Ownership: The Evangelical Legacy of Slavery in Edwards, Wesley, and Whitefield, helps us process these matters with historical accuracy and Christlike humility.For many white American evangelicals, the issue of slavery is not much of an &ldquo;issue&rdquo; at all. Afte]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/three-evangelical-founding-fathers-and-their-complicated-relationships-to-slavery/</link><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/three-evangelical-founding-fathers-and-their-complicated-relationships-to-slavery/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Going for the Jugular’ Does Not Wash Away Sin]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why the life and death of disgraced culture warrior Paul Pressler should serve as a warning to all of us.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.A man named Paul Pressler warned us that a wrong view of authority would lead to debauchery and downgrade. He was right. What he didn&rsquo;t tell us was that his vision for American Christianity would be one of the ways we would get there.News did not break about the death of the retired Houston judge, the co-archit]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/going-for-the-jugular-does-not-wash-away-sin/</link><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/going-for-the-jugular-does-not-wash-away-sin/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What If the Christian Sexual Ethic Becomes a Feature, Not a Bug?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelicals tend to assume our sexual ethic is deeply unpopular. But the wind may be shifting as thought leaders increasingly declare Christianity a cultural asset.Christianity&rsquo;s 2,000-year-old sexual ethic is not normal in the contemporary West and hasn&rsquo;t been for some time.The notion that sex should be confined to the bounds of a lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman is not simply out of step with a culture reshaped by the sexual revolution and the LGBTQ move]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-if-the-christian-sexual-ethic-becomes-a-feature-not-a-bug/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-if-the-christian-sexual-ethic-becomes-a-feature-not-a-bug/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Pakistani Christian Praised for Documenting Blasphemy Victims. Most Are Muslims.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Catholic advocate awarded by US State Department explains why Christians are disproportionately targeted while the Islamic majority predominantly accuses its own.Last month, mob violence took the life of Lazar Masih of Pakistan. Hundreds of Muslims responded with brutality to accusations that the 74-year-old Christian had desecrated a Quran&mdash;even before he could be tried under the nation&rsquo;s blasphemy law.A year earlier, in a similar blasphemy accusation, thousands of rioters burned hun]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-pakistani-christian-praised-for-documenting-blasphemy-victims-most-are-muslims/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-pakistani-christian-praised-for-documenting-blasphemy-victims-most-are-muslims/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I’m Trading My Career for Motherhood. Neither Will Fulfill Me.]]></title><description><![CDATA[This isn&rsquo;t a female problem, but a human one.The sight of an airplane soaring above me used to make my eyes sting with longing. At that time, I was a college dropout, a 52-pound brittle skeleton, years of anorexia having gnawed me down to little more than organs and skin.Whenever I heard the planes, I would look up at the sky and imagine the people up there, busy living life, probably flying to important business meetings and conferences in Hong Kong or Los Angeles, or whatever important t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/im-trading-my-career-for-motherhood-neither-will-fulfill-me/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/im-trading-my-career-for-motherhood-neither-will-fulfill-me/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Corruption Is a Discipleship Problem]]></title><description><![CDATA[Six ways Christians often make the problem worse and five steps toward a solutionLed by Malawi&rsquo;s chief law enforcement officer, 19 armed agents surrounded Martha Chizuma&rsquo;s home in the capital city of Lilongwe at 4 a.m. on December 6, 2022. Whisked away in her pajamas in the early morning darkness, Chizuma, the director general of Malawi&rsquo;s Anti-Corruption Bureau, was forced to kneel on the floor for questioning at a police station before being released. Her arrest was retributio]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/corruption-is-a-discipleship-problem/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/corruption-is-a-discipleship-problem/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Robert Morris Resigns from Gateway Following Past Abuse Allegations]]></title><description><![CDATA[While the Texas megachurch said it &ldquo;did not have all the facts&rdquo; about Morris&rsquo;s earlier misconduct, the woman who spoke out said she had informed its leaders years ago.<br />
Gateway Church founder and senior pastor Robert Morris has resigned, and his Texas megachurch is launching an investigation into allegations of abuse from 35 years ago.Morris&mdash;a former advisor to President Trump and leader of one of the largest nondenominational churches in the country&mdash;is leaving after]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/robert-morris-resigns-from-gateway-following-past-abuse-allegations/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Jun 2024 02:06:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/robert-morris-resigns-from-gateway-following-past-abuse-allegations/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sunday Best in India: Christian Women Weigh What to Wear to Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[From embracing Western styles to preserving cultural heritage, how female leaders in six states navigate competing perspectives on appropriate attire.While Christianity in India is as old as the early church itself, it was the modern missionary movement initiated by William Carey that caused the faith to take root. But colonial rule also caused Christianity in India to become associated with foreigners, despite the tradition that it originated with the apostle Thomas as early as 52 A.D. and hist]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sunday-best-in-india-christian-women-weigh-what-to-wear-to-church/</link><pubDate>Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sunday-best-in-india-christian-women-weigh-what-to-wear-to-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Rattlesnakes Don’t Commit Suicide’]]></title><description><![CDATA[This Juneteenth, the life of unsung civil rights hero Fred Shuttlesworth should be a clarion call to the biblical activism we still need to advance racial justice in America.In February, I preached one of the Black History Month sermons at Zion Baptist Church, a traditional Black church in Cincinnati. After the service, Judge Cheryl Grant, a longtime congregant, thanked me for delving into the legacy of civil rights advocate Fred Shuttlesworth.Grant had been very close with the Shuttlesworth fam]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rattlesnakes-dont-commit-suicide/</link><pubDate>Tue, 18 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rattlesnakes-dont-commit-suicide/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Disgraced Southern Baptist Leader Paul Pressler]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Texas judge behind the political strategy for the &ldquo;conservative resurgence&rdquo; molested and assaulted teenage boys, according to allegations eight men made in court.The things that Paul Pressler did in private changed the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) radically and irreversibly.In private, in a French caf&eacute; in New Orleans in 1967, Pressler planned the takeover of the largest Protestant group in America with Baptist college president Paige Patterson. He came up with the pol]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-disgraced-southern-baptist-leader-paul-pressler/</link><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 21:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-disgraced-southern-baptist-leader-paul-pressler/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[East Asians Leave Childhood Religion Most in World, but Remain Spiritual]]></title><description><![CDATA[(UPDATED) Pew survey of more than 10,000 adults in Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Vietnam examines Christians&rsquo; and Buddhists&rsquo; beliefs, practices, and affinity to other traditions.<br />
The rate of religious conversion in East Asia is among the highest in the world: Half of adults in Hong Kong and South Korea have left the religion they were brought up in for another religion or no religion.Among Christians, substantially more adults in those two places left the faith than thos]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/east-asians-leave-childhood-religion-most-in-world-but-remain-spiritual/</link><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/east-asians-leave-childhood-religion-most-in-world-but-remain-spiritual/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sunday Silence: Gateway Church Doesn’t Tell Congregation About Historic Abuse Allegations]]></title><description><![CDATA[According to the Texas megachurch, founder Robert Morris properly disclosed his misconduct and has had &ldquo;no other moral failures&rdquo; since he touched a child in the 1980s.Update: Robert Morris has resigned from Gateway, according to a statement released Tuesday, June 18, from its elder board.Gateway Church did not address allegations of past abuse&mdash;or &ldquo;moral failure&rdquo;&mdash;by its senior pastor, Robert Morris, when it gathered to worship this weekend, just a couple days a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sunday-silence-gateway-church-doesnt-tell-congregation-about-historic-abuse-allegations/</link><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 16:58:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sunday-silence-gateway-church-doesnt-tell-congregation-about-historic-abuse-allegations/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bavinck Warned that Without Christianity, Racism and Nationalism Thrive]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Dutch theologian argued the biblical worldview is fundamentally incompatible with ethnocentrism.It&rsquo;s no secret that Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck has enjoyed a renaissance in the past few years, as James Eglinton also pointed out in a previous piece for CT.Ever since the English translation of Bavinck&rsquo;s landmark work, Reformed Dogmatics, was released in 2008, there&rsquo;s been a constant stream of fresh readings of his life and thought. More recently, new translations of lesse]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bavinck-warned-that-without-christianity-racism-and-nationalism-thrive/</link><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bavinck-warned-that-without-christianity-racism-and-nationalism-thrive/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Abused and Oppressed Me, Dad. I Forgive You.]]></title><description><![CDATA[How a community&rsquo;s example of radical forgiveness helped me relinquish my own rage.Father&rsquo;s Day is a multibillion-dollar affair. In the weeks leading up to it, men&rsquo;s ties, BBQ aprons, and golf-themed gifts fly off the shelves.My own view on Father&rsquo;s Day has a complicated history. After an abusive, impoverished childhood (detailed in my recent memoir, Motorhome Prophecies), I sometimes felt an anger toward my dad as intense as what Salvador Dal&iacute;, the Spanish surreali]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-abused-and-oppressed-me-dad-i-forgive-you/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-abused-and-oppressed-me-dad-i-forgive-you/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Paternity Leave Made Me a Better Christian Dad]]></title><description><![CDATA[Time off at the very beginning helps fathers prepare to bring up their children in the &ldquo;discipline and instruction of the Lord.&rdquo;When our first daughter was born, in the fall of 2021, she couldn&rsquo;t nurse properly. For my wife, feeding her was an every-few-hours exercise in pure pain. Lactation consultants were consulted, to little avail; a minor tongue-tie operation, newly trendy in such cases, didn&rsquo;t help either. We thought about switching to formula, but my wife was dead]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/paternity-leave-made-me-a-better-christian-dad/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/paternity-leave-made-me-a-better-christian-dad/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Faithful Fathers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reports of the death of fatherhood have been greatly exaggerated. There are many good dads, like mine, quietly blessing their children.Problems with fathers are nothing new. They go back to the beginning. Genesis alone is a vast catalog of fathers&rsquo; sins, whether those of Adam, Noah, and Lot, or the patriarchs themselves.What about good fathers, though? Here is C. S. Lewis, writing in the 1940s: We have learned from Freud and others about those distortions in character and errors in thought]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/faithful-fathers/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/faithful-fathers/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Church ‘Homelessness’ Must Not Be Grieved Too Quickly]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s okay to mourn what&rsquo;s lost without losing hope for what&rsquo;s to come.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.In his New York Times column this week, my friend David French wrote about what it was like to be &ldquo;canceled&rdquo; by his denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America. He later told me how stunned he was by how many people responded immediately&mdash;grieving their own &ldquo;cancellations&rdquo; from churches or ministries]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-homelessness-must-not-be-grieved-too-quickly/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-homelessness-must-not-be-grieved-too-quickly/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[PCA Will Investigate ‘Jesus Calling’ Book]]></title><description><![CDATA[The author of the bestseller died last year. The investigation will determine if the book is appropriate for Christians.The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) at its annual meeting on Thursday voted to investigate the Christian appropriateness of the best-selling book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, who was part of the PCA and died in August last year at age 77. Young was one of the most-read evangelicals of the last 20 years.Pastors in the denomination are concerned that Young&rsquo;s use of th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pca-will-investigate-jesus-calling-book/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2024 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pca-will-investigate-jesus-calling-book/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: A Writer’s Creative Calling Isn’t Found in the Middle of a Crowd]]></title><description><![CDATA[Award-winning author E. Lily Yu speaks about her faith, her deep love of language, and the perils of &ldquo;moving with the majority.&rdquo;E. Lily Yu is that rare creature: a writer of exceptional skill who is grounded in faith, literary history, and a lifetime of reading. Her short story collection Jewel Box was a finalist for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, her novel On Fragile Waves won the Washington State Book Award for fiction, and Yu herself has received the LaSalle Storyteller Award and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-a-writers-creative-calling-isnt-found-in-the-middle-of-a-crowd/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-a-writers-creative-calling-isnt-found-in-the-middle-of-a-crowd/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[3 Ways I’ve Learned to Support China’s Christians Better as an American Pastor]]></title><description><![CDATA[Don&rsquo;t let political rivalry define our perspectives of each other.I serve as senior pastor of a medium-sized church in Cary, North Carolina. Besides being multicultural and multiethnic, we are also politically diverse: There are Democrats, Republicans, and many politically &ldquo;homeless&rdquo; people who have a difficult time identifying with either party.This year, like many pastors and church leaders in the United States, I find myself yet again leading my congregation through a season]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/3-ways-ive-learned-to-support-chinas-christians-better-as-an-american-pastor/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/3-ways-ive-learned-to-support-chinas-christians-better-as-an-american-pastor/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptists’ Nuanced Divides on Display at Annual Meeting]]></title><description><![CDATA[From a wider slate of six candidates, president Clint Pressley takes the &ldquo;strange honor&rdquo; of leading the convention&rsquo;s growing factions toward missional unity.In the weeks before the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting, newly elected president Clint Pressley finished reading Malcom Gladwell&rsquo;s book on precision bombing in World War II, Erik Larson&rsquo;s bestseller set in the lead-up to the Civil War, and a history of a 19th-century mutiny on a Royal Navy vesse]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-nuanced-divides-on-display-at-annual-meeting/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jun 2024 01:12:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-nuanced-divides-on-display-at-annual-meeting/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Does Southern Baptist Abuse Reform Keep Hitting Hurdles?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Leaders and advocates are grateful for the convention&rsquo;s support but frustrated at the inability to enact their plans.<br />
Jules Woodson remembers the spark of hope she felt when a sea of yellow ballots went up across the hall at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting in 2022. The vote in favor of abuse reform following a watershed abuse investigation was her sign that the messengers cared about victims like her and were willing to listen and make changes.At this year&rsquo;s annu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-does-southern-baptist-abuse-reform-keep-hitting-hurdles/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jun 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-does-southern-baptist-abuse-reform-keep-hitting-hurdles/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Love in an Attention Crisis]]></title><description><![CDATA[Readers of the Latin Bible could see how close love and diligence are.Anyone who has studied a foreign language knows the fun of stumbling across a word that looks familiar. It&rsquo;s like a treasure hunt. In my first weeks of high school Latin, I found that my own surname, Vincent, was a Latin word for &ldquo;conqueror,&rdquo; which gave rise to the word vanquish. That&rsquo;s a pretty cool find for a slightly bored 15-year-old!It was my enthusiasm for surprising derivatives that inspired me t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/love-in-an-attention-crisis/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/love-in-an-attention-crisis/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kids Aren’t Cheap. That Doesn’t Fully Explain Why We’re Ambivalent About Having Them.]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new book explores why what was once a default life stage now feels like an increasingly fraught choice.<br />
In a recent Guardian article about &ldquo;America&rsquo;s premier pronatalists,&rdquo; the journalist mentions her own assumption that &ldquo;the main thing that [makes having kids] hard [is] that it&rsquo;s now so incredibly expensive to raise children.&rdquo;&ldquo;No,&rdquo; the father of the profiled family replies. &ldquo;Not at all&rdquo;&mdash;and in a significant sense, I think he&rs]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kids-arent-cheap-that-doesnt-fully-explain-why-were-ambivalent-about-having-them/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kids-arent-cheap-that-doesnt-fully-explain-why-were-ambivalent-about-having-them/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I’m an Evangelical Parent of Adult LGBTQ Children. Now What?]]></title><description><![CDATA[My theology is squarely orthodox. Now I need fellow Christians to help me work out a sustainable vision of day-to-day life with my children.For evangelical parents who hold to the church&rsquo;s long-standing doctrines on gender and sex, waking up to the reality of LGBTQ children in our homes frequently marks the beginning of a difficult journey.Often blindsided by the development, many parents feel ill-prepared for the work of discernment required to move forward. They hunger for instruction an]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/im-an-evangelical-parent-of-adult-lgbtq-children-now-what/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/im-an-evangelical-parent-of-adult-lgbtq-children-now-what/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[All Churches Should Require Background Checks]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a former police officer and PCA elder, I believe this basic step can protect congregations from predators.For years, Jimmy G was seen as great guy and a leading member at his local community church&mdash;he was the go-to volunteer for all the ministries others avoided. On most Sunday mornings, you would see him serving alongside his wife in children&rsquo;s ministry. But then something happened. Jimmy was suddenly arrested for multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault&mdash;some of them in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-churches-should-require-background-checks/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-churches-should-require-background-checks/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tony Evans Steps Away from Ministry, Citing Old Sin]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first African American to have both a study Bible and a full Bible commentary bearing his name said he will submit to the &ldquo;biblical standard of repentance and restoration.&rdquo;Tony Evans, the longtime leader of a Dallas megachurch and best-selling author, has announced that he is stepping back from his ministry due to sin he committed years ago.&ldquo;The foundation of our ministry has always been our commitment to the Word of God as the absolute supreme standard of truth to which we]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tony-evans-steps-away-from-ministry-citing-old-sin/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 21:35:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tony-evans-steps-away-from-ministry-citing-old-sin/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The SBC’s Abuse Prevention Work Is Not Done]]></title><description><![CDATA[Five years ago, our messengers pledged to take substantive action to end sexual abuse in our churches. We cannot let another year pass with that promise unfulfilled.Just over five years ago, a fire broke out in one of the world&rsquo;s most famous houses of worship, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. In the days following, officials confirmed that one reason the fire grew out of control was that the security team, after hearing the alarm, miscommunicated and responded at the wrong location. T]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-sbcs-abuse-prevention-work-is-not-done/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-sbcs-abuse-prevention-work-is-not-done/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Generous Genius of Jürgen Moltmann]]></title><description><![CDATA[Memories and reflections of the famed theologian from his last overseas doctoral student and friend of 33 years.When he died at home in T&uuml;bingen, Germany, last Monday morning at age 98, the world could justly say that J&uuml;rgen Moltmann was the leading Christian theologian of the second half of the 20th century. He had championed liberation theology from South America, then imported it successfully to the West. He had inaugurated an eschatological &ldquo;theology of hope&rdquo; and freshl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-generous-genius-of-jrgen-moltmann/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-generous-genius-of-jrgen-moltmann/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some Churches Call Clergy Sexual Misconduct an ‘Affair.’ Survivors Are Fighting to Make It Against the Law.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Advocates push for legislation criminalizing sex between ministers and those they spiritually guide.Krystal Woolston struggled with her mental health as a teenager, but she headed to college hoping for a brighter future. Then, a married pastor who seemed to care about her gave her a different path forward. He told her God wanted her to have sex with him to help her heal.Looking back 12 years later, Woolston realizes how vulnerable she was to his spiritual manipulation.&ldquo;I was just falling,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-churches-call-clergy-sexual-misconduct-an-affair-survivors-are-fighting-to-make-it-against-the-law/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-churches-call-clergy-sexual-misconduct-an-affair-survivors-are-fighting-to-make-it-against-the-law/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Most Pastors Still Oppose Same-Sex Marriage]]></title><description><![CDATA[Levels of support for LGBTQ relationships have plateaued among Protestant clergy.<br />
Almost a decade after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the country, most pastors remain opposed, and the supporting percentage isn&rsquo;t growing any larger.One in 5 US Protestant pastors (21%) say they see nothing wrong with two people of the same gender getting married, according to a Lifeway Research study.Three in 4 (75%) are opposed, including 69 percent who strongly disagree with same-sex]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/most-pastors-still-oppose-same-sex-marriage/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/most-pastors-still-oppose-same-sex-marriage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptists, Outsiders Hear Our Confessions Too]]></title><description><![CDATA[Baptist confessions have long drawn attention beyond the church. The proposal on male pastors will too.Messengers from around the country will soon gather in Indianapolis to conduct the business of the Southern Baptist Convention. As in recent years, they will consider the exact relationship between the association and its member churches&mdash;a question of unique significance to Baptists who have historically valued local church independence.This week, they will be asked to take final action o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-outsiders-hear-our-confessions-too/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-outsiders-hear-our-confessions-too/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptist Digital Hymnal Gets Saved]]></title><description><![CDATA[Worship leaders convince curriculum company of the value of lifewayworship.com.Lifeway no longer plans to shut down its online music ministry resource lifewayworship.com .<br />
In July 2023, the companyannounced its plan to retire the platform&mdash;a &ldquo;digital hymnal&rdquo; that provides users with chord charts, vocal arrangements, and orchestrations&mdash;thenpaused those plans a week later after a strong response from customers. After a year of reevaluation and interviews with worship leaders]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptist-digital-hymnal-gets-saved/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptist-digital-hymnal-gets-saved/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I’ve Preached the Gospel Countless Times. The Love of the Amish Preached it to Me.]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt on grief, forgiveness, and the gospel from Beechdale Road: Where Mercy Is More Powerful Than Murder.On Sunday, June 21, 2020, 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, was kidnapped and later murdered by Justo Smoker&mdash;my brother-in-law.As you might expect, my family journeyed through tremendous grief, anger, and pain. But as you might not expect, we also journeyed through the challenge of receiving unexplainable grace, kindness, and mercy at the hands of the Ami]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ive-preached-the-gospel-countless-times-the-love-of-the-amish-preached-it-to-me/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ive-preached-the-gospel-countless-times-the-love-of-the-amish-preached-it-to-me/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelicals Don’t Love Donald Trump Enough]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians who wave away the former president&rsquo;s sexual immorality may be the most anti-Trump constituency of all.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.For the first time in history, a former (and possibly future) president of the United States is now a convicted felon. A jury found that Donald Trump falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star, with whom he had an affair, in order to keep the story from hurting his 2016 p]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-dont-love-donald-trump-enough/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-dont-love-donald-trump-enough/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Indian Christians Relieved as Election Results Limit Hindu Nationalists]]></title><description><![CDATA[With Modi&rsquo;s BJP denied an outright majority in parliament, church leaders credit prayer movements and hope the restoration of coalition politics will protect religious minorities.The world&rsquo;s largest democracy underwent a significant political shift in its 2024 general election, as Indian voters upended the previously unshakable dominance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) remains the largest coalition an]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/indian-christians-relieved-as-election-results-limit-hindu-nationalists/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2024 23:22:31 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/indian-christians-relieved-as-election-results-limit-hindu-nationalists/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Many Southern Baptist Women Care More About Calling Than What They’re Called]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the SBC debates restrictions around titles and roles, female leaders continue their work in women&rsquo;s ministry in their local churches.<br />
When women&rsquo;s ministry began dominating her schedule, taking too much time from her responsibilities at work and at home, Jacqueline Heider submitted a letter of resignation.Her pastor responded by offering her a paid position.That was 18 years ago. Since then, Heider has led women&rsquo;s ministry at Warren Baptist Church. She serves on the lead tea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/many-southern-baptist-women-care-more-about-calling-than-what-theyre-called/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/many-southern-baptist-women-care-more-about-calling-than-what-theyre-called/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Doubting Thomas: Why the Evangelical Crush on Aquinas Needs to Mature]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thomism is experiencing a renaissance in theology, but there&rsquo;s a reason it&rsquo;s controversial.To engage with the medieval Italian priest Thomas Aquinas (1224&ndash;74) is to approach one of history&rsquo;s greatest theological giants. Aquinas is second only to Augustine in his influence on Western Christianity&mdash;and his legacy of Thomism is a vast ocean. Academic discussions in theology and philosophy demand Aquinas and Thomism as conversation partners.Yet evangelicals, in particula]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/doubting-thomas-why-the-evangelical-crush-on-aquinas-needs-to-mature/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/doubting-thomas-why-the-evangelical-crush-on-aquinas-needs-to-mature/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ban the Mob, Not the Bible]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians are the victims of hate in some places and the targets of hate speech laws in others. How can believers advocate for nations to address both threats in a consistent, principled way?Hate speech is a thorny problem in many countries of the world. Nations such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka, for example, regularly demonstrate how it can be used to incite violence against Christian minorities. But even Western nations that highly value freedom of expression have experienced demonstrations on c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ban-the-mob-not-the-bible/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ban-the-mob-not-the-bible/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Is the Way: How the Dao Helps Chinese People Understand Christ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ancient philosopher Zhuangzi&rsquo;s teachings can be a means of evangelism.In the opening lines of the Gospel of John, God&rsquo;s eternal presence is rendered as &ldquo;the Word,&rdquo; a translation of the Greek word logos. In many translations of the Chinese Bible, including the popular Chinese Union Version, you will find this concept rendered as &ldquo;the Dao (Tao).&rdquo;In English, Dao is commonly translated as &ldquo;the Way.&rdquo; In Chinese, the word (&#36947;) indicates a teaching]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/this-is-the-way-how-the-dao-helps-chinese-people-understand-christ/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/this-is-the-way-how-the-dao-helps-chinese-people-understand-christ/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Inside the ‘Secret World’ of Global Evangelism to Muslims]]></title><description><![CDATA[While reporting from conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East, Adriana Carranca met evangelical missionaries sent from surprising places.In a 2007 article, CT described British church historian Andrew Walls (1928&ndash;2021) as &ldquo;the most important person you don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo; Among his greatest achievements was helping turn the attention of Western scholars to the remarkable growth of Christianity in the Global South. Walls&rsquo;s work on what he then called &ldquo;non-Western]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/inside-the-secret-world-of-global-evangelism-to-muslims/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/inside-the-secret-world-of-global-evangelism-to-muslims/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Make Friends at Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s tough to plunge into a new congregation. Here&rsquo;s how to get your head above water.Once, a man decided to attend religious services while visiting a new town. He went to the meeting location and made a bunch of new friends, just like that.The man in question was the apostle Paul, and we learn this story of his visit to Philippi, including that friendly Sabbath, from Acts 16. Unfortunately, most of us aren&rsquo;t like Paul in multiple key respects, so perhaps the story should be a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-make-friends-at-church/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-make-friends-at-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Jürgen Moltmann, Theologian of Hope]]></title><description><![CDATA[A German soldier found by Christ in a prisoner of war camp, he became a renowned Christian scholar who taught that &ldquo;God weeps with us so that we may someday laugh with him.&rdquo;J&uuml;rgen Moltmann, a theologian who taught that Christian faith is founded in the hope of the resurrection of the crucified Christ and that the coming kingdom of God acts upon human history out of the eschatological future, died on June 3 in T&uuml;bingen, Germany. He was 98.Moltmann is widely regarded as one o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-jrgen-moltmann-theologian-of-hope/</link><pubDate>Tue, 04 Jun 2024 21:32:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-jrgen-moltmann-theologian-of-hope/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptists Pledged to Launch an Online Database of Abusers. It’s Still Empty.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lack of funding and liability concerns have stalled abuse reform efforts.<br />
A volunteer Southern Baptist task force charged with implementing abuse reforms in the nation&rsquo;s largest Protestant denomination will end its work next week without a single name published on a database of abusers.The task force&rsquo;s report marks the second time a proposed database for abusive pastors has been derailed by denominational apathy, legal worries, and a desire to protect donations to the Southern Baptis]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-pledged-to-launch-an-online-database-of-abusers-its-still-empty/</link><pubDate>Tue, 04 Jun 2024 19:55:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-pledged-to-launch-an-online-database-of-abusers-its-still-empty/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Silicon Valley&rsquo;s New Ethical Thinking Gets Right&amp;mdash;and Wrong]]></title><description><![CDATA[Effective altruism and longtermism are all the rage these days. How should Christians engage?Former cryptocurrency trade executive Ryan Salame was sentenced last week for federal financial crimes he committed while working for FTX. The company&rsquo;s billionaire founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, was sentenced months ago for engaging in &ldquo;one of the largest financial frauds in history.&rdquo; This case is making headlines and sparking long-term conversations in the burgeoning field of tech ethics]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-silicon-valleyrsquos-new-ethical-thinking-gets-rightampmdashand-wrong/</link><pubDate>Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-silicon-valleyrsquos-new-ethical-thinking-gets-rightampmdashand-wrong/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nominate a Book for the Christianity Today Book Awards]]></title><description><![CDATA[Instructions for publishers.Dear publishers and authors,Each year, Christianity Today honors a set of outstanding books encompassing a variety of subjects and genres. The CT Book Awards will be announced in December at christianitytoday.com. They also will be featured prominently in the January/February 2025 issue of CT and promoted in several CT newsletters. (In addition, publishers will have the opportunity to participate in a marketing promotion organized by CT&rsquo;s marketing team, complet]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nominate-a-book-for-the-christianity-today-book-awards/</link><pubDate>Tue, 04 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nominate-a-book-for-the-christianity-today-book-awards/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[For Sale: Christian Ministry Headquarters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelical organizations including Wycliffe, CT, and Lifeway are giving up their buildings and developing new models for remote work.Wycliffe Bible Translators&rsquo; building is 167,000 square feet of class-A office space, with windows looking out over palm trees, golf course grass, and a shimmering blue lake that appears to be a near-perfect circle. The headquarters is about 10 miles from the Orlando airport in the Lake Nona area, sitting on 272 lush acres that include wetlands filled with Fl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-sale-christian-ministry-headquarters/</link><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-sale-christian-ministry-headquarters/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let the Anxious Children Sing to Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[New worship music offers today&rsquo;s young believers a wider range of emotions and greater spiritual depth.<br />
Kids need more from worship music than dance motions, silly lyrics, and singsong melodies. Musicians like Keith and Kristyn Getty and Shane &amp; Shane are building a body of songs with theological depth and musical simplicity to help disciple young believers.&ldquo;Jesus Calms the Storm (Hymn for Anxious Little Hearts),&rdquo; arecent single released by the Gettys in collaboration with]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-anxious-children-sing-to-me/</link><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-anxious-children-sing-to-me/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Francis Collins’s New Project: Eliminate Hepatitis C]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Christian doctor and researcher sees a &ldquo;moral imperative&rdquo; in destroying a curable fatal illness. Other countries are on track to erase it, but not the United States.Francis Collins, the former longtime head of the National Institutes of Health and founder of BioLogos, has seen deaths in his work as a physician and researcher. But some of those have been personal: He watched his brother-in-law die a slow and painful death from complications of hepatitis C, an often fatal disease t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/francis-collinss-new-project-eliminate-hepatitis-c/</link><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/francis-collinss-new-project-eliminate-hepatitis-c/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[India’s Christians Brace for 2024 Election Results]]></title><description><![CDATA[Church leaders mobilized prayer for parliament and state elections, knowing the question wasn&rsquo;t whether Hindu nationalists would win but the size of their mandate.As India&rsquo;s monumental elections finally come to an end this week, all eyes are on the extent of the mandate that will be handed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Especially among the subcontinent&rsquo;s estimated 28 million Christians, for whom the result will test whether religious freedom a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/indias-christians-brace-for-2024-election-results/</link><pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/indias-christians-brace-for-2024-election-results/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Moral Confusion Around Trump’s Felony Conviction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Among the former president&rsquo;s antagonists and admirers alike, there is a great deal of calling evil good and good evil.The homepage of The New York Times announced the conviction of Donald Trump on 34 felony charges Thursday afternoon in the kind of large-scale, black letter headline we typically associate with yellowed century-old newspapers declaring war has come. &ldquo;TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS,&rdquo; it blared above a photo of the former president looking weary in some crowded public]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-moral-confusion-around-trumps-felony-conviction/</link><pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-moral-confusion-around-trumps-felony-conviction/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Guilty Verdict Shakes Trump Supporters&rsquo; Faith&amp;mdash;in the Justice System]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many white evangelicals don&rsquo;t trust the felony conviction and still back the former president.Donald Trump&rsquo;s historic felony conviction in New York on Thursday hasn&rsquo;t deterred his evangelical supporters. Instead, along with fellow Trump loyalists, they have directed their ire at the justice system that issued a guilty verdict against him.&ldquo;People think this is kind of the end of America,&rdquo; Chad Connelly, CEO of Faith Wins, a conservative Christian organization, told C]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/guilty-verdict-shakes-trump-supportersrsquo-faithampmdashin-the-justice-system/</link><pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 15:43:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/guilty-verdict-shakes-trump-supportersrsquo-faithampmdashin-the-justice-system/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pakistan’s Christians Fear Forced Marriages. Punjab Court Ruling Brings New Hope]]></title><description><![CDATA[Church leaders and human rights experts weigh in on whether raising the legal age is sufficient in shielding minors.Nearly one in five (18.3%) Pakistani girls are married before age 18, according to data from 2017 to 2018, with over half becoming pregnant as children. Many of these girls are of Christian or Hindu faiths that collectively make up 3.5 percent of the population, which is majority Muslim.While the government has officially banned child marriage, discriminatory laws and lack of enfor]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pakistans-christians-fear-forced-marriages-punjab-court-ruling-brings-new-hope/</link><pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pakistans-christians-fear-forced-marriages-punjab-court-ruling-brings-new-hope/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kwame Bediako Still Defines the Debate on African Culture and Christianity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Seven leaders weigh in on the late Ghanaian scholar&rsquo;s provocative legacy 20 years after his best-known book.What Luther and Calvin are for evangelical Christians globally, Kwame Bediako is for many African evangelicals. From his dramatic conversion in 1970 to his death in 2008, Bediako was the primary architect of and inspiration for theological work that grappled with the realities of African culture.On this 20th anniversary of the publication (by Orbis Books) of some of Bediako&rsquo;s m]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kwame-bediako-still-defines-the-debate-on-african-culture-and-christianity/</link><pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kwame-bediako-still-defines-the-debate-on-african-culture-and-christianity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Lin Chih-Ping, Taiwan’s ‘Fool for Life’ Who Shared ‘Cosmic Light’ Through Eclectic Ministry]]></title><description><![CDATA[The entrepreneur and social services leader had a unique vision for sharing the gospel and reaching people holistically.Peter Chih-Ping Lin (&#26519;&#27835;&#24179;), who launched a Christian magazine for those outside the church that grew into a sprawling, eclectic ministry, died of pancreatic cancer on April 27 at the age of 86 in Taipei. With little financial support, in 1973, Lin founded what became Christian Cosmic Light Holistic Care Organization, which sought to reach non-Christians thro]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-lin-chih-ping-taiwans-fool-for-life-who-shared-cosmic-light-through-eclectic-ministry/</link><pubDate>Fri, 31 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-lin-chih-ping-taiwans-fool-for-life-who-shared-cosmic-light-through-eclectic-ministry/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Chosen Season 4 Available for Streaming&amp;mdash;&lsquo;Finally&rsquo;]]></title><description><![CDATA[The TV series had to wait months to go up online due to a legal dispute with its former partner Angel Studios over content licensing.After months of delay and a legal dispute, the first episode of The Chosen, Season Four, will drop on the show&rsquo;s app at 7 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.&ldquo;The wait is finally over. The response from those who&rsquo;ve seen Season 4 in theaters was that this is our best season, so I can&rsquo;t wait to deliver these episodes free and easy to the world,&rdquo; sai]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-chosen-season-4-available-for-streamingampmdashlsquofinallyrsquo/</link><pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 17:50:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-chosen-season-4-available-for-streamingampmdashlsquofinallyrsquo/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Flourish as a Creative Minority]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Orthodox Jew advises American evangelicals on how to keep&mdash;and pass on&mdash;the faith in an increasingly pagan culture.Consider this a dispatch from my neighborhood to yours. Christianity Today doesn&rsquo;t typically publish Orthodox Jewish writers, so you might consider me a distant cousin, writing in an effort to understand and encourage American evangelicals as they adjust to a dominant culture that is increasingly postmodern and even pagan. While Jews see this era as but another ch]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-flourish-as-a-creative-minority/</link><pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-flourish-as-a-creative-minority/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Sam Butcher, Artist Who Created Precious Moments]]></title><description><![CDATA[His porcelain figurines sold millions while he built a church inspired by the Sistine Chapel.Sam Butcher sometimes struggled to explain why Precious Moments figurines, his signature artistic creation, became such a cultural phenomenon. Half a million people joined special collectors&rsquo; clubs to get them. The manufacturer released 25 to 40 new ones every year. And Butcher, an art school dropout, earned tens of millions of dollars in annual royalties.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still &hellip; trying to f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-sam-butcher-artist-who-created-precious-moments/</link><pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-sam-butcher-artist-who-created-precious-moments/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Covering Global Disasters for Decades, Nicholas Kristof Is More Hopeful Than Ever]]></title><description><![CDATA[The New York Times reporter&rsquo;s memoir can refine our perspective on pursuing justice in a fallen world.I&rsquo;ve got my top summer reading recommendation ready for you. In fact, I&rsquo;m recommending you buy two copies of the book, Nicholas Kristof&rsquo;s Chasing Hope: A Reporter&rsquo;s Life. There are two reasons why.I&rsquo;ll get to the second eventually. But the first is more straightforward: This is a memoir from someone who has led one of the most dramatically interesting lives of]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-covering-global-disasters-for-decades-nicholas-kristof-is-more-hopeful-than-ever/</link><pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-covering-global-disasters-for-decades-nicholas-kristof-is-more-hopeful-than-ever/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[To Guard Against the Monsters in My Life, I Became a Monster Myself]]></title><description><![CDATA[A lifestyle of violence and addiction nearly destroyed me, but it brought me to the foot of the cross.I grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, in a home filled with chaos. Home was an ever-changing address, with my parents&rsquo; fights the only constant. My dad enjoyed his plethora of drugs, and my mom enjoyed pushing his buttons and being the victim. They finally decided to call it quits when I was 11 years old, but not before I got some startling news: The man I had called my father wasn&rsquo;t rea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/to-guard-against-the-monsters-in-my-life-i-became-a-monster-myself/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2024 17:49:21 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/to-guard-against-the-monsters-in-my-life-i-became-a-monster-myself/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘I Thought I’d Be Further Along by Now’]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt on risk, worship, and spiritual growth from The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs and Experience of God.We often think we should be further along in our life of faith than we actually are. This tendency is connected to how we read the Bible, how we compare ourselves to others, and then how we reinforce these dynamics in our faithcommunities.I want to point out upfront that it is quite possible that we should be further along. I am not suggesting that we get laz]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-thought-id-be-further-along-by-now/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-thought-id-be-further-along-by-now/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Face the Headlines with Hope]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Papua New Guinea mudslide is yet another reminder that our world is not as it should be. But take heart! Christ has overcome the world.Family members sit atop boulders, weary from lifting rocks to search for bodies. Men with shovels bend under the weight of sorrow and effort as they work to leave literally no stone unturned. Disaster has struck again: A massive mudslide in Papua New Guinea on Friday morning buried an estimated 2,000 people alive, covering dozens of homes and an elementary sc]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-face-the-headlines-with-hope/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-face-the-headlines-with-hope/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Boy Meets Girl, Fans Meet Jesus?]]></title><description><![CDATA[As Christian romances make their way to theaters, their writers are seizing opportunities for evangelism.This spring, Someone Like You, based on the Christian romance novel by author Karen Kingsbury and produced by the newly formed Karen Kingsbury Productions, was released in theaters across the US and Canada. The movie&mdash;a tale of grief, romance, and a secret frozen embryo sister&mdash;grossed about $5.9 million.Kingsbury&rsquo;s accomplishments as an author and movie producer are impressiv]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/boy-meets-girl-fans-meet-jesus/</link><pubDate>Wed, 29 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/boy-meets-girl-fans-meet-jesus/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[World Vision Appeals Employment Discrimination Case to Ninth Circuit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Federal appeals courts are starting to wrestle with how nondiscrimination laws apply to religious organizations when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity.<br />
After sustaining a court defeat in November, this week Christian humanitarian aid organization World Vision appealed an employment discrimination case to the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A lower federal judge had ordered the organization to pay $120,000 in damages in the case earlier this month after ruling]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/world-vision-appeals-employment-discrimination-case-to-ninth-circuit/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2024 16:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/world-vision-appeals-employment-discrimination-case-to-ninth-circuit/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What I Would Change After 30 Years of Marriage]]></title><description><![CDATA[I should have invited Ruth to our wedding&mdash;to acknowledge how much our ordinary moments point to the story of Christ.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.On Monday of next week, my wife, Maria, and I celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. As I think about those two kids standing at the altar, I would want to say &ldquo;I do&rdquo; all over again to everything. One of the very few exceptions would be one decision that had to do with the wedding, not w]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-i-would-change-after-30-years-of-marriage/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-i-would-change-after-30-years-of-marriage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastors Will Try to Spare South Africa’s Tense Elections from Violence]]></title><description><![CDATA[Oscar Siwali is mobilizing conflict mediators as the country goes to the polls. He only wishes his organization could train more.Oscar Siwali remembers watching Nelson Mandela&rsquo;s triumphant walk as he left prison after 27 years. In 1990, as the young pastor of a Baptist church, Siwali saw himself as an evangelical focused on winning souls and tending to his flock&rsquo;s spiritual needs, not needing to prioritize political concerns. Nonetheless, he shared the pride of his people&rsquo;s suc]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-will-try-to-spare-south-africas-tense-elections-from-violence/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-will-try-to-spare-south-africas-tense-elections-from-violence/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mad Max Does Genesis]]></title><description><![CDATA[Furiosa begins with a retelling of the biblical Fall. After its apocalypse comes something new.One of the first lines of dialogue in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a question: &ldquo;As the world falls around us, how must we brave its cruelties?&rdquo;Across its 148-minute running time, Furiosa offers various responses to that inquiry, presenting a post-apocalyptic set of scenarios bound in blood, gasoline, and bullets. Ultimately, the film settles on hope&mdash;however foolish it may seem&mdash;as]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mad-max-does-genesis/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mad-max-does-genesis/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As More Brazilian Pop Stars Praise God with Their Lips, Does It Matter If Hearts Are Far?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gospel music is soaring in popularity in Brazil, leading artists with little Christian background to release worship songs and pastors to mull motives.&ldquo;Dwell in me, Jesus,&rdquo; sings Ana Castela in &ldquo;Agrade&ccedil;o&rdquo; (I Thank You), a single the 20-year-old Brazilian pop star released in December. The lyrics resemble words that evangelical congregations sing in contemporary church services across the country: I surrender, I trust, I accept, and I thank you.Castela emerged on Br]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-more-brazilian-pop-stars-praise-god-with-their-lips-does-it-matter-if-hearts-are-far/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-more-brazilian-pop-stars-praise-god-with-their-lips-does-it-matter-if-hearts-are-far/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Iranian Christians Contemplate God’s Justice after President’s Death in Crash]]></title><description><![CDATA[Believers in the diaspora reference Daniel and the &ldquo;writing on the wall&rdquo; as many mull if helicopter accident portends more changes to come.Iranian Christians in the diaspora shed few tears over the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash along with the foreign minister and six others in the northwest mountains of Iran.The leadership vacuum will be filled within 50 days by a new election. But it comes at a tumultuous time for the Islamic Republic, which last mon]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/iranian-christians-contemplate-gods-justice-after-presidents-death-in-crash/</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/iranian-christians-contemplate-gods-justice-after-presidents-death-in-crash/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Succor and Silence]]></title><description><![CDATA[On praying past the end of silver linings to a God who often does not answer as I hope.Around the bonfire at church camp on the Oregon coast, we sang &ldquo;River of Life&rdquo; to get warmed up, and then, to mellow the mood for the gospel presentation, &ldquo;Seek Ye First.&rdquo; A haunting descant rose over the melody, swelling my 12-year-old heart with grateful longing. I walked forward to accept Jesus into my heart, and a counselor prayed for me, shadows from the flames flickering across ou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-succor-and-silence/</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2024 17:21:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-succor-and-silence/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Believers Can and Can’t Affirm in Those Who Affirm Same-Sex Marriage]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rebecca McLaughlin takes care to filter their legitimate claims from their flawed assumptions.Maybe you believe that the Bible opposes same-sex sexual relationships. Where in the Bible would you begin to explain your view? Maybe you doubt that the Bible opposes same-sex sexual relationships. Where in the Bible would you begin to build an argument for affirmation? Or maybe you are unsure whether the Bible affirms or opposes same-sex sexual relationships. Where in the Bible would you begin to inqu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-believers-can-and-cant-affirm-in-those-who-affirm-same-sex-marriage/</link><pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-believers-can-and-cant-affirm-in-those-who-affirm-same-sex-marriage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Anglican Bishop Removed as Clergy Call for Transparency in Investigation]]></title><description><![CDATA[While the ACNA hasn&rsquo;t offered public updates on a trial for Stewart Ruch&rsquo;s abuse response, Todd Atkinson, a bishop appointed to assist him, has been deposed over inappropriate relationships.Nearly three years ago, Bishop Stewart Ruch of the Anglican Church in North America&rsquo;s Diocese of the Upper Midwest admitted &ldquo;regrettable errors&rdquo; in handling sexual abuse allegations against a lay minister, before taking a leave of absence. An acting bishop took over the diocese a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/anglican-bishop-removed-as-clergy-call-for-transparency-in-investigation/</link><pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2024 15:22:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/anglican-bishop-removed-as-clergy-call-for-transparency-in-investigation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Flannery O’Connor Novel That Might Have Been]]></title><description><![CDATA[Her final work was continually revised but never finished. Can we know what she was aiming to achieve?Flannery O&rsquo;Connor was an inveterate rewriter, working, reworking, and deleting episodes from her stories and novels. Her archives, collected at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, bulge with deleted scenes and alternate versions of characters scarcely recognizable as the people who inhabit the published versions of her stories.O&rsquo;Connor spent five years crafting Wis]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-flannery-oconnor-novel-that-might-have-been/</link><pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-flannery-oconnor-novel-that-might-have-been/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[DOJ Issues First Indictment in Southern Baptist Investigation]]></title><description><![CDATA[A former official at Southwestern Seminary has been charged with falsifying records in the federal probe into the denomination&rsquo;s abuse response.<br />
A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and interim provost has been indicted on a charge of obstructing justice in a sexual misconduct case, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.Matt Queen, who was previously an administrator and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, allegedly gave the FBI falsified notes during an o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/doj-issues-first-indictment-in-southern-baptist-investigation/</link><pubDate>Wed, 22 May 2024 03:05:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/doj-issues-first-indictment-in-southern-baptist-investigation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Moral Failures by Christian Leaders Are a Huge Problem. Can New Standards Help?]]></title><description><![CDATA[ECFA is adding leadership integrity to its accountability criteria.<br />
The accreditation agency for over 2,700 evangelical nonprofits wants to raise its standards to address &ldquo;one of the greatest financial risks&rdquo; posed to churches and ministries today: moral failures by leadership.For decades, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) has established guidelines around financial transparency, stewardship, and governance. This year, the organization announced plans to add]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/moral-failures-by-christian-leaders-are-a-huge-problem-can-new-standards-help/</link><pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/moral-failures-by-christian-leaders-are-a-huge-problem-can-new-standards-help/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I’m a Political Prisoner in Congo. My Ministry Is Thriving.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Even as I long for health and freedom, I see the good that God is doing.The end of April 2024 marked my 10th month in detention at Makala Central Prison in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Each day passes, leaving the impression that I will be free tomorrow. I know the day I hope for will finally come, because I have put my hope in the Master of times and circumstances. As he says in Matthew 25:31&ndash;46, he is also detained with me here. When he is done with detention, he will lea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/im-a-political-prisoner-in-congo-my-ministry-is-thriving/</link><pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/im-a-political-prisoner-in-congo-my-ministry-is-thriving/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Be a Christian Influencer Worthy of the Name]]></title><description><![CDATA[We do not deserve to wield influence in the church while being simps and sycophants to the secular world.There&rsquo;s good reason for the church to be wary of social media influencers&mdash;particularly those who speak to spiritual matters. We aren&rsquo;t wrong to be disconcerted at the idea of Christians being led by online personalities who might be more charismatic than theologically sound or more creative than credible, especially when the influencers are disconnected from church disciples]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-be-a-christian-influencer-worthy-of-the-name/</link><pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-be-a-christian-influencer-worthy-of-the-name/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Forrest Frank Is Making the Internet’s Vibiest Christian Music]]></title><description><![CDATA[His upbeat hits and worship collaborations are capturing younger listeners on social media.<br />
Some of the most popular music we hear in our Instagram and TikTok feeds comes from Forrest Frank, the independent artist and music producer known for his viral, feel-good songs.His beat-driven pop combines vibey grooves and infectious hooks in hits like &ldquo;Up!&rdquo; and &ldquo;Good Day.&rdquo;Frank was the top-ranked new artist on last year&rsquo;s Billboard Christian charts, and his advice for fell]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/forrest-frank-is-making-the-internets-vibiest-christian-music/</link><pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/forrest-frank-is-making-the-internets-vibiest-christian-music/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Loosening of American Evangelicalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Long-standing norms against drinking, tattoos, and Catholic-coded church practices have rapidly fallen. What&rsquo;s going on?Something has happened in the last 25 years in American evangelicalism&mdash;what I believe to be a massive generational shift. I&rsquo;d like to sketch a picture of the change I see and ask if you see it too.First, though, let me set the scene. I have in mind low-church Protestant traditions in the United States: churches centered on the Bible, evangelism, and personal f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-loosening-of-american-evangelicalism/</link><pubDate>Mon, 20 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-loosening-of-american-evangelicalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don’t Skip Chronicles in Your Bible Reading Plan]]></title><description><![CDATA[What we can learn from the chronicler&rsquo;s stories about the kings of Israel.To the dutiful Bible reader, Chronicles might seem a bit baffling. As we read, we might find ourselves wondering, Haven&rsquo;t I read this before? The short answer is yes and no .<br />
The books of 1 and 2 Chronicles retell some of the same stories of Israel and Judah that appear in the books of Samuel and Kings. But the chronicler also offers a fresh perspective on those years by incorporating new material and leaving o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-skip-chronicles-in-your-bible-reading-plan/</link><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-skip-chronicles-in-your-bible-reading-plan/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Church Fathers Belong in Creation Debates. But Handle Them with Care.]]></title><description><![CDATA[We can humbly seek their wisdom without treating them as mascots for one position or another.On September 11, 2020, I found myself under a large tent, where 51 ministers of the Reformed Presbyterian Church had assembled for a COVID-era presbytery. They gathered to receive charges against me, initiating an ecclesiastical trial. I had published a book that affirmed the possibility of theistic evolution&mdash;a view regarded by some as dangerous.Through that process, I became personally (and painfu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-fathers-belong-in-creation-debates-but-handle-them-with-care/</link><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-fathers-belong-in-creation-debates-but-handle-them-with-care/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI Preachers and Teachers? No Thanks, Say Most Americans.]]></title><description><![CDATA[American Bible Society study finds majority don&rsquo;t trust technology with spiritual matters.Ask ChatGPT how to improve your spiritual life, and the natural-language processing artificial intelligence chatbot has plenty of suggestions.But Americans are skeptical that artificial intelligence, or AI, has much to offer in the way of reliable religious guidance.Sixty-eight percent of people don&rsquo;t think AI could help them with their spiritual practices or &ldquo;promote spiritual health,&rdq]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ai-preachers-and-teachers-no-thanks-say-most-americans/</link><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ai-preachers-and-teachers-no-thanks-say-most-americans/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A New Era of AI Is Here, and the Church Is Not Ready]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the uncanny valley of the shadow of data, we should fear no evil&mdash;and prepare for a very different future.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.In the past several weeks, two events occurred that are going to change our futures. One of them was the launching of OpenAI&rsquo;s new artificial intelligence program, GPT-4o, just ahead of several competitors who will do the same in a matter of weeks. The other was the defrocking of a robot priest for tea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-new-era-of-ai-is-here-and-the-church-is-not-ready/</link><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-new-era-of-ai-is-here-and-the-church-is-not-ready/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Billy Graham’s US Capitol Statue Unveiled]]></title><description><![CDATA[The late evangelist is one of just four Americans who have received the nation&rsquo;s three highest congressional honors.<br />
Salvation in Christ Jesus was offered in National Statuary Hall May 16 at the unveiling of a statue of the iconic late global evangelist Billy Graham, which has John 3:16 and John 14:6 carved in its base.&ldquo;Friends, God&rsquo;s grace is undeserved, but through Christ it is freely given. And it is by trusting in God&rsquo;s sacrifice that we are saved,&rdquo; US Sen. Ted]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/billy-grahams-us-capitol-statue-unveiled/</link><pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 14:50:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/billy-grahams-us-capitol-statue-unveiled/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Police Officers Are Burning Out. Can Chaplains Help?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Spiritual care is essential as stressors among law enforcement rise.Sitting in the front row of a supervisor training in 2016, Stamford Police Sgt. Sean Boeger raised his hand every time the instructor asked who had dealt with a particular experience, including homicides, fatal accidents, and child deaths.During his nearly 30 years as a police officer, 48-year-old Boeger had helped with body recovery efforts at Ground Zero after 9/11. When 20 children were killed by a lone shooter in 2012 at San]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/police-officers-are-burning-out-can-chaplains-help/</link><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/police-officers-are-burning-out-can-chaplains-help/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Caregiving Boom Needs Spiritual Support]]></title><description><![CDATA[By calling or circumstance, millions in the &ldquo;sandwich generation&rdquo; feel the weight and cost of tending to aging relatives.<br />
Shanoah Bruner is among the quarter of American adults who find themselves in the &ldquo;sandwich generation,&rdquo; raising children under 18 and supporting aging parents.At her home in the Indianapolis suburbs, the 40-something mom lives with her husband, tween and teen daughters, mother-in-law, and biological father.The caretaking role comes naturally to Brune]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-caregiving-boom-needs-spiritual-support/</link><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-caregiving-boom-needs-spiritual-support/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Miracle of the Ear]]></title><description><![CDATA[Speech was not God&rsquo;s only miracle at Pentecost. The Spirit also gave the gift of understanding, overcoming division and contempt.Tongues of fire, everywhere. In this loud and furious age, a time of protests and counter-protests, words come burning, singeing, scalding, stinging.&ldquo;Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,&rdquo; James wrote, &ldquo;because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires&rdquo; (1:19&ndash;20). But few of]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-miracle-of-the-ear/</link><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-miracle-of-the-ear/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Sustaining Breath of God]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a physician, I witness countless first and last breaths. As a Christian, I am constantly reminded of how God breathes life into us through his Spirit.The scalpel sliced through the uterine wall. The amniotic sac ruptured, and fluid flowed across the blue surgical drapery toward me. The obstetrician&rsquo;s fingers curled around the baby&rsquo;s head while my gloved hands pressed firmly against the mother&rsquo;s abdomen. The baby was larger than we had expected. I shifted my full body weight]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-sustaining-breath-of-god/</link><pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-sustaining-breath-of-god/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Would Tim Keller Care If We Weren’t Still Talking About Him? Probably Not.]]></title><description><![CDATA[For all his greatness, we should most seek to imitate the late pastor&rsquo;s humility and indifference to fame.In spring of last year, many of us saw a photo of the late Timothy Keller sitting on a park bench. The photo was used on the cover of Collin Hansen&rsquo;s biography of Keller, and it circulated around the internet in May when he passed away&mdash;on social media, blogs, and even Keller&rsquo;s personal website.What most of us didn&rsquo;t see, however, was the banana peel lying on the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/would-tim-keller-care-if-we-werent-still-talking-about-him-probably-not/</link><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/would-tim-keller-care-if-we-werent-still-talking-about-him-probably-not/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pascal Is More Than His Most Famous Argument]]></title><description><![CDATA[The wager only scratches the surface of his relevance to a post-Christian era.It is a common lament that we live in a post-Christian era. This fact raises challenges to our witness to the world. Most of our audience thinks that, in G. K. Chesterton&rsquo;s words, Christianity has been tried and found wanting (rather than found wanting and left untried). It is not considered a live option. How do we bear witness well in this cultural context? We might do well to reconsider one of the most enigmat]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pascal-is-more-than-his-most-famous-argument/</link><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pascal-is-more-than-his-most-famous-argument/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Young Sheldon’ Is Ending. So Is Its Idea of Science Versus Religion.]]></title><description><![CDATA[For seven seasons, the show has offered a clich&eacute;d (and nostalgic) vision of how atheists and believers relate to each other.My mom was the one who told me to watch The Big Bang Theory. It was a show about nerds&mdash;and I was a nerd. She thought I&rsquo;d enjoy it. A friend had already mentioned that the main character, Sheldon Cooper, was &ldquo;exactly like&rdquo; me. After I watched the show, at Mom&rsquo;s encouragement, I joked that I had mixed feelings about the comparison.The Big]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/young-sheldon-is-ending-so-is-its-idea-of-science-versus-religion/</link><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/young-sheldon-is-ending-so-is-its-idea-of-science-versus-religion/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In the Beginning, Did God Make ‘Sky Father’ and ‘Earth Mother’?]]></title><description><![CDATA[M&#257;ori Christians in New Zealand bristle at newly translated portions of the Bible that use the names of local deities.Last year, Bible Society New Zealand (BSNZ) released a 109-page booklet with 10 Bible passages published in a contemporary M&#257;ori translation for the first time. The version used the names of atua M&#257;ori, or M&#257;ori gods and deities, in place of words like heaven, earth, land, and sea. Genesis 1:1, for example, says that in the beginning, God made Rangi-nui (Sky F]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-the-beginning-did-god-make-sky-father-and-earth-mother/</link><pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-the-beginning-did-god-make-sky-father-and-earth-mother/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can You Serve Christ and Confucius?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Asian Christians must navigate ethical dilemmas in everyday life. This recent book can help.There are rules to follow in every culture, particularly in Asia, where many children must bear the responsibility of maintaining harmony within the home and familial structure. To deviate from the norms or traditions of any Asian society requires a bold willingness to try to demonstrate to one&rsquo;s fellow citizens what is and is not working in their culture. As a Christian living or ministering in an]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-you-serve-christ-and-confucius/</link><pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2024 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-you-serve-christ-and-confucius/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Billionaire Goes on Trial for Major Wall Street Fraud]]></title><description><![CDATA[Federal prosecutors are trying to prove that Bill Hwang committed massive market manipulation through his investment firm Archegos. His defense says he was trading like anyone else on Wall Street.Bill Hwang brought a book by Dietrich Bonhoeffer to court to read during jury selection.And during opening arguments on Monday, his Christian connections from New York packed out a courtroom to support him.He had given his investment firm a Christian name, held Wall Street Bible readings, and distribute]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-billionaire-goes-on-trial-for-major-wall-street-fraud/</link><pubDate>Tue, 14 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-billionaire-goes-on-trial-for-major-wall-street-fraud/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Women in India Lack Inheritance Rights. Could Hindu Nationalists Help?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Uniform Civil Code seeks "one nation, one law" to govern citizens' personal lives, but religious minorities fear hidden costs.In February, the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand passed a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), which aims to implement a common set of rules governing crucial aspects of life, including marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption.This code would supplant existing personal laws that religious groups in India currently ascribe to. Personal laws cover family-related matters s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-women-in-india-lack-inheritance-rights-could-hindu-nationalists-help/</link><pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2024 20:44:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-women-in-india-lack-inheritance-rights-could-hindu-nationalists-help/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why the Pacific Islands Are 90 Percent Christian]]></title><description><![CDATA[It wasn&rsquo;t only because of missionaries from the West, says a Tongan Australian theologian.Christian overseas missionaries were more successful in Oceania&mdash;the region spanning the Pacific Islands, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand&mdash;than anywhere else in the world.In particular, people in the Pacific Islands (which include Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga, and more) were receptive to the gospel because &ldquo;their ancestors&rsquo; strong beliefs in a divine]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-the-pacific-islands-are-90-percent-christian/</link><pubDate>Mon, 13 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-the-pacific-islands-are-90-percent-christian/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Offering Everything They Have’: How Small Churches Are Saving Lives in Brazil’s Floods]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the country's most secular state, tiny congregations have made a big impact by their disaster response.For weeks, T&aacute;rik Rodriguez had been working on bringing a guest preacher and worship leader from across the country to help his church celebrate its third anniversary. In 2021, Rodriguez and a small team launched Viela da Gra&ccedil;a Igreja in Novo Hamburgo, a small city in Brazil&rsquo;s most southern province, Rio Grande do Sul.Then, it started raining.The floods have done more tha]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/offering-everything-they-have-how-small-churches-are-saving-lives-in-brazils-floods/</link><pubDate>Sat, 11 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/offering-everything-they-have-how-small-churches-are-saving-lives-in-brazils-floods/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rage Against the Apple Machine]]></title><description><![CDATA[The controversial iPad ad proves that technology can indeed flatten&mdash;or crush&mdash;what is real.A recent advertisement from Apple for the new iPad Pro has somehow managed to existentially disturb me. Titled &ldquo;Crush!&rdquo; it shows an ominous hydraulic press above a platform filled with symbols of humanity, creativity, and joy: a metronome, guitar, classical statue, piano, analog cameras, books, paint, and more.The metronome starts, and the press descends to Sonny &amp; Cher&rsquo;s &]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rage-against-the-apple-machine/</link><pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rage-against-the-apple-machine/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Grace College Professor Terminated Following Facebook Campaign]]></title><description><![CDATA[Matthew Warner, who had tweeted about gay marriage, is the latest in a string of Christian college faculty who have lost their jobs after being accused of theological misalignment.With glowing performance reviews and above-average student evaluations, by most measures Matthew Warner&rsquo;s first year as a communications professor at Grace College was a triumph.But he spent most of that first year knowing it could be his last. After four months on the job, Warner was informed by the school&rsquo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/grace-college-professor-terminated-following-facebook-campaign/</link><pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/grace-college-professor-terminated-following-facebook-campaign/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christians Shouldn’t Run from a ‘Negative World.’ But They Can Depend on It Less.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Aaron Renn outlines individual, institutional, and missional strategies for adapting to a hostile culture.Rarely does an essay cause such a stir as Aaron Renn&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism.&rdquo; Published in First Things in 2022, Renn&rsquo;s framework for describing Christianity&rsquo;s fall into cultural disfavor since the 1960s elicited a wide range of responses, from wholehearted agreement to sympathetic skepticism to vociferous disagreement, and seemingly everything in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-shouldnt-run-from-a-negative-world-but-they-can-depend-on-it-less/</link><pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-shouldnt-run-from-a-negative-world-but-they-can-depend-on-it-less/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘I Knew I Would Pay a Price for My Faith’: China Releases Missionary After Seven Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[John Sanqiang Cao shares how hand-copied Bible verses, prayers, and a mother&rsquo;s love buoyed him during his imprisonment.When pastor John Sanqiang Cao, 64, crossed the border back into China from Myanmar&rsquo;s Wa State on March 5, 2017, Chinese officials were waiting to arrest him. For years, he had traveled across the porous border from Yunnan Province to the impoverished Wa State, where he founded more than 20 schools, established drug rehabilitation centers, and provided medicine, books]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-knew-i-would-pay-a-price-for-my-faith-china-releases-missionary-after-seven-years/</link><pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-knew-i-would-pay-a-price-for-my-faith-china-releases-missionary-after-seven-years/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reality Is Now a Diss Track]]></title><description><![CDATA[Drake and Kendrick Lamar&rsquo;s rivalry reveals our craving for controversy&mdash;and what&rsquo;s lost when community is based on shared hatred, not love.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Not since Tupac died have we seen the country quite as fixated on a feud between rappers. Over the past several weeks, artists Drake and Kendrick Lamar kept the news cycle abuzz with their dueling diss tracks&mdash;ridiculing each other in trivial matters of height a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/reality-is-now-a-diss-track/</link><pubDate>Fri, 10 May 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/reality-is-now-a-diss-track/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Gospel for Asia Founder Athanasius Yohannan]]></title><description><![CDATA[The champion of &ldquo;native missions&rdquo; trained more than 100,000 evangelists but got in trouble for financial mismanagement.Athanasius Yohannan, who built one of the world&rsquo;s largest mission organizations on the idea that Western Christians should support &ldquo;native missionaries&rdquo; but got in trouble for financial irregularities and dishonest fundraising, died on May 8. He was 74 and got hit by a car while walking along the road near his ministry headquarters in Texas.Born Kad]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-gospel-for-asia-founder-athanasius-yohannan/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2024 21:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-gospel-for-asia-founder-athanasius-yohannan/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Didn’t Want a Baby. I Wanted This Baby.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mourning miscarriage means acknowledging the particular life that&rsquo;s been lost.You&rsquo;re young. You can try again,&rdquo; the phlebotomist says as he sticks a needle in my arm. He&rsquo;s drawing blood for tests that will confirm what ultrasounds are already saying: I am miscarrying. I recognize the young man&rsquo;s attempt to offer comfort and receive it as such. What I do not say is, It&rsquo;s not that I just want a baby.Before this third pregnancy, I&rsquo;d told my husband I was do]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-didnt-want-a-baby-i-wanted-this-baby/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-didnt-want-a-baby-i-wanted-this-baby/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Train]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&rsquo;m learning that motherhood is less about technique and more about wisdom and formation.Almost six months ago, I had my first baby. Ever since, I&rsquo;ve been thinking about sleep: how long; how deep; whether it&rsquo;s happening in a car, on a walk, in a lap. And I&rsquo;ve been thinking about how to achieve that sleep faithfully, honoring both the dignity of my baby and my duty as a mom.For many new parents, sleep is a controversy, a series of choices that open you up to criticism. Som]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/now-i-lay-me-down-to-sleep-train/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/now-i-lay-me-down-to-sleep-train/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spanish Evangelical Party Makes a Bid for European Union Parliament Seat]]></title><description><![CDATA[Long-shot campaign needs 15,000 signatures for the chance to get on the ballot.Eye-catching election placards are popping up across the European Union. They appear overnight in public squares and in front of train stations, along the Autobahn and the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es and many lesser-known rues, strassen, and calles.With bright colors and bold slogans, each promises to make a difference in the European Parliament, if only passersby will vote for their party in the upcoming election.&l]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/spanish-evangelical-party-makes-a-bid-for-european-union-parliament-seat/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/spanish-evangelical-party-makes-a-bid-for-european-union-parliament-seat/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bringing the City of God to the Cities of Earth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian urban designers and developers explain how their faith affects their work&mdash;and how their work affects your faith.The design of our communities shapes how we interact with one another, love one another, and grow with one another. But who shapes those communities?<br />
In a broad sense, we all do. Our choices of where and how to live, learn, work, and worship collectively influence the market, ministry decisions, and what feels &ldquo;right&rdquo; and &ldquo;normal.&rdquo; But some profe]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bringing-the-city-of-god-to-the-cities-of-earth/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2024 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bringing-the-city-of-god-to-the-cities-of-earth/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Digital Lectors for a Postliterate Age]]></title><description><![CDATA[Postliterate people still need God&rsquo;s Word, and online Bible ventures have found eager listeners.Suppose you agree that ours is an increasingly postliterate age. The average person, including the average Christian, is reading less, and Christians of all ages, especially the young, lack the basics of biblical literacy. Is that all there is to say? Is hunger for Scripture simply dying out?By no means. Of all tech pessimists I may be chief, yet few things excite me more than what&rsquo;s happe]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/digital-lectors-for-a-postliterate-age/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/digital-lectors-for-a-postliterate-age/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Marilynne Robinson Reads Genesis Without Anxiety]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unperturbed by debates over the book&rsquo;s relationship to modern thought, she helps us appreciate its marriage of literary structure and theological claims.In her latest book, Reading Genesis, Marilynne Robinson insists that modern readers have largely misunderstood the literary and theological significance of the Bible.Among the most salient causes of this misunderstanding, she argues, is our tendency to read ancient texts through modern categories&mdash;history, myth, fiction, nonfiction&md]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/marilynne-robinson-reads-genesis-without-anxiety/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/marilynne-robinson-reads-genesis-without-anxiety/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Ferdie Cabiling, Philippines’ ‘Running Pastor’]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the founding leaders of Victory megachurch, he never stopped running to share the gospel.Ferdinand &ldquo;Ferdie&rdquo; Cabiling, a bishop at one of the Philippines&rsquo; largest megachurches who ran across the Philippines to raise money for disadvantaged students, died April 1, the day after Easter. He was 58 years old.Dubbed &ldquo;the Running Pastor,&rdquo; the moniker describes not only Cabiling&rsquo;s epic race but how he lived his life and served as an evangelist. For 38 years, he]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-ferdie-cabiling-philippines-running-pastor/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-ferdie-cabiling-philippines-running-pastor/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Online Witch Doctors Lure South African Christians]]></title><description><![CDATA[Churches are combating syncretism among millennials and Gen Z amid a rise of social media healers who call on ancestral spirits.Millions of Black South Africans seek guidance from sangomas, traditional healers or so-called witch doctors who use their spiritual gifts to connect with ancestors, prescribe herbs to heal illnesses, and throw dry bones to predict the future.It&rsquo;s a centuries-old tradition that has continued in the majority-Christian country and has adapted for the internet age: A]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/online-witch-doctors-lure-south-african-christians/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 May 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/online-witch-doctors-lure-south-african-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[SBC Membership Falls to 47-Year Low, But Church Involvement Is Up]]></title><description><![CDATA[Amid the continued declines, Southern Baptists are celebrating back-to-back years of growth in worship attendance and baptism.Despite years of record-setting declines shrinking the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) to its lowest membership in nearly half a century, Southern Baptists have begun to see some signs of life within their 46,906 churches.Worship attendance, small group attendance, and baptisms were up last year in the SBC&rsquo;s annual statistical report, released Tuesday, while membe]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-membership-falls-to-47-year-low-but-church-involvement-is-up/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-membership-falls-to-47-year-low-but-church-involvement-is-up/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Yes, Paul Really Taught Mutual Submission]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why Wayne Grudem&rsquo;s interpretation of Ephesians 5:21 is untenable.In Ephesians 5:21, Paul instructs Christians to &ldquo;submit to one another.&rdquo; These words have traditionally been understood to require mutual submission, even among family members. The reformer John Calvin, for example, acknowledged that the notion of a father submitting to his child or a husband submitting to his wife might seem &ldquo;strange at first glance,&rdquo; but he never questioned that such submission is in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/yes-paul-really-taught-mutual-submission/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/yes-paul-really-taught-mutual-submission/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Key to Fighting Sex Trafficking? Showing up.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Indonesia's Compassion First isn&rsquo;t knocking down doors, but caring for victims and tutoring at-risk youth living in cemeteries.Inside a cemetery in West Java, a woman rests on a mattress laid on top of a gravestone beneath the oak trees. The graveyard is home not only to the dead but to the living poor, who have nowhere else to go.Residents of the Rose Cemetery community collect garbage, drive pedicabs, or clean graves by day. In the northern section of the cemetery, about 200 families liv]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-key-to-fighting-sex-trafficking-showing-up/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-key-to-fighting-sex-trafficking-showing-up/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Duke Ellington Read His Bible in the Bath]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt from Larry Tye&rsquo;s The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America.&ldquo;Does Jazz Put the Sin in Syncopation?&rdquo; asked a 1921 Ladies Home Journal article. Whimsical wordplay aside, the question would become a serious one for mid-century America, as parsons and priests blamed jazz for soaring juvenile crime rates, drugs, and extramarital sex. A 1960 poll found that, among Black preachers, just 1 in 5 wanted to let jazz or blues into their]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/duke-ellington-read-his-bible-in-the-bath/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/duke-ellington-read-his-bible-in-the-bath/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let the Neurodivergent Children Come to Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gentle parenting is one tool to train up children who have disabilities with love and wisdom.As a toddler, my son would often lash out at other kids for no apparent reason, causing incidents at daycare, at home, and in the church nursery. At times, he would even hurt himself in his distress. After more than a year of trying to encourage the &ldquo;right&rdquo; behavior, I felt like this was more than age-appropriate tantrums.We sought an evaluation, and our son received multiple diagnoses that c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-neurodivergent-children-come-to-me/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-neurodivergent-children-come-to-me/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Goodbye Postmodernism, Hello Metamodernism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our apologetics must evolve to engage with the new cultural mood of the next generations.For years now, scholars have announced the death of postmodernism. After decades of dominance as a cultural mood, the famously cynical and relativistic intellectual stance is finally out. In its place, another ideological outlook is taking hold&mdash;as those of us who spend significant time with the next generations (Z and Alpha) may have noticed.So, the question is this: What fresh dispositions of thought]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/goodbye-postmodernism-hello-metamodernism/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/goodbye-postmodernism-hello-metamodernism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Radio Sues Over Disparity in Streaming Costs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Discrimination case claims that noncommercial religious broadcasters are paying far more than fellow stations to cover royalties for music played online.The website for 99.1 JOY FM in St. Louis features a scrolling playlist of its lineup of Christian pop music and a &ldquo;listen now&rdquo; button to tune in to the simulcast broadcast. But visitors may find that after a few hours of streaming artists like Lauren Daigle and Brandon Lake, the site may kick them off.Because of higher royalty costs,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-radio-sues-over-disparity-in-streaming-costs/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 17:24:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-radio-sues-over-disparity-in-streaming-costs/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trash Problem Pushes Pastor to Action]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Honduran church leads the way in local garbage collection while praying for an international plastics treaty.A banner hangs outside the Church of God in the village of El Rinc&oacute;n, Honduras, that says, &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s be part of the solution, not the pollution.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s a message pastor Wilfredo V&aacute;squez posted after witnessing the harmful effects of plastics in his community.&ldquo;More and more, I understand that if we want to see changes in any area of society, we as c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trash-problem-pushes-pastor-to-action/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trash-problem-pushes-pastor-to-action/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hillsong Abuse Settlement Rejected Over NDA]]></title><description><![CDATA[Victim says she wants accountability more than money.Hillsong Church Australia&rsquo;s legal settlement with a former student who was groped by a worship leader fell apart on Thursday when the survivor refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement.&ldquo;I will not give up my voice,&rdquo; Anna Crenshaw, daughter of Pennsylvania megachurch pastor Ed Crenshaw, told Australian reporters. &ldquo;This has never been about money for me but about justice and accountability.&rdquo;According to lawyers, on]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hillsong-abuse-settlement-rejected-over-nda/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 18:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hillsong-abuse-settlement-rejected-over-nda/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Conservative Methodists, Unite]]></title><description><![CDATA[After this week&rsquo;s UMC votes on LGBTQ issues, African Methodists should join American conservatives in the new Global Methodist denomination.That was fast. In the first General Conference since the most conservative congregations disaffiliated, the United Methodist Church liberalized its teachings on marriage, sexuality, and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy.In other mainline denominations, like the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Presbyterian Church (USA), the conservative exod]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/conservative-methodists-unite/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/conservative-methodists-unite/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[One of Oldest Books in Existence Will Be Sold, Worrying Scholars]]></title><description><![CDATA[An ancient codex, containing perhaps the earliest complete versions of Jonah and 1 Peter, goes up for auction in June. Will it disappear?One of the oldest books in existence, which contains what is perhaps the oldest complete versions of Jonah and 1 Peter, is going up for auction in June. The sale of the Crosby-Sch&oslash;yen Codex has scholars excited to talk about its uniqueness&mdash;and nervous about whether it could go into private hands and disappear.The Crosby-Sch&oslash;yen Codex is a pr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-of-oldest-books-in-existence-will-be-sold-worrying-scholars/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-of-oldest-books-in-existence-will-be-sold-worrying-scholars/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Almost Nobody Likes a Politician Shooting Her Dog]]></title><description><![CDATA[The widespread outrage over Kristi Noem&rsquo;s book should awaken moral responsibility&mdash;not just toward pets but for one another.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Decades ago, before he was a nationally recognized face, Stephen Colbert featured a &ldquo;Better Know a District&rdquo; segment on his show The Colbert Report in which he would parody a far-right cable news host as he interviewed members of Congress, trying to get them in awkward situat]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-almost-nobody-likes-a-politician-shooting-her-dog/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-almost-nobody-likes-a-politician-shooting-her-dog/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[If Panama Closes the Darién Gap, Would Evangelicals Care?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Migrant rights have been off-radar for many Panamanian Christians. But as pressures increase, some are speaking out ahead of this weekend&rsquo;s general elections.On May 5, Panamanians will vote for a new president. The outcome of this election may have consequences for far more than its 4.4 million residents; it could change the migration reality for the hundreds of thousands of people traveling from South America, Asia, and Africa who pass through the Central American country en route to the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/if-panama-closes-the-darin-gap-would-evangelicals-care/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/if-panama-closes-the-darin-gap-would-evangelicals-care/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Wildcat’ Is as Unsettling as Flannery O’Connor Would Have Wanted]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ethan Hawke has made a movie as scandalous as one of the writer&rsquo;s short stories.Why not write something that &ldquo;a lot, a lot, of people like?&rdquo; Regina O&rsquo;Connor asks her daughter, the writer Flannery O&rsquo;Connor, in the middle of the new biopic Wildcat. The same question might be put to the film itself. It&rsquo;s not a movie that a lot of people will like. But unlike the author&rsquo;s mother, I mean that as a high compliment. Director and screenwriter Ethan Hawke has mad]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wildcat-is-as-unsettling-as-flannery-oconnor-would-have-wanted/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wildcat-is-as-unsettling-as-flannery-oconnor-would-have-wanted/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Anxious Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why the church has struggled to address mental illness well and how we can care better.Nearly five years ago, a high-profile pastor&mdash;one who had shared bravely and publicly about his battle with depression&mdash;took his own life. In the days after his death, a call circulated widely on social media platforms for clergy with mental health issues to be removed from their posts.I understand the motivation. The argument was made out of a concern to prevent similar tragedies. But as a pastor wh]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-anxious-church/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-anxious-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[United Methodists Strike Ban on LGBTQ Clergy]]></title><description><![CDATA[After years of disagreement and the departure of thousands of churches, the change passed without debate.United Methodists meeting for their top legislative assembly Wednesday overwhelmingly overturned a measure that barred gay clergy from ordination in the denomination, a historic step for the nation&rsquo;s second-largest Protestant body.With a simple vote call and without debate, delegates to the General Conference removed the ban on the ordination of &ldquo;self-avowed practicing homosexuals]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/united-methodists-strike-ban-on-lgbtq-clergy/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 05:34:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/united-methodists-strike-ban-on-lgbtq-clergy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding a (Real) Christian College]]></title><description><![CDATA[A professor explains why examining a school&rsquo;s doctrinal statement isn&rsquo;t enough.When I speak at churches around the country, the conversation after my talks often turns to the state of Christian higher education. I&rsquo;m a professor at a Christian institution, and Christian parents and grandparents want to know where high school graduates can go to have their faith deepened rather than undermined. These concerns have only become more pressing given the ongoing rise in young people w]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/finding-a-real-christian-college/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:05:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/finding-a-real-christian-college/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Particular Wrongs Need Particular Remedies]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every sin requires Christ&rsquo;s atonement. But the Bible shows God punishing&mdash;and repairing&mdash;different sins differently.Christian theology consistently holds together truths that seem to want to fall apart: Jesus is fully God and fully human. People are sinners and created in the image of God. The church is local and universal.And yet, despite what we affirm, in practice, Christians are often unable to walk and chew gum at the same time. Instead of holding two truths in tension, we]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/particular-wrongs-need-particular-remedies/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/particular-wrongs-need-particular-remedies/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Taylor Swift Can Do Whatever She Wants]]></title><description><![CDATA[But true liberty, in art and in life, is created by constraints.Taylor Swift answers to no one.Not music industry executives: Her songs returned to TikTok in the middle of a licensing dispute between the app and her label.Not mayors: When she graced their cities during her Eras tour, they declared days in her honor.Not the international community: A Singapore-exclusive stop in Southeast Asia sparked a row between the city-state and nearby Thailand and the Philippines. The Japanese embassy issued]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/taylor-swift-can-do-whatever-she-wants/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/taylor-swift-can-do-whatever-she-wants/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Holy Handouts: Venezuela’s Maduro Woos Evangelical Voters with Gifts and Cash]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the presidential election approaches, the incumbent government seeks to win support with aid to churches and pastors.In many countries, politicians try to win over religious voters by highlighting areas of shared interest between their agenda and the faithful&rsquo;s priorities. In Venezuela, candidates are offering pastors cash.With less than three months until Venezuela&rsquo;s presidential elections, incumbent Nicol&aacute;s Maduro is expanding two initiatives specifically aimed at the eva]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/holy-handouts-venezuelas-maduro-woos-evangelical-voters-with-gifts-and-cash/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/holy-handouts-venezuelas-maduro-woos-evangelical-voters-with-gifts-and-cash/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[World Vision Brought Clean Water to More Than 1 Million Rwandans]]></title><description><![CDATA[How the world&rsquo;s largest nongovernmental provider of the resource is delivering on its promise.For years, whenever Regina Mukasimpunga sat in church, she found it hard to concentrate on anything other than the chore awaiting her when service let out: fetching water.The never-ending task dominated the life of the rural Rwandan community, forcing residents to leave the house with jerry cans before the sun came up to take long walks in the darkness in the hilly terrain to reach a spring. Ther]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/world-vision-brought-clean-water-to-more-than-1-million-rwandans/</link><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/world-vision-brought-clean-water-to-more-than-1-million-rwandans/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Billy Graham Preached at His Crusades. His Singers Believed They Were Preaching Too.]]></title><description><![CDATA[A late historian explores how crusade hymns told both the classic story of gospel salvation and the evolving story of evangelical worship music.Crowds of over 50,000. Famous special guests. Hundreds of cities in the US and around the world. Beloved, catchy songs. For many, these might sound like readouts from the Taylor Swift Eras Tour hype machine. But exchange the glittery girl power for the gospel in baritone, and you have one of the most successful musical touring acts in the postwar world:]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/billy-graham-preached-at-his-crusades-his-singers-believed-they-were-preaching-too/</link><pubDate>Mon, 29 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/billy-graham-preached-at-his-crusades-his-singers-believed-they-were-preaching-too/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Care for the Environment Is Biblical. It’s Also a Witness to Environmentalists.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Do activists often invest their work with religious significance? All the more reason for Christians to be discerning co-laborers.I love nature documentaries, especially those narrated by David Attenborough. Whether watching with my children or on my own, I love seeing the majesty of the snowy Alps or kelp forests.But I&rsquo;ve noticed that in recent years, nearly every somber vignette of a species struggling on the edge of survival ends with a call to action. Viewers are beckoned to take respo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/care-for-the-environment-is-biblical-its-also-a-witness-to-environmentalists/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/care-for-the-environment-is-biblical-its-also-a-witness-to-environmentalists/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[India Says It Has a Border Crisis. Christians Say the Solution Will Divide Them.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The government plans to close its porous border with Myanmar to boost security, separating ethnic groups that straddle the boundary.Ngamreichan Tuithung runs a Christian boarding school that sits right at the border of India&rsquo;s Manipur state and Myanmar. Amazing Grace Mission School is based in Wanglee Market, a small Indian town, and serves around 150 students from Myanmar and 6 from India.Since Myanmar&rsquo;s 2021 coup, the school has become a safe haven for parents wanting to send their]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/india-says-it-has-a-border-crisis-christians-say-the-solution-will-divide-them/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/india-says-it-has-a-border-crisis-christians-say-the-solution-will-divide-them/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Antisemitic Campus Chants Tell Us About This Angry Era]]></title><description><![CDATA[The rage of the mob is a poor substitute for real community.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.As Columbia University and other elite campuses erupt into protests against the United States&rsquo; diplomatic and military support of Israel&rsquo;s war against Hamas, US Sen. John Fetterman denounced the antisemitic speech of some of these protesters, remarking on the social platform X, &ldquo;Add some tiki torches and it&rsquo;s Charlottesville for these Je]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-antisemitic-campus-chants-tell-us-about-this-angry-era/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-antisemitic-campus-chants-tell-us-about-this-angry-era/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Schism, United Methodists Vote to Restructure Denomination]]></title><description><![CDATA[The plan would organize UMC churches in four global regions, with each given more leeway around same-sex marriage and other theological issues.The top legislative body of the United Methodist Church passed a series of measures Thursday to restructure the worldwide denomination to give each region greater equity in tailoring church life to its own customs and traditions.The primary measure, voted on as the UMC General Conference met at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, was an ame]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-schism-united-methodists-vote-to-restructure-denomination/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Apr 2024 06:56:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-schism-united-methodists-vote-to-restructure-denomination/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let the Cultural Christians Come unto Jesus]]></title><description><![CDATA[The world is realizing anew that our faith has tangible benefits. This is an opportunity for the gospel.As Christianity continues to decline in the West, the broader world has begun to notice something&rsquo;s missing. There seems to be a growing awareness that&mdash;for all the scandals and failings of the church&mdash;the loss of a Christian culture leaves us all worse off, and that there are benefits to being a Christian and to living in a Christian society.For example, Derek Thompson recentl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-cultural-christians-come-unto-jesus/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 17:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-cultural-christians-come-unto-jesus/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Church Drummer Has More and Less to Do These Days]]></title><description><![CDATA[How the keeper of the beat is adapting to shifts in worship music.It was a church drummer&rsquo;s worst nightmare. In the middle of a service, David Wagner was playing &ldquo;Heaven Invade&rdquo; with his worship band when his in-ear monitors stopped working.Wagner posted a clip on Instagram of what happened. It includes the audio that should have been coming through in his monitors: a mix of the sound from the band, some added reverb, and of course, the click track&mdash;a repetitive tapping so]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-church-drummer-has-more-and-less-to-do-these-days/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-church-drummer-has-more-and-less-to-do-these-days/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Church Shouldn’t Be an Echo Chamber]]></title><description><![CDATA[Let us not give up meeting together&mdash;even when we disagree.Recently, a woman at my church approached me with a question borne out of genuine curiosity. She asked, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re a female theologian. Why did you choose to come to our church when women aren&rsquo;t allowed to preach here?&rdquo;Since much of my work as a Bible scholar is public, it is no secret that I support women&rsquo;s full participation in ministry, including in church leadership. So I wasn&rsquo;t surprised that so]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-shouldnt-be-an-echo-chamber/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-shouldnt-be-an-echo-chamber/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Athletes Know How to Build Platforms for Jesus. Can They Brand Themselves?]]></title><description><![CDATA[NIL deals in college athletics present new challenges&mdash;and opportunities&mdash;for colleges and students.When Deverin Muff played Division I college basketball at Eastern Kentucky University, student athletes weren&rsquo;t allowed to earn money off their name, image, and likeness (NIL)&mdash;their personal brand.Now he&rsquo;s a professor at the university, and some of the players in his classes have agents. An NCAA policy change in 2021&mdash;heralded by Muff and other Christian athletes a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-athletes-know-how-to-build-platforms-for-jesus-can-they-brand-themselves/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-athletes-know-how-to-build-platforms-for-jesus-can-they-brand-themselves/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Eco-anxiety Is Crippling Gen Z. How Can We Move Forward?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians can disciple each other toward action, prayer, and hope.I&rsquo;m 26 and mostly full of enthusiasm for the future. But when I think about the heat waves, floods, and humanitarian crises that I&rsquo;ll likely experience in my lifetime, I feel a sense of dread. And even more so when I think about the future of my children and my children&rsquo;s children. I wonder if they&rsquo;ll get to experience all the beauty of God&rsquo;s creation that I so cherished while growing up.As a young f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/eco-anxiety-is-crippling-gen-z-how-can-we-move-forward/</link><pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/eco-anxiety-is-crippling-gen-z-how-can-we-move-forward/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hold Your Clapbacks]]></title><description><![CDATA[C.S. Lewis recommended discernment over diatribes in exactly the moments we&rsquo;re most eager to indulge in critique.I&rsquo;d just finished reading one of C. S. Lewis&rsquo;s lesser-known books, Studies in Words, when I happened upon a recent New York Times report on evangelical support for Donald Trump. The former president&rsquo;s summer of legal woes is off to an early start, and many have asked whether the present trial (or another) will lose him support ahead of Election Day. The answer&]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hold-your-clapbacks/</link><pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hold-your-clapbacks/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Was Paul a Slave?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The surprising argument that Saul of Tarsus was born into bondage.Of the many letters the apostle Paul wrote, few survived. We have a good deal of his communication to churches as a whole&mdash;letters to groups of believers in particular cities. This makes sense. Such letters were read publicly and often; they were copied and disseminated and celebrated as Scripture soon after the ink had dried.Paul sent a number of letters to individuals as well. To read his biblical writings is to sense that]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/was-paul-a-slave/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/was-paul-a-slave/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Pray with ADHD]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians with neurodivergence are exploring other options for devotions and Bible study.Emily Hubbard recalls a trend in women&rsquo;s discipleship that urged women to rest in Jesus and &ldquo;stop trying to do it all.&rdquo; The problem was, Hubbard wasn&rsquo;t trying to do it all. She just wanted to remember to run the dishwasher.&ldquo;All discipleship was for type A people, but I was a type Z person,&rdquo; she said.Hubbard is a mother of four, a school board member, and an adjunct profes]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-pray-with-adhd/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-pray-with-adhd/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Criticizing Critical Race Theory&amp;mdash;and Its Critics]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new book seems oddly outraged that CRT skeptics take its arguments seriously.Last year I joined a group of Christian leaders, Black and white, on a tour of the National Museum of African American History and Culture located in Washington, DC.Even though I&rsquo;ve read quite a bit about slavery and Jim Crow, I was still physically and emotionally disturbed by the visual depictions of the systemic and violent ways in which people of color were treated for centuries of American history. There is]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/criticizing-critical-race-theoryampmdashand-its-critics/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/criticizing-critical-race-theoryampmdashand-its-critics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Charisma and Its Companions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Church movements need magnetic leaders. But the best leaders need more than charm.Emad is an exception in many says. He grew up in a massive slum but rose to be the branch manager of a bank in a capital city. Most people in his area are Muslim and animist, but Emad&rsquo;s devout Christian mother instilled in him a passion to reach the lost for Christ. This was at odds with the local church he pastored, where he found the believers to be uninterested in evangelism.After a few years of pastoral &]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/charisma-and-its-companions/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/charisma-and-its-companions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can a Secularizing Nation Have a Christian Soul?]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of England&rsquo;s finest writers surveys the past and present of English faith.In the Western world today, Peter Ackroyd is one of the finest writers of biography, history, and fiction. His most recent project turns attention to the field of religion, setting out to describe what he calls the &ldquo;spirit and nature of English Christianity&rdquo; as it has developed over the past 1,400 years.The English Soul: Faith of a Nation offers an episodic and biographical account of books, individua]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-a-secularizing-nation-have-a-christian-soul/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-a-secularizing-nation-have-a-christian-soul/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bible Figures Never Say ‘I’m Sorry’]]></title><description><![CDATA[If they don&rsquo;t &ldquo;apologize&rdquo; in the modern sense, it&rsquo;s only because Scripture has a richer vocabulary of repentance.We need a theology of apology.Apologizing sounds straightforward, at least in theory. You do something wrong (sin); you feel bad about it (regret); you admit it and accept responsibility (confession); you say sorry to the person or people you have wronged, including God (repentance); and you take appropriate steps to make things right (restitution).Many apologi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bible-figures-never-say-im-sorry/</link><pubDate>Mon, 22 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bible-figures-never-say-im-sorry/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Mandisa, ‘Overcomer’ Singer and American Idol Star]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Grammy-winning artist was found dead at her home in Nashville at age 47.<br />
Grammy Award-winning contemporary Christian singer Mandisa Lynn Hundley, a former Lifeway Christian Resources employee and top-10 American Idol finisher, was found dead Thursday at her Nashville home, her publicist announced on social media.No cause of death was given.&ldquo;We can confirm that yesterday Mandisa was found in her home deceased. At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details,&rdquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-mandisa-overcomer-singer-and-american-idol-star/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 23:07:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-mandisa-overcomer-singer-and-american-idol-star/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kenyan Pastors Are Praying for Haiti. They’re Also Shaping the Police Mission to Save It.]]></title><description><![CDATA[President William Ruto commissioned church leaders to meet with Haitian law enforcement, military representatives, and a gang leader to discuss Kenya&rsquo;s security mission.Kenya&rsquo;s leaders aren&rsquo;t saying much publicly about the security force they plan to send to gang-embattled Haiti. But they&rsquo;re talking a whole lot with God.Last month, as armed groups escalated their insurgency in Port-au-Prince and plunged Haiti deeper into a historic humanitarian crisis, pastors advising Ke]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kenyan-pastors-are-praying-for-haiti-theyre-also-shaping-the-police-mission-to-save-it/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kenyan-pastors-are-praying-for-haiti-theyre-also-shaping-the-police-mission-to-save-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Bluey’: A Heavenly Vision of Life Together]]></title><description><![CDATA[The popular kids series reminds parents that playfulness is next to godliness.When my oldest daughter, Elaine, was four, I watched her chase a soap bubble around the yard, utterly spellbound, and it struck me as a tiny window into how God must have felt as he watched Adam and Eve encounter each of the animals in Eden. Likewise, when I discovered that my youngest, Olivia, had held a full conversation with me while cutting our kitten&rsquo;s whiskers under the table, I felt attuned with God&rsquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bluey-a-heavenly-vision-of-life-together/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bluey-a-heavenly-vision-of-life-together/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Can’t Reach People for Christ While Holding Their Culture at Arm’s Length]]></title><description><![CDATA[A veteran missiologist shares a lifetime of lessons on bringing the gospel into unfamiliar settings.In an important new book, missiologist Darrell Whiteman tells a revealing story about a missionary who had been preaching in a particular community. Without realizing it, the missionary gave offense by wearing expensive shoes in a place where people couldn&rsquo;t afford shoes of any type. For Whiteman, this anecdote illustrates how much missionaries need to learn&mdash;and how many presumptions t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-cant-reach-people-for-christ-while-holding-their-culture-at-arms-length/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/you-cant-reach-people-for-christ-while-holding-their-culture-at-arms-length/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Best Christian Kids TV Shows, Not Tells]]></title><description><![CDATA[Series like The Wingfeather Saga bring children along for the adventure of following Jesus.I picked up the first book reluctantly. Was I really going to spend my children&rsquo;s nap time reading children&rsquo;s fiction? But The Wingfeather Saga had been recommended to me by so many fans that I eventually joined the throngs of Christian adults and kids who&rsquo;ve enjoyed the series.From the start, author Andrew Peterson captivated my imagination, building a world I could recognize while pushi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-best-christian-kids-tv-shows-not-tells/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-best-christian-kids-tv-shows-not-tells/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Filipinos and Americans Diverge on Trusting Pastors]]></title><description><![CDATA[Studies find that while less than a third of Americans trust church leaders, 90 percent of Filipinos do.While less than a third of Americans rate clergy as highly honest and ethical, across the globe in the Philippines, 91 percent of the public trusts religious leaders, according to EON Group&rsquo;s 2021 Philippine Trust Index. Respondents of the survey ranked pastors as the most trusted leaders in Filipino society, compared to a Gallup poll that found clergy in the US ranked lower than 10 othe]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/filipinos-and-americans-diverge-on-trusting-pastors/</link><pubDate>Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/filipinos-and-americans-diverge-on-trusting-pastors/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[For the Warming of the Earth: Worshiping in the Age of Creation Care]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian artists work at the intersection of music and climate change.<br />
Christians love to sing about creation. Hymns like &ldquo;How Great Thou Art&rdquo; describe the beauty of creation that moves the church to sing, &ldquo;I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder / Thy power throughout the universe displayed.&rdquo;Nature can also be a source of confusion or anxiety for believers as they observe eclipses and earthquakes and try to discern God&rsquo;s role or intent in their unfolding. And]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-the-warming-of-the-earth-worshiping-in-the-age-of-creation-care/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-the-warming-of-the-earth-worshiping-in-the-age-of-creation-care/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Biblical Literacy in a Postliterate Age]]></title><description><![CDATA[We must always be people of the Word, but we&rsquo;ll have to reimagine deep engagement with Scripture.Christians are readers. We are &ldquo;people of the book.&rdquo; We own personal Bibles, translated into our mother tongues, and read them daily. Picture &ldquo;quiet time&rdquo; and you&rsquo;ll see a table, a cup of coffee, and a Bible spread open to dog-eared, highlighted, annotated pages. For Christians, daily Bible reading is the minimum standard for the life of faith. What kind of Christi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/biblical-literacy-in-a-postliterate-age/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/biblical-literacy-in-a-postliterate-age/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Surrogacy Makes More Babies. Pro-Lifers Should Still Oppose It.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Church leaders can offer clear moral and ethical guidance for a practice that violates biblical mandates.On April 8, the Vatican issued Dignitas Infinita, a 20-page document rejecting a variety of practices that violate human dignity. Unsurprisingly, these included human trafficking, violence against women, abortion, euthanasia, sex change, and child abuse. It also included surrogacy.This isn&rsquo;t the first time the pontificate has come out against this &ldquo;deplorable&rdquo; practice, whic]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/surrogacy-makes-more-babies-pro-lifers-should-still-oppose-it/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/surrogacy-makes-more-babies-pro-lifers-should-still-oppose-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After United Methodist Split, Some Conservatives Remain]]></title><description><![CDATA[Study: 24 percent of clergy in North Carolina are still opposed to same-sex marriage.After the departure of thousands of traditionalist United Methodist churches from the denomination over the past five years, it might stand to reason that those congregations remaining in the fold are more progressive and open to ordination and marriage of people in same-sex relationships.But the picture is far more mixed.A new report from the Religion and Social Change Lab at Duke University that looked at disa]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-united-methodist-split-some-conservatives-remain/</link><pubDate>Thu, 18 Apr 2024 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-united-methodist-split-some-conservatives-remain/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Beverly LaHaye, Pastor’s Wife Who Led Religious Right]]></title><description><![CDATA[The founder of Concerned Women for America was credited by President Ronald Reagan with &ldquo;changing the face of American politics.&rdquo;Beverly LaHaye, a timid pastor&rsquo;s wife who became a fierce champion for conservative Christian politics and a force mobilizing hundreds of thousands of religious women, died on Sunday in a retirement home in El Cajon, California. She was 94.President Ronald Reagan once praised LaHaye as &ldquo;one of the powerhouses&rdquo; of the conservative movement]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-beverly-lahaye-pastors-wife-who-led-religious-right/</link><pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 22:25:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-beverly-lahaye-pastors-wife-who-led-religious-right/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Pastors Are Leaving Ministry Over Church Conflict]]></title><description><![CDATA[But experts say it can offer opportunities for leaders and congregations to grow.<br />
Conflict had become the norm at Trinity Church in Redlands, California.The lead pastor left in 2022 amid a wave of disgruntled attendees. Following his departure, some church members remained upset at the congregation&rsquo;s elders. In all, there had been at least a dozen situations that came up over a 14-year period.When Doug Baker arrived as interim pastor, he knew the conflict had to be addressed. Trinity calle]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-pastors-are-leaving-ministry-over-church-conflict/</link><pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-pastors-are-leaving-ministry-over-church-conflict/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sports Can Be a Touchdown for Faith. Beware of Encroachment.]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a lifelong athlete and coach, I know sports build character. But I worry about the idolatrous, selfish culture of American athletics.When my wife told me that my son received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at his football game, I was enraged. He&rsquo;d aggressively thrown the ball back to the official he believed had missed a call. I flew into a lecture about leadership, respect for authority, and composure. I even called friends and family to register my disbelief and embarrassment.But]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sports-can-be-a-touchdown-for-faith-beware-of-encroachment/</link><pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2024 16:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sports-can-be-a-touchdown-for-faith-beware-of-encroachment/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Neighbors (Probably) Don’t Hate You]]></title><description><![CDATA[They might not even know you&rsquo;re there. When paranoia eclipses our witness, here&rsquo;s what to remember.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Some colleagues and I happened to be meeting in New England this week, so we drove a little bit north to a small village in Vermont called St. Johnsbury, right in the line of the totality of the solar eclipse.Even before the sky darkened, I was mesmerized by the people gathering in the town square, each with a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-neighbors-probably-dont-hate-you/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-neighbors-probably-dont-hate-you/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chuck Swindoll Steps Down as Senior Pastor, but Won’t Retire]]></title><description><![CDATA[At 89 years old and more than 60 years into ministry, the Stonebriar Community Church founder plans to remain its primary preacher after the church names his successor.Chuck Swindoll has said that pastors &ldquo;should never retire,&rdquo; and the 89-year-old won&rsquo;t be stepping away from the pulpit even as his church welcomes his successor.Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, announced this week that Swindoll will transition to founding pastor, continuing to preach on Sundays, as J]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chuck-swindoll-steps-down-as-senior-pastor-but-wont-retire/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:42:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chuck-swindoll-steps-down-as-senior-pastor-but-wont-retire/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In ‘Civil War,’ What You See Is What You Try to Forget]]></title><description><![CDATA[The new dystopian thriller reminds viewers it&rsquo;s not just what we witness that matters, but how.There&rsquo;s nothing more frightening than the sound of a camera shutter in the new film Civil War.Distributed by A24, the production company behind releases like Everything Everywhere All at Once and Past Lives, the movie depicts the remnants of a United States government battling the Western Forces, an alliance between Texas and California. If you&rsquo;re looking for reasons&mdash;Why these f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-civil-war-what-you-see-is-what-you-try-to-forget/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-civil-war-what-you-see-is-what-you-try-to-forget/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make Nepal Hindu Again: Christians Concerned by Rising Religious Nationalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hindutva ideology is crossing the border from India and making ministry more challenging for churches in the former Hindu kingdom.More than 15 years after Nepal officially became a secular democracy, the former Hindu monarchy may have a religious extremism problem, incited and aggravated by its closest neighbor.In an &ldquo;alarming&rdquo; development, Indian Hindutva ideology and politics have begun to spread throughout the country, as local experts and journalists report. This proliferation ha]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/make-nepal-hindu-again-christians-concerned-by-rising-religious-nationalism/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 16:13:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/make-nepal-hindu-again-christians-concerned-by-rising-religious-nationalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Our Faith Is Not Too Fragile for Science]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt from The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to Deeper Faith.I sat by myself at one end of the boardroom, fidgeting with a few notes on the table in front of me. At the other end were about ten older men in suits and ties peering over their tables, arms crossed. It wouldn&rsquo;t have been difficult for someone just walking in to determine which end of the room held the power.After my brief opening statement, the rest of our time was set aside for &ldquo;discussion.&rdquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-faith-is-not-too-fragile-for-science/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 2024 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-faith-is-not-too-fragile-for-science/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Porridge? Senegal Protestants Debate Exchanging Holiday Foods with Muslims]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ngalakh combines baobab fruit and peanuts to end Easter in West African nation, reciprocated by the sharing of meat breaking Ramadan&rsquo;s fast.In Senegal, Muslims love to share meat. Christians share porridge.Ending the monthlong Ramadan fast this week, the faithful in the Muslim-majority West African nation invited Christian friends to celebrate Korite (Eid al-Fitr), focus on forgiveness and reconciliation, and share a wholesome meal of chicken.A little over two months later during Tabaski (]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-porridge-senegal-protestants-debate-exchanging-holiday-foods-with-muslims/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-porridge-senegal-protestants-debate-exchanging-holiday-foods-with-muslims/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Porridge? Senegal Christians Debate Exchanging Holiday Foods with Muslims]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ngalakh combines baobab fruit and peanuts to end Easter in West African nation, reciprocated by the sharing of meat breaking Ramadan&rsquo;s fast.Muslims in Senegal love to share meat. Its Christians share porridge.Ending their monthlong Ramadan fast this week, the faithful in the Muslim-majority West African nation invited Christian friends to celebrate Korite (Eid al-Fitr), focus on forgiveness and reconciliation, and serve a wholesome meal of chicken.A little over two months later during Taba]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-porridge-senegal-christians-debate-exchanging-holiday-foods-with-muslims/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-porridge-senegal-christians-debate-exchanging-holiday-foods-with-muslims/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Baptists Call on House Speaker Mike Johnson to Stand with Ukraine]]></title><description><![CDATA[Seminary leaders say that the country, where Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination, has lost hundreds of churches in the war with Russia.<br />
Southern Baptist leaders have written to US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a member and former official of their denomination, urging him to support Ukraine in Russia&rsquo;s war against its Eastern European neighbor.&ldquo;As you consider efforts to support Ukraine, we humbly ask that you consider the plight of Christians,&rdquo; wrote the leaders, wh]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/baptists-call-on-house-speaker-mike-johnson-to-stand-with-ukraine/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 20:11:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/baptists-call-on-house-speaker-mike-johnson-to-stand-with-ukraine/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Are ‘Gods’ Because We are God’s]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Book of John reminds us that Jesus&rsquo; humanity makes ours possible.Nearly halfway through John&rsquo;s Gospel, Jesus tells those gathered in the temple at the Feast of the Dedication, &ldquo;Is it not written in your Law, &lsquo;I have said you are &ldquo;gods&rdquo;&rsquo;?&rdquo; (10:34). In effect, Jesus says that Scripture says that God says, &ldquo;You are gods.&rdquo; What is Jesus on about?It really is quite surprising. After all, we read the Scriptures and learn that human beings]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-are-gods-because-we-are-gods/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-are-gods-because-we-are-gods/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some Evangelicals Want a Third-Party Option, Even Without a Chance at Winning]]></title><description><![CDATA[The American Solidarity Party is a small but growing alternative to the Trump-Biden race.Charlie Richert would really like to stop voting for his dad.But in the last couple presidential election cycles, the 30-year-old attorney in Indianapolis has been unable to square his conscience with picking either the Republican or Democratic party nominee, so he&rsquo;s resorted to writing in a name.&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no way I can escape having my faith inform how I vote,&rdquo; said Richert, a nondenom]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-evangelicals-want-a-third-party-option-even-without-a-chance-at-winning/</link><pubDate>Thu, 11 Apr 2024 16:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-evangelicals-want-a-third-party-option-even-without-a-chance-at-winning/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How a Chinese-Born Research Scientist Became a Daring Online Evangelist]]></title><description><![CDATA[CT&rsquo;s outgoing Asia editor recalls how God led him to America, toward the Christian faith, onto the internet, and outward to serve the global Chinese church.I was born in southwest China, in the Ganzi (Garz&ecirc;) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. Only a few days after birth, I was sent to Chengdu, the province&rsquo;s capital city. My sister and I were raised by our grandmother while my parents, both medical doctors, were sent by the Communist Party to the rural Tibetan a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-chinese-born-research-scientist-became-a-daring-online-evangelist/</link><pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-chinese-born-research-scientist-became-a-daring-online-evangelist/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Church Loses When Our Arts Communities Die]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian writers and artists need communities of like-minded creatives so we can best serve both the church and the world.I can remember the moment small literary magazines entered my life and established a subtle but dominating influence. I was talking with my dad about some classes I was taking at the end of my undergraduate years, and I shared an idea that had recently popped into my head: &ldquo;I want to start a magazine. I&rsquo;ll invite some friends who like to write and are into photog]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-loses-when-our-arts-communities-die/</link><pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2024 15:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-loses-when-our-arts-communities-die/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Book of Job Gives Us Good News for an Unfair World]]></title><description><![CDATA[The book reminds us that life is unjust, but so is the gospel of God&rsquo;s grace.Life is unfair, and that is a problem.All humans seem to have an &ldquo;unfairness radar&rdquo; that goes off whenever we encounter senseless injustice. From trite examples provoking our frustration, such as someone cutting us in line, to those that deeply grieve us, like a young mother of three fighting terminal cancer, we mourn with an acute sense that the world is not as it should be. Or consider unfairness on]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-book-of-job-gives-us-good-news-for-an-unfair-world/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-book-of-job-gives-us-good-news-for-an-unfair-world/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Record-Setting Betting Weighs on College Athletes]]></title><description><![CDATA[As players face new pressures from bettors upset with their performance, chaplains in the NCAA are trying to help students remember their imago Dei.The odds are bringing little favor to college athletes, who are facing more pressure over their performance from bettors.South Carolina&rsquo;s defeat of Iowa for the women&rsquo;s NCAA championship on Sunday drew record-breaking betting numbers. BetMGM announced that the game had drawn the most bets of any women&rsquo;s sporting event ever.Last year]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/record-setting-betting-weighs-on-college-athletes/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 18:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/record-setting-betting-weighs-on-college-athletes/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Taiwan’s Powerful Earthquake, Christian Aid Groups Work to Rebuild Lives]]></title><description><![CDATA[On an island where Buddhist disaster relief is prominent, Christians work with churches to care for children and families.When a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit the east coast of Taiwan Wednesday morning, Carissa Wang, branding communication director of World Vision Taiwan, was on the Taipei subway on her way to work. She felt the carriage sway more than usual, and then it stopped at the next station as an announcement alerted passengers that service had ended due to an earthquake.Wang and her Worl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-taiwans-powerful-earthquake-christian-aid-groups-work-to-rebuild-lives/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Apr 2024 05:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-taiwans-powerful-earthquake-christian-aid-groups-work-to-rebuild-lives/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Would Jesus Overturn Your Board Table?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I served on the RZIM board. Christians in many leadership roles can learn from my failures.The room was hot, and I stared at the pristine white table in front of me, being careful not to lift my eyes, my muscles tense. To my left were members of the International Board of Directors of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), seated at the table and joining on video. To my right were lawyers. One of them was preparing to read to us the 12-page report of a months-long investigation into sex]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/would-jesus-overturn-your-board-table/</link><pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/would-jesus-overturn-your-board-table/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Joseph Kayo, the Kenyan Leader Who Revolutionized Worship in East Africa]]></title><description><![CDATA[His Pentecostalism put him at odds with many but the Deliverance Church founder stood firm in his convictions &ldquo;to bring back the glory of God back to the Church in these last days.&rdquo;Joe Kayo, known by many as the father of the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement in East Africa, died on November 2, 2023. He was 86.Kayo founded churches in four countries: Deliverance Church Kenya, Deliverance Church Uganda, Juba Pentecostal Church in South Sudan, and Family of God Churches of Zimbabwe. At]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-joseph-kayo-the-kenyan-leader-who-revolutionized-worship-in-east-africa/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-joseph-kayo-the-kenyan-leader-who-revolutionized-worship-in-east-africa/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vietnam’s New Religious Decree Further Burdens Local Churches]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pastors and religious liberty advocates worry the government&rsquo;s effort to manage religion will bring tighter control.Operating a church in Vietnam just became even more difficult thanks to new government regulations that went into effect over the weekend. Under Decree 95, the government will now require religious groups to submit financial records and allow local government officials to suspend religious activities for unspecified &ldquo;serious violations.&rdquo;Nguyen Ti Dinh of Vietnam&r]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/vietnams-new-religious-decree-further-burdens-local-churches/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/vietnams-new-religious-decree-further-burdens-local-churches/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Andrew Peterson: ‘No Teachable Moments’]]></title><description><![CDATA[The writer of the best-selling children&rsquo;s book series The Wingfeather Saga hopes season 2 of the television adaptation &ldquo;will be taken as a story first.&rdquo;<br />
Can a fantasy epic introduce the gospel to kids? That&rsquo;s the hope behind The Wingfeather Saga, the children&rsquo;s book series turned television show that&rsquo;s just premiered its second season. (Episode 1 is available for viewing starting today, April 5, on www.angel.com; the remaining six episodes will be released wee]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/andrew-peterson-no-teachable-moments/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/andrew-peterson-no-teachable-moments/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Atheism Finally Learns How to Destroy Christianity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Richard Dawkins&rsquo;s cultural &ldquo;Christianity&rdquo; could hollow out our faith far more efficiently than straightforward attacks.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.One of the most notorious atheists has had a &ldquo;come to Jesus&rdquo; moment. He&rsquo;s also figured out, at long last, a way to undermine the Christian religion he loathes. And, unlike his previous efforts, this one could actually work.Richard Dawkins, the author of The God Delusi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-atheism-finally-learns-how-to-destroy-christianity/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Apr 2024 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-atheism-finally-learns-how-to-destroy-christianity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[It’s the End of the World (But Not as We Know It)]]></title><description><![CDATA[The total eclipse is the latest of many apocalyptic expectations corrupting our view of Revelation.Next week&rsquo;s solar eclipse has stoked the flames of end-time speculations, once again whipping doomsday theorists into a frenzy.As the April 8 event will take place primarily over North America, some in the US are anticipating a great Day of Judgment complete with terrorist attacks, biological warfare, and nuclear meltdowns. According to alt-right conspiracy theorists, including some fringe ev]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-the-end-of-the-world-but-not-as-we-know-it/</link><pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-the-end-of-the-world-but-not-as-we-know-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bible’s Development Is a Messy Story, but It Can Bolster Our Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[If anything, the historical details are even messier than Susan Lim&rsquo;s new account allows.What does history have to do with faith? Everything. As Paul attests in 1 Corinthians 15, Christ died. He was buried. He was raised on the third day. And then &ldquo;he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve,&rdquo; and then &ldquo;to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time (vv. 5&ndash;6). Because Jesus&rsquo; work for his people unfolded on earth for everyone to see, t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bibles-development-is-a-messy-story-but-it-can-bolster-our-faith/</link><pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bibles-development-is-a-messy-story-but-it-can-bolster-our-faith/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[An Eclipse Is Evidence of Things Unseen]]></title><description><![CDATA[Astronomy teaches us to see the light in the world&rsquo;s darkness.At the climax of the crucifixion story, darkness comes over the land. Jesus, crowned with thorns, cries out. The earth quakes; the temple curtain is ripped in two. God&rsquo;s moment of greatest love seems like defeat: a fissure between heaven and earth. But, the Gospels hold, this isn&rsquo;t the end of the story. The darkness ends, and Sunday morning comes. The stone in front of the grave is rolled away. &ldquo;Do not be afrai]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-eclipse-is-evidence-of-things-unseen/</link><pubDate>Thu, 04 Apr 2024 14:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/an-eclipse-is-evidence-of-things-unseen/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Christian Faith of ‘Shogun’s’ ‘Blue-Eyed Samurai’]]></title><description><![CDATA[The real-life John Blackthorne was an Englishman who came to be known as Anjin. What the letters he left behind reveal about his relationship with God.In Shizuoka, the prefecture of Japan where I grew up, you can find a park dedicated to the first Englishman to enter Japan. A small public space along the water in the city of It&#333;, it commemorates Miura Anjin, or William Adams, who arrived in the country when his ship washed up on its shores.Captured by local leaders, Anjin was put in the ser]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-christian-faith-of-shoguns-blue-eyed-samurai/</link><pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-christian-faith-of-shoguns-blue-eyed-samurai/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Faith Deconstruction Can Be a Search for Answers or a Search for Exits]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians should encourage doubters&rsquo; questions. They should also discern what those questions might be seeking.Wrestling with Christian faith&mdash;questioning, doubting, reforming, and even falling away from it&mdash;has been part of the Christian tradition as long as there&rsquo;s been a Christian tradition. Christianity asserts some big claims about the world, and a healthy faith can mean wrestling with these claims at some point along our faith journey. The result can be a more robust]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/faith-deconstruction-can-be-a-search-for-answers-or-a-search-for-exits/</link><pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/faith-deconstruction-can-be-a-search-for-answers-or-a-search-for-exits/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Do LGBTQ+ Students Fare at Christian Colleges? It’s Complicated.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our research, based on large-scale student surveys, finds a surprising and complex interplay of religion and mental health at US universities.In 2021, the Religious Exception Accountability Project (REAP) brought a lawsuit calling for &ldquo;an end to the U.S. Department of Education&rsquo;s complicity in the abuses and unsafe conditions thousands of LGBTQ+ students endure at hundreds of taxpayer-funded, religious colleges and universities.&rdquo;The underlying premise of REAP&rsquo;s suit is th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-do-lgbtq-students-fare-at-christian-colleges-its-complicated/</link><pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 2024 16:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-do-lgbtq-students-fare-at-christian-colleges-its-complicated/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Can a Christian Perfectionist Find Rest?]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt from Peace over Perfection on the command to &ldquo;be perfect,&rdquo; the exhaustion of scrupulosity, and rest in Christ.When I finally came to the life-changing realization that I was a perfectionist, I told a close friend. She laughed. It was already obvious to her then, and in hindsight, it&rsquo;s obvious to me now. Still, by the time I recognized it, perfectionism had already marked my walk with God for decades.Psychologists who study perfectionism define it as a personality dis]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-can-a-christian-perfectionist-find-rest/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2024 16:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-can-a-christian-perfectionist-find-rest/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Maamoul: The Easter Sweet Loved by Muslims, Christians, and Jews]]></title><description><![CDATA[Experts debate the origin of the date- or nut-filled pastry, but Middle Eastern believers love the taste and the Good Friday symbolism in its shapes.The Middle East&rsquo;s favorite sweet symbolizes Good Friday.Maamoul is a buttery cookie baked with semolina and stuffed with dates or nuts&mdash;usually walnuts or pistachios. Seasoned with a variety of spices, for centuries it has flavored the Easter holiday for Christians, the end of Ramadan for Muslims, and Purim for the Sephardic Jews of Jerus]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/maamoul-the-easter-sweet-loved-by-muslims-christians-and-jews/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/maamoul-the-easter-sweet-loved-by-muslims-christians-and-jews/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Christ Is King’ Is Not the Slogan Some White Nationalists Want It to Be]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus&rsquo;&nbsp;lordship is not good news for those who want to use him to become kings themselves.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.If you&rsquo;re one of the very-online white nationalists who decided during Holy Week to claim the hashtag &ldquo;Christ is king&rdquo; as an antisemitic troll, I&rsquo;ve got what might seem to you to be both good news and bad news.The good news: Christ is king. The bad news: He&rsquo;s a Jew. The even worse news: He&r]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christ-is-king-is-not-the-slogan-some-white-nationalists-want-it-to-be/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christ-is-king-is-not-the-slogan-some-white-nationalists-want-it-to-be/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Good Friday’s Answers to Wounded Church Members]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christ&rsquo;s crucified body holds the pain experienced by the church body.I serve as a priest in an Anglican church in Dallas, and I have the privilege and responsibility of pastoring many people who have experienced pain at the hands of a church. Some in our congregation have been outright abused. Some have had their faith shaken by the fall of a leader. Some have been pushed out of congregations for asking legitimate questions.And while church hurt may not always be the best term to name and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/good-fridays-answers-to-wounded-church-members/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/good-fridays-answers-to-wounded-church-members/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Singing About Jesus’ Blood Is Weird, But We Do It Anyway]]></title><description><![CDATA[Even if Elevation&rsquo;s Easter invites don&rsquo;t spotlight the Crucifixion, it remains central to their worship.<br />
I still remember the crunchy, dissonant chords coming through the speakers of my music history classroom and the repetition of the phrase, &ldquo;Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?&rdquo;We were studying Charles Ives&rsquo;s modern American art song about the founder of the Salvation Army&mdash;&ldquo;General William Booth Enters into Heaven&rdquo;&mdash;and even as I tried]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singing-about-jesus-blood-is-weird-but-we-do-it-anyway/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singing-about-jesus-blood-is-weird-but-we-do-it-anyway/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Story of Jesus Christ Is a True Myth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Every year, we celebrate a dying and rising God who fulfills the hopes of ages past.If you&rsquo;ve ever attended a liturgical church during Holy Week, you&rsquo;ve likely recited the Apostles&rsquo; Creed&mdash;a confession that affirms the climactic events of Jesus&rsquo; life.At the heart of this confession, between the phrases &ldquo;was crucified, died, and was buried&rdquo; and &ldquo;on the third day he rose again from the dead,&rdquo; you&rsquo;ll find the mysterious (and some might say]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-story-of-jesus-christ-is-a-true-myth/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-story-of-jesus-christ-is-a-true-myth/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Theologian’s Vision of ‘Peasant’ Politics Is Surprisingly Lordly in Scope]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ephraim Radner&rsquo;s &ldquo;narrow&rdquo; concern for protecting the mundane goods of earthly life isn&rsquo;t so narrow after all.Around 15 years ago, as part of my first or second job out of college, I was sent to serve as the token young person at a lunch hosted by some boutique Washington think tank. The topic of conversation was the &ldquo;good life&rdquo; and how best to secure it in a rapidly changing world. Most attendees were in their twilight years, temperamentally and politically co]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-theologians-vision-of-peasant-politics-is-surprisingly-lordly-in-scope/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-theologians-vision-of-peasant-politics-is-surprisingly-lordly-in-scope/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shoes Stay On for Maundy Thursday]]></title><description><![CDATA[Few Protestant traditions continue the footwashing that Jesus did at the Last Supper. Some want a revival of the practice.Americans get cold feet when it comes to footwashing, experts say.Maundy Thursday is a Holy Week service marking the Last Supper. In some faith traditions, that service has included footwashing from the example in John 13, where Jesus washes his disciples&rsquo; feet during the supper and says, &ldquo;Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should w]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shoes-stay-on-for-maundy-thursday/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shoes-stay-on-for-maundy-thursday/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A World Without Easter]]></title><description><![CDATA[Everything is different because Jesus rose again. But do we live as if we understand he is alive?In the summer of 2022, I visited the charming Alpine town of Oberammergau, Germany. I wandered its leafy streets lined with mural-painted houses, their balconies overflowing with flower boxes.After indulging in ice cream and shopping for the town&rsquo;s famed woodcarvings, I settled in my seat for a five-and-a-half-hour performance of Jesus&rsquo; final week on earth. Since 1634, Oberammergau has pu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-world-without-easter/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-world-without-easter/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Praying in the Shadow of Gethsemane]]></title><description><![CDATA[What Jesus&rsquo; midnight prayer in the garden tells us about cosmic conflict in the supernatural realm.&ldquo;Father, if it is your will, please heal your servant; yet not our will, but yours be done.&rdquo; As a child, I recall hearing this kind of prayer and feeling deeply puzzled. If it is your will? I thought. Why wouldn&rsquo;t it be God&rsquo;s will to heal his servant?Such prayers are not theologically incorrect&mdash;they echo the words of Christ himself and, rightly understood, believ]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/praying-in-the-shadow-of-gethsemane/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/praying-in-the-shadow-of-gethsemane/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How the Gaucho Stole Easter in Uruguay]]></title><description><![CDATA[More than 100 years ago, Latin America&rsquo;s most-secular country abolished Christian holidays. Local church leaders have struggled to reclaim them sinceThis week, millions of Latin Americans are attending worship services observing Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.In Uruguay, they are going to the rodeo.While their Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking neighbors mark the death and resurrection of Christ, locals from the country of 3.3 million are celebrating Semana Crio]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-gaucho-stole-easter-in-uruguay/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-gaucho-stole-easter-in-uruguay/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Myth Behind the Meaning of Paul’s Words on Women and Childbearing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sandra Glahn studies the record of an Ephesian goddess to aid our reading of a challenging passage.As a female New Testament scholar, I simply do not have the luxury of avoiding 1 Timothy 2:11&ndash;15, where Paul, after stating that women should &ldquo;learn in quietness and full submission,&rdquo; claims they &ldquo;will be saved through childbearing.&rdquo; The &ldquo;saved through childbearing&rdquo; verse has been quoted to me by more strangers and (possibly) well-meaning acquaintances than]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-myth-behind-the-meaning-of-pauls-words-on-women-and-childbearing/</link><pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-myth-behind-the-meaning-of-pauls-words-on-women-and-childbearing/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How One Indonesian Church Is Fighting Food Insecurity]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the village of Kemadang, long dry spells threatened local farmers&rsquo; livelihoods until a church-led granary brought hope.Standing in her rice field in the rural village of Kemadang along the southern coast of Java, 53-year-old Marni Mariani pointed to the dry soil at her feet. &ldquo;This is the land that we will harvest in three weeks,&rdquo; she said. Yet due to the lack of rain this season, two of her four rice fields have already failed.She noted that she doesn&rsquo;t sell the rice h]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-one-indonesian-church-is-fighting-food-insecurity/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-one-indonesian-church-is-fighting-food-insecurity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Passion to the Pews, Major Conferences Inspire Local Worship]]></title><description><![CDATA[Arena events serve as the proving grounds for new music.The 2024 Passion conference opened with a countdown video. The crowd of 55,000 students packed into Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta cheered with anticipation. What would the first song be? Who would lead it?What was the Holy Spirit about to do?Flashing lights and a drum track led into the opening of Elevation Worship&rsquo;s &ldquo;Praise,&rdquo; with the chant, &ldquo;Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.&rdquo; Worship artist B]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/from-passion-to-the-pews-major-conferences-inspire-local-worship/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:56:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/from-passion-to-the-pews-major-conferences-inspire-local-worship/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Character Doesn’t Matter Anymore]]></title><description><![CDATA[The &ldquo;cheerful prudery&rdquo; of Ned Flanders has given way to vulgarity, misogyny, and partisanship. What does this mean for our witness?This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.I guess Ned Flanders goes to strip clubs now.Until this week, I hadn&rsquo;t thought about the caricatured born-again Christian neighbor on the animated series The Simpsons in a long time. New York Times religion reporter Ruth Graham mentioned him and his &ldquo;cheerful prudery&]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-character-doesnt-matter-anymore/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-character-doesnt-matter-anymore/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptists Finally Name New Executive Committee President]]></title><description><![CDATA[Seminary head Jeff Iorg steps in after multiple resignations, failed searches, and back-to-back interim leaders.<br />
After more than two years of uncertainty and at times, chaos, the Southern Baptist Convention&rsquo;s Executive Committee has a new president.At a special meeting in Dallas, members of the committee&mdash;which oversees the work of the 13 million-member denomination in between its annual meetings&mdash;unanimously elected Jeff Iorg as its new president and CEO. The meeting was held in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-finally-name-new-executive-committee-president/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 14:04:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-finally-name-new-executive-committee-president/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Must Social Service Providers Nix Their Faith to Receive Federal Funds?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rather than follow the equal protections secured in Supreme Court decisions, the Biden administration opted for a complicated and soul-killing alternative.Nine federal departments have issued new regulations governing social service grants for a range of programs including drug rehabilitation; assisting penitentiary inmates reentering their communities; sheltering the homeless; aiding needy families with dependent children; settling refugees; and providing overseas lifesaving aid in response to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/must-social-service-providers-nix-their-faith-to-receive-federal-funds/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 19:05:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/must-social-service-providers-nix-their-faith-to-receive-federal-funds/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Every Day This Week Is Holy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians should celebrate from Palm to Easter Sunday&mdash;and everything in between.As a child, my twin and I would often stage elaborate bake-offs during the school holidays. One year, I made an Easter cake with three chocolate crosses and a crown of thorns. I drowned these elements in large pools of jammy blood.Sure, it was gratuitously gruesome&mdash;and I&rsquo;m not surprised my sister&rsquo;s saccharine fluffy chick cupcakes were the favored choice. But from an early age, I have shirked]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-every-day-this-week-is-holy/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-every-day-this-week-is-holy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Make the Internet Modest Again]]></title><description><![CDATA[We gained an audience but overexposed our souls.Ten years ago, I published my first book. Like many of my peers, my work draws from personal experience and uses elements of memoir. After all, I became a writer in the heyday of confessional blogging when Glennon Doyle and Jen Hatmaker were writing from their kitchen tables about the struggles of domestic life and womanhood. The first blog I ever read described the pain of childbirth in all its gory detail.But that openness is nothing compared to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/make-the-internet-modest-again/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/make-the-internet-modest-again/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fasting from Food in a Land of Plenty]]></title><description><![CDATA[Abstaining from eating confronts the cultural lies we believe about our bodies.I stood frozen in the cereal aisle. On either side of me were thousands of boxes and bags of breakfast grains stretched out row after row, in scores of varieties: Vitamin fortified! Extra marshmallows! Cinnamon clusters with organic wheat germ for twice your daily fiber!For the past four and a half years, I&rsquo;d been living in another country, limited to the street of local food vendors near my house. I&rsquo;d wal]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fasting-from-food-in-a-land-of-plenty/</link><pubDate>Wed, 20 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fasting-from-food-in-a-land-of-plenty/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let’s Not Give Up Meetings on the Church Calendar]]></title><description><![CDATA[What if we ordered our habitual gatherings around Christ and the gospel story more than twice a year?This is the time of year when we pause our calendars to make space to celebrate Holy Week&mdash;rehearsing the gospel events leading up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.For centuries, Christians have followed a church calendar to mark seasons and special days honoring Jesus and the gospel: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Pentecost, and Ordinary Time (which mark]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lets-not-give-up-meetings-on-the-church-calendar/</link><pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lets-not-give-up-meetings-on-the-church-calendar/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As Freedoms Shrink in Hong Kong, One Christian Media Editor Explains Why He Stays]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian journalism has become even more important after the government passed a tough new national security law.Editor&rsquo;s Note: Hong Kong officials unanimously passed its own version of a national security law Tuesday that could put people found guilty of political crimes, such as treason or external interference, in prison for life.<br />
Article 23 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong&rsquo;s mini-constitution, mandates the enactment of a national security law, which locals have protested in the past]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-freedoms-shrink-in-hong-kong-one-christian-media-editor-explains-why-he-stays/</link><pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-freedoms-shrink-in-hong-kong-one-christian-media-editor-explains-why-he-stays/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Honey, We Shrunk the Family]]></title><description><![CDATA[Timothy P. Carney&rsquo;s Family Unfriendly explores plunging American fertility and how to get out of the baby bust.In 204 B.C., the Romans imported a new foreign cult. When the barge bringing the cult statue to Rome got stuck in the shallow waters of the Tiber, an aristocratic young woman, Claudia Quinta, miraculously pulled the rope to draw it in single-handedly. As her name tells us, she was the fifth daughter in her family.The reason this story first stood out to me years ago is the same re]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/honey-we-shrunk-the-family/</link><pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 2024 15:15:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/honey-we-shrunk-the-family/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who Restricts Religion More, Politicians or the People? Pew Crunched the Global Data.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Annual report grades 198 nations and territories, with 9 in 10 harassing believing communities. China and Nigeria score the worst.<br />
Government restrictions on religion are at a global high.Social hostility toward religion, however, has ticked downward.So concludes the Pew Research Center in its 14th annual analysis of the extent to which 198 nations and territories&mdash;and their citizens&mdash;impinge on religious belief and practice.Some sort of harassment of religious groups was recorded in a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/who-restricts-religion-more-politicians-or-the-people-pew-crunched-the-global-data/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/who-restricts-religion-more-politicians-or-the-people-pew-crunched-the-global-data/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Metaphors Have a Power That’s More Than Metaphorical]]></title><description><![CDATA[Joy Clarkson peels back the veil of overfamiliarity from commonplace expressions and images.I&rsquo;m afraid these men would only slow me down,&rdquo; says a cocksure Benedict Cumberbatch in the role of the godfather of computer science, Alan Turing. A 2014 biopic, The Imitation Game, portrays Turing as a lonely, world-changing genius who reluctantly takes on help from less intelligent colleagues who&rsquo;d only threaten his efficiency and from whom he has to hide secrets that threaten his clea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/metaphors-have-a-power-thats-more-than-metaphorical/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/metaphors-have-a-power-thats-more-than-metaphorical/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Michael Knott, Christian Alternative Musician Who Helped Launch Tooth &amp;amp; Nail]]></title><description><![CDATA[Knott wrote rock operas, sang with honesty and conviction, called out hypocrites, and bucked the norms of the Christian music industry.Michael Knott, whose music and influence helped cultivate the Christian alternative music scene of the 1990s and 2000s, died Tuesday at the age of 61. He is survived by his daughter, Stormie Fraser.Knott was the founder of the label Blonde Vinyl and later collaborated with Brandon Ebel to launch the highly influential Tooth &amp; Nail Records, known for bands lik]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-michael-knott-christian-alternative-musician-who-helped-launch-tooth-ampamp-nail/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:43:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-michael-knott-christian-alternative-musician-who-helped-launch-tooth-ampamp-nail/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Will ‘Complementarianism’ Survive?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I want to continue to call myself a complementarian. But we need to reclaim the term.Is there a future for complementarianism? I don&rsquo;t mean whether the God-ordained concept of complementarity between men and women will itself continue to exist&mdash;those of us who hold to the principle of equality and distinction between men and women understand it to be grounded in Scripture itself. Rather, I&rsquo;m speaking of complementarianism as a specific movement, a coherent framing of some of tho]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/will-complementarianism-survive/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/will-complementarianism-survive/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The First Apostle’s Unlikely Witness]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mary Magdalene was a recipient of grace with a story to proclaim.Save for Jesus Christ and his mother Mary, few biblical figures hold more prominence in the history of Christian art than Mary Magdalene. Paintings and sculptures favor depicting these two Marys not just because they appear frequently in the New Testament but because they play such pivotal roles in the life of Jesus.Of course, Mary of Nazareth&rsquo;s identity is uncontested. She is the young betrothed woman who conceived Jesus, Go]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-first-apostles-unlikely-witness/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-first-apostles-unlikely-witness/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Passover’s Promises for My Children]]></title><description><![CDATA[When I married into a Jewish family, antisemitism hit home. Now, the holy day reminds me of our future hope.On October 7, 2023, my mother-in-law called.&ldquo;Have you seen the news?&rdquo; she asked urgently. &ldquo;Terrorists have attacked Israel. Where are the kids? Are they at home with you? Can you keep them home from school this week?&rdquo;She knows antisemitism all too well. Her husband is a Jew who traces his lineage back to the tribe of Levi. His ancestors immigrated to America from Po]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/passovers-promises-for-my-children/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/passovers-promises-for-my-children/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Heaven Isn’t Our Eternal Escape from Work]]></title><description><![CDATA[Only on our best days do we get a glimpse of the joyful labor to come.There&rsquo;s an old saying regarding work: &ldquo;Find something you love to do, and you&rsquo;ll never work a day in your life.&rdquo;It&rsquo;s a nice idea&mdash;albeit a tall order to achieve. Some jobs are harder to love than others, and even the most meaningful work can exhaust or frustrate us. Our relationships with work can be complicated; even the most diligent among us succumb to quitting fantasies from time to time.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/heaven-isnt-our-eternal-escape-from-work/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/heaven-isnt-our-eternal-escape-from-work/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fractured Are the Peacemakers]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Christian reconciliation group in Israel and Palestine warned that war would come. Now the war threatens their relevance.Just before sunrise on October 7, 2023, Salim Munayer&rsquo;s wife, Kay, shook him awake at their apartment in Jerusalem. His cellphone was popping with alerts.&ldquo;WhatsApp is going crazy,&rdquo; she said.Munayer reached for his phone. His extended family was anxiously reporting hearing air raid sirens, not uncommon in Israel and often short-lived. But this time, the alar]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fractured-are-the-peacemakers/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fractured-are-the-peacemakers/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Complementarian at Home, Egalitarian at Church? Paul Would Approve.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The biggest New Testament passages on gender roles may have more to do with marriage than ministry.Christianity Today once featured a cartoon depicting the apostle Paul arriving at Corinth and saying rather meekly, &ldquo;I see you received my letter.&rdquo; Greeting him on the road is an angry mob of women holding placards reading &ldquo;Women of Corinth unite&rdquo; and &ldquo;Paul the apostle is a male chauvinist pig.&rdquo; It is an amusing picture, but its sentiment is far from the truth. F]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/complementarian-at-home-egalitarian-at-church-paul-would-approve/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/complementarian-at-home-egalitarian-at-church-paul-would-approve/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[White Evangelicals Want Christian Influence, Not a ‘Christian Nation’]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new study finds white evangelicals are most eager to see their faith reflected more in the government, but very few say they support Christian nationalism.In a country where 80 percent of adults believe religion&rsquo;s influence is in decline, white evangelicals stand out as the group most likely to want to see their faith reflected in the US government.According to a new survey from the Pew Research Center, most white evangelicals want a president who reflects their religious beliefs, believ]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/white-evangelicals-want-christian-influence-not-a-christian-nation/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 17:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/white-evangelicals-want-christian-influence-not-a-christian-nation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Witness of Women Is Written on the Walls]]></title><description><![CDATA[I needed female heroes, and I found them in ancient churches.I grew up believing women could do it all. In rural South Dakota, I was surrounded by farm women, who are some of the toughest, most resilient people I have ever met. My mom could bake delicious chicken and also slaughter them.South Dakota also frequently leads the nation in the percentage of women and mothers who work outside the home. So as a young girl, I never doubted that women could do whatever they wanted, that they were as equa]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-witness-of-women-is-written-on-the-walls/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-witness-of-women-is-written-on-the-walls/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Body of Christ Cannot Be Mummified]]></title><description><![CDATA[An oft-forgotten mummy in Scripture teaches us how idolatry deadens, but Jesus awakens.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Over the past several weeks, I was away with a Christianity Today group, teaching through Exodus up and down the Nile River in Egypt. Along the way, I found myself in lots of temples and tombs&mdash;many of them filled with the embalmed corpses of ancient Egyptian kings and queens.As I was there, though, I couldn&rsquo;t help but thin]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-body-of-christ-cannot-be-mummified/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-body-of-christ-cannot-be-mummified/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Single Christians Have Common Needs&amp;mdash;the Same Needs All Christians Have]]></title><description><![CDATA[Anna Broadway&rsquo;s survey of global singleness challenges a marriage status hierarchy within the church.For evangelical Christians, conversations about singleness tend to be predictable. Whether it&rsquo;s a sermon, a panel discussion, or a conference message, discussions are usually relegated to the topic of how this season can be escaped through dating or marriage. Singleness is often presented as a means to an end but rarely as a valuable end in itself.Over time, this mindset has cultivate]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/single-christians-have-common-needsampmdashthe-same-needs-all-christians-have/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/single-christians-have-common-needsampmdashthe-same-needs-all-christians-have/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[American Bible Society Will Close Its $60 Million Museum]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Bible museum on Independence Mall in Philadelphia was open less than three years and had attracted fewer visitors than projected.<br />
American Bible Society announced it will shutter its Faith and Liberty Discovery Center (FLDC), a Bible museum it invested more than $60 million into, after less than three years in operation.ABS had projected that the museum, centrally located on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, would draw 250,000 visitors a year. The revenue from ticket sales for the museum sh]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-bible-society-will-close-its-60-million-museum/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 17:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-bible-society-will-close-its-60-million-museum/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bad News May Be a Burning Bush]]></title><description><![CDATA[I understand frustration with media negativity. But bad news may be God&rsquo;s invitation to work alongside him.On a church mission trip in 2004, 65-year-old Ramon Billhimer looked out a bus window in Uganda and saw a little girl taking dirty, stagnant water from a muddy ditch. The water was for a garden, Ramon assumed, or maybe livestock. She snapped a picture and offhandedly commented to her translator that the children sure went a long way to get water for their animals.&ldquo;Oh, that&rsquo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bad-news-may-be-a-burning-bush/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bad-news-may-be-a-burning-bush/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reading the Bible With Women]]></title><description><![CDATA[The caricature of Rahab and other female characters in Scripture often sidelines their contribution.Several years ago, I was invited to write the notes for a new women&rsquo;s study Bible. The project was unexpected and felt unusual to me, because I&rsquo;d never read a women&rsquo;s study Bible myself and I was skeptical about the need for one. Why can&rsquo;t we all just read the same Bible? But after praying about the offer, I felt led to accept&mdash;hoping I might be able to offer something]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/reading-the-bible-with-women/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/reading-the-bible-with-women/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tradwife Content Offers Fundamentalism Fit for Instagram]]></title><description><![CDATA[The latest influencer movement wants to &ldquo;bring back&rdquo; a narrow vision of biblical womanhood with pretty pictures, long dresses, and homemade bread.Let&rsquo;s bring back beauty,&rdquo; begins the caption of aviral reel on Instagram.The clip features Christian influencer Katie Calabrese in an airy long dress followed by a montage of images: flowers on an open Bible, a clothesline full of linen neutrals, a clean stairwell with wooden floors and shiplap walls, a faceless woman standing i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tradwife-content-offers-fundamentalism-fit-for-instagram/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tradwife-content-offers-fundamentalism-fit-for-instagram/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How (Not) to Talk About ‘Christian Nationalism’]]></title><description><![CDATA[The phrase is increasingly useless&mdash;unfairly applied to ordinary Christians yet too weak to sufficiently condemn &ldquo;another gospel&rdquo; in our midst.Some years ago, the Reformed philosopher Alvin Plantinga gave a useful definition of fundamentalist. He noted that, in academic settings, it served as little more than a smear word; he offered an expletive I can&rsquo;t print here, so let&rsquo;s just substitute son of a gun.Where it retained any content beyond the smear, Plantinga argued]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-not-to-talk-about-christian-nationalism/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-not-to-talk-about-christian-nationalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Disabled Son Is the Image of God]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a pastor, I&rsquo;ve wrestled with the theological implications of my child&rsquo;s disability.When my nine-year-old son Benji was an infant, we were in and out of hospitals for the first few months of his life. He suffered from focal motor seizures and received innumerable pokes and prods to figure out the right medication and dosage to get them under control.Then, one grey and rainy November afternoon&mdash;amid countless sleepless nights, doctor appointments, and learning how to be parents]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-disabled-son-is-the-image-of-god/</link><pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-disabled-son-is-the-image-of-god/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mamie Johnston: A Brave Missionary in Manchuria]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bandits, Japanese invaders, and Communists all threatened her life. Her dedication never wavered.In 1923, 26-year-old Mamie Johnston (&#38889;&#24742;&#24681;, Han Yue-en) was sent by the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, under the sponsorship of its Women&rsquo;s Missionary Association, to Faku County in northeast China&rsquo;s Liaoning Province, part of the region then known as Manchuria. Johnston&rsquo;s adventures in China would span 28 years. She lived through bandit attacks, the Japanese inv]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mamie-johnston-a-brave-missionary-in-manchuria/</link><pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mamie-johnston-a-brave-missionary-in-manchuria/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[UK Christians Asked to Give Up Their Banks for Lent]]></title><description><![CDATA[Climate activists say finance is a justice issue and moving accounts can have a significant impact.Rosie Venner has been talking a lot about banks. She thinks it matters&mdash;to God.&ldquo;We are called to be good stewards, to love our neighbors, to seek peace, to act justly. Surely this should shape how we relate to money and where we bank,&rdquo; she said.Venner is a British Christian climate change activist working on the Money Makes Change campaign with the JustMoney Movement, a group that]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-christians-asked-to-give-up-their-banks-for-lent/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:45:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-christians-asked-to-give-up-their-banks-for-lent/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Zealand Christian Bookshop Closures a Sign of the Times]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nearly half of Manna Christian bookstores are shutting down, leaving some without a Christian bookstore in their town and highlighting concerns of misinformation.For the last 25 years, Colin Marshall has been able to walk a minute down the road from his church in Auckland, New Zealand, to pick up Christian books and materials from his local Manna Christian bookstore. But come the end of March, that will no longer be the case.When he first heard the news about the closure, the minister of St. Joh]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-zealand-christian-bookshop-closures-a-sign-of-the-times/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-zealand-christian-bookshop-closures-a-sign-of-the-times/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ezekiel’s Visions, AI’s Revisions]]></title><description><![CDATA[I asked ChatGPT to illustrate passages from the Old Testament prophet, and the results raise important questions for the church.<br />
Children have an uncanny ability to ask deep questions about things we adults have come to take for granted. One of the earliest such questions I remember asking my father was about language: Why do some people speak different languages than us?He answered by telling me about the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1&ndash;9): about how, when everyone spoke the same language, they]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ezekiels-visions-ais-revisions/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ezekiels-visions-ais-revisions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Indian State Moves to Criminalize Praying for the Sick]]></title><description><![CDATA[A proposed ban on &ldquo;magical healing&rdquo; is the latest government initiative targeting Christian practice and evangelism in Assam.State lawmakers in India are seeking to curtail evangelism with a ban on &ldquo;magical healing&rdquo; that could penalize Christians who offer prayer or any &ldquo;non-scientific&rdquo; practices to comfort people who are sick.Last month, the northeastern state of Assam introduced the bill, which Christian leaders say unfairly targets their community&rsquo;s c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/indian-state-moves-to-criminalize-praying-for-the-sick/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 15:34:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/indian-state-moves-to-criminalize-praying-for-the-sick/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why John MacArthur Is Wrong About MLK]]></title><description><![CDATA[The prominent pastor&rsquo;s claim that Martin Luther King Jr. was &ldquo;not a Christian&rdquo; is not only ahistorical. It misses God&rsquo;s heart for justice.When my grandfather died, a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. was hanging over his deathbed. His name was Bishop Thomas Lee Cooper, and he was part of the Black church&rsquo;s now-fading civil rights generation, which King defined.It&rsquo;s no great mystery why he and millions of other Americans held King in such high regard. This con]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-john-macarthur-is-wrong-about-mlk/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-john-macarthur-is-wrong-about-mlk/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fear, Grief, then Supernatural Peace: Myanmar Christians Process Draft]]></title><description><![CDATA[While many young people feel helpless over the news of the conscription law, believers see an opening for ministry.When Kyaw Sone, a 27-year-old seminary student in Yangon, Myanmar, heard the news last month that the government was conscripting young men and women amid the country&rsquo;s civil war, he felt &ldquo;very, very sad.&rdquo;&ldquo;These are our oppressors and now we have to fight for them,&rdquo; he said of the military junta that overthrew the elected government in a coup three year]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fear-grief-then-supernatural-peace-myanmar-christians-process-draft/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fear-grief-then-supernatural-peace-myanmar-christians-process-draft/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fasting for God’s Kingdom]]></title><description><![CDATA[How the Muslim month of Ramadan transformed my understanding of fasting, prayer, and Lent.The sun was setting on a sweltering late Friday afternoon in Amman, Jordan. Sun filtered through the dust in the air, glazing the buildings and streets below, as the smell of petrol wafted through my open window.I had just returned from a lengthy day of study and prayer at the Qasid Arabic Institute and was preparing to host my Muslim friends for dinner. The previous night, they had shown me overwhelming ho]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fasting-for-gods-kingdom/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fasting-for-gods-kingdom/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Remembering Canadian Politician Brian Mulroney, Who Opened Doors for Evangelicals]]></title><description><![CDATA[The late prime minister welcomed our engagement at a crucial time&mdash;and changed my mind about public witness.Brian Mulroney, prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993, passed away last week at age 84.Mulroney was known as a leader capable of pushing big ideas. But he also opened doors for evangelicals in Canada to engage with the government on major issues. His encouragement was very important, coming at a time when Canadian evangelicals were wrestling with how to present a gospel witness t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-canadian-politician-brian-mulroney-who-opened-doors-for-evangelicals/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-canadian-politician-brian-mulroney-who-opened-doors-for-evangelicals/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[SBC Executive Committee Says No Charges Following Federal Investigation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Without offering details on the nature of the Justice Department inquiry, the denomination&rsquo;s administrative entity says it&rsquo;s &ldquo;grateful&rdquo; that &ldquo;no further action&rdquo; will be taken around its response to abuse.An 18-month-long federal investigation into the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee has concluded without any charges or action against it, the Executive Committee said on Wednesday.The country&rsquo;s largest Protestant denomination has been]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-executive-committee-says-no-charges-following-federal-investigation/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Mar 2024 03:41:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-executive-committee-says-no-charges-following-federal-investigation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Liberty University Fined $14M Over Campus Safety]]></title><description><![CDATA[Focused on the evangelical school&rsquo;s handling of sexual violence, the federal penalty is by far the largest in the Department of Education&rsquo;s history.The US Department of Education (DOE) announced on Tuesday that it has fined Liberty University $14 million for its failures to report campus crimes and its treatment of sexual assault survivors. The culmination of a long-running federal investigation, it is by far the largest fine for such a campus safety violation, according to the depar]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/liberty-university-fined-14m-over-campus-safety/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 19:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/liberty-university-fined-14m-over-campus-safety/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Evangelicals Became a Voting Bloc]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelical voters&rsquo; focus on policy over character came much earlier than you think.The stakes in the presidential election could not have been higher.The American economy was stagnant. Several years of the worst inflation in decades made each trip to the grocery store a painful experience. Federal spending was out of control. Drug use was on the rise. The country was in a tense standoff with both Iran and Russia, with no resolution to either conflict in sight.But Christians were especiall]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-evangelicals-became-a-voting-bloc/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-evangelicals-became-a-voting-bloc/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Studying Scripture Isn’t Safe, But It Is Good]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a Bible professor in an evangelical institution, I feel the tension of teaching truths that might offend.When I began my studies at Wesley Theological Seminary, several upperclassmen warned me about taking courses offered by George Wesley Buchanan, a no-nonsense professor who demanded excellence from his students and graded them accordingly. One faculty member derisively charged Buchanan with interpreting Scripture according to Judaism rather than Christianity. Since I was young, impressionab]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/studying-scripture-isnt-safe-but-it-is-good/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/studying-scripture-isnt-safe-but-it-is-good/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Global Methodists Run Toward Renewal]]></title><description><![CDATA[On the other side of disaffiliation, traditionalist congregations pursue prayer, revival, and revitalization.June Fulton felt weird sitting in the third pew.At every service since she joined the choir when she was 12 years old&mdash;her whole life, basically&mdash;she has sat with them on the stage behind the pulpit at Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church (UMC), in Trinity, North Carolina.But there was no singing at the disaffiliation vote. So Fulton, now one of the matriarchs at Mt. Vernon, took]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/global-methodists-run-toward-renewal/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/global-methodists-run-toward-renewal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Politics May Be Less Bible-Based than You Think]]></title><description><![CDATA[Preston Sprinkle&rsquo;s Exiles is a bracing call to return to Scripture, but some of his specific political applications are dubious.It&rsquo;s not news that modern American Christians are deeply divided over politics&mdash;to the point that it may seem we have more in common with people who share our political beliefs than with our siblings in the faith. That division raises the question: If we&rsquo;re all reading the same Bible, how do we end up with such conflicting and conflict-prone polit]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-politics-may-be-less-bible-based-than-you-think/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-politics-may-be-less-bible-based-than-you-think/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brazilian Evangelicals Bring Their Political Playbook to Portugal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Immigrants from South America are a growing force in churches on the other side of the Atlantic. But their electoral initiative is viewed with reservations.As Portugal goes to the polls this Sunday, a transatlantic group of Christian leaders has come together to campaign for the National Democratic Alternative (ADN).Founded in 2014, the small party has never held a seat in the Assembleia da Rep&uacute;blica, Portugal&rsquo;s parliament, and has drawn national attention for downplaying COVID-19 a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brazilian-evangelicals-bring-their-political-playbook-to-portugal/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:50:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brazilian-evangelicals-bring-their-political-playbook-to-portugal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As France Makes Abortion a Constitutional Right, Evangelicals Seek to Promote Culture of Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[Despite disappointment over the vote, churches see opportunities to love and serve.In a rare joint session at the Palace of Versailles on Monday, lawmakers voted 780 to 72 to enshrine abortion access in the constitution, making France the first country in the world to do so.While abortion is already legal in France, the parliament acted in response to the US Supreme Court&rsquo;s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 as well as the rightward political swing in countries around the world. The French]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-france-makes-abortion-a-constitutional-right-evangelicals-seek-to-promote-culture-of-life/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-france-makes-abortion-a-constitutional-right-evangelicals-seek-to-promote-culture-of-life/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[American Democracy Is in Trouble. No, Not Like That.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ill-defined talk about Christian nationalism misses a more serious threat: Christian leaders neglecting the real concerns of the laity.The GOP&rsquo;s presidential primary is functionally finished, even before Super Tuesday arrives this week, and the 2024 general election is all but underway. Christian voters are once again faced with a pressing question of how to &ldquo;vote our values&rdquo; in an increasingly secular and hostile public square.Unfortunately, many prominent Christian voices off]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-democracy-is-in-trouble-no-not-like-that/</link><pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-democracy-is-in-trouble-no-not-like-that/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don’t Overexpose Kids to Mental Health Experts. Or Rule Them Out Completely.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Abigail Shrier&rsquo;s critique of childhood therapy mixes a needful corrective with ideological hyperbole.One of my four-year-old twins has a thing where he pretends he can&rsquo;t do something he&rsquo;s done many times before. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t find my sweater,&rdquo; he says of the sweater on the floor in front of him&mdash;the sweater he does not want to wear. &ldquo;I have no sweater. I don&rsquo;t know how to put it on. My arms don&rsquo;t work. Ugh! Ugh! I can&rsquo;t pick it up with]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-overexpose-kids-to-mental-health-experts-or-rule-them-out-completely/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-overexpose-kids-to-mental-health-experts-or-rule-them-out-completely/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Meek Inherit Nothing in ‘Dune: Part Two’]]></title><description><![CDATA[What happens when a savior chooses not a cross but a sword?Faith and power clash at the core of Dune: Part Two. The film is the second of a trilogy adaptation of the beloved novels by Frank Herbert, a mystical tale of wars between noble families in the vastness of space and the rise of a messianic figure named Paul Atreides (Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet).<br />
This middle film picks up the story after a brutal massacre of Paul&rsquo;s family line. Heir of a noble house and the subject of prophecies, Paul]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-meek-inherit-nothing-in-dune-part-two/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-meek-inherit-nothing-in-dune-part-two/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[YWAM Rallies After 11 Missionaries Killed, 8 Wounded in Tanzania Bus Accident]]></title><description><![CDATA[Darlene Cunningham: &ldquo;We have not seen a tragedy of this magnitude in all of [our] history &hellip; [leaders&rsquo;] deaths create a massive vacuum&rdquo; for Youth With a Mission.Days after a bus accident claimed 11 of its missionaries in Tanzania, leaders of Youth With a Mission (YWAM) are &ldquo;devastated&rdquo; but rallying prayer and support to aid medical evacuations, repatriations, and funeral arrangements expected to total $350,000.The Christian missionaries, seven of whom were fro]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ywam-rallies-after-11-missionaries-killed-8-wounded-in-tanzania-bus-accident/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2024 03:50:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ywam-rallies-after-11-missionaries-killed-8-wounded-in-tanzania-bus-accident/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Dune’ Centers Islamic Imagery. These Muslim-World Novels Center Christ.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Drawing from their long experience in the Islamic world, evangelical novelists pen fiction to help Muslims and Americans better see Jesus.Can you imagine if Dune took place in the ocean instead of the desert? One Christian novel does.With Dune: Part Two now in theaters, moviegoers are once again treated to the cinematic spectacle of Frank Herbert&rsquo;s popular sci-fi epic. Less known is how his 1965 novel bears witness to the influence of Muhammad.And even less known are the efforts of Christi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dune-centers-islamic-imagery-these-muslim-world-novels-center-christ/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dune-centers-islamic-imagery-these-muslim-world-novels-center-christ/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Hell Is a World Without You’ Revisits Early 2000s Youth Group]]></title><description><![CDATA[Journalist Jason Kirk discusses his new novel, turn-of-the-century evangelicalism, and deconstruction.Jason Kirk&rsquo;s newly released novel Hell Is a World Without You is not my usual reading fare. Nor is his book CT&rsquo;s usual coverage fare. As you&rsquo;ll gather from our conversation below, Kirk has left evangelicalism behind and is reflecting on the church of his youth with a critical, if somewhat sympathetic, eye.I was too shy a teenager to really embrace early 2000s youth group life,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hell-is-a-world-without-you-revisits-early-2000s-youth-group/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Feb 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hell-is-a-world-without-you-revisits-early-2000s-youth-group/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[UK Churches’ Outreach to Muslim Migrants Scrutinized After Clapham Attack]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelical leader: Ministers&rsquo; testimonies were never intended to be the &ldquo;make-or-break&rdquo; factor in judging asylum applications.A chemical attack that injured a dozen people in the South London suburb of Clapham a month ago has sparked the resurgence of a national debate over the UK&rsquo;s asylum system and the church&rsquo;s involvement with migrant converts.The suspected perpetrator, Abdul Ezedi, was an Afghan refugee who came to Britain illegally in 2016 and was granted asyl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-churches-outreach-to-muslim-migrants-scrutinized-after-clapham-attack/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:01:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/uk-churches-outreach-to-muslim-migrants-scrutinized-after-clapham-attack/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Confusion, Strategy Shifts, Layoffs: What’s Happening at the American Bible Society?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The historic and well-funded organization has seen two years of turmoil: five CEOs, money fumbles, and a pullback from global work. It is searching for a fresh start.The 208-year-old American Bible Society (ABS) used to have a simple mission: print and distribute Bibles in the US. At its peak in 1979, it was giving away 108 million a year.Once Americans had access to Bibles, ABS&rsquo;s challenge became getting people to read them. In the early 2000s, the organization shifted to a mission of &ld]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/confusion-strategy-shifts-layoffs-whats-happening-at-the-american-bible-society/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/confusion-strategy-shifts-layoffs-whats-happening-at-the-american-bible-society/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Evangelicals See Immigrants as a Threat and Economic Drain]]></title><description><![CDATA[Survey: Even with growing concerns over the past two years, most still favor immigration reform and say the church has a responsibility to help.American evangelicals have complex perspectives on immigration and want a nuanced political response, but most want Congress to act soon.A Lifeway Research study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table found evangelicals are increasingly concerned about the number of recent immigrants to the US but still believe Christians have a responsibility to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-evangelicals-see-immigrants-as-a-threat-and-economic-drain/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 18:46:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-evangelicals-see-immigrants-as-a-threat-and-economic-drain/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Does Naming and Shaming Help the Cause of Indian Christians?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Local and international activists discuss Voice of the Martyrs escalating the country&rsquo;s religious freedom status to &ldquo;restricted nation.&rdquo;The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) has placed India in its highest persecution tier in its latest global prayer guide, bumping the country up from &ldquo;hostile area&rdquo; to &ldquo;restricted nation.&rdquo;VOM&rsquo;s mid-tier &ldquo;hostile area&rdquo; category identifies nations or large areas of nations where, despite government attempt to pr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/does-naming-and-shaming-help-the-cause-of-indian-christians/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 17:08:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/does-naming-and-shaming-help-the-cause-of-indian-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wang Zhiming: Miao Martyr Memorialized in Westminster Abbey]]></title><description><![CDATA[He was tortured for his faith but remained steadfast through the Cultural Revolution.Westminster Abbey in London, the exclusive chapel of the British royal family, has served as the site for the coronation of generations of kings, royal weddings, funerals, and other significant events. Today it functions as the final resting place for many renowned British nobles, poets, generals, scientists, and writers, such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Charles Dickens.Since 1998, ten statues of 20th-c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wang-zhiming-miao-martyr-memorialized-in-westminster-abbey/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wang-zhiming-miao-martyr-memorialized-in-westminster-abbey/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[God Whispers to a Restless and Grief-Stricken Heart]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt on doubt, despair, and restoration from Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found.Think about Mount Tabor for a moment. Remember the blinding light of Jesus&rsquo; glory and the stunning presence of Elijah and Moses, the weight of that moment and what it meant in the mind and heart of Peter, and what it confirmed about the dream that had taken up residence in his heart and his spiritual imagination. The brilliance of this dream&mdash;how incredibly close it felt on M]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-whispers-to-a-restless-and-grief-stricken-heart/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Feb 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-whispers-to-a-restless-and-grief-stricken-heart/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Calvin President Resigns Over Inappropriate Messages]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trustees found Wiebe Boer&rsquo;s alleged conduct &ldquo;concerning&rdquo; and &ldquo;inconsistent with the high standard and character&rdquo; the college expects of its leadership.The president of Calvin University has resigned after admitting he engaged in inappropriate communication with a member of the campus community.In a statement Monday, the Calvin Board of Trustees said it had received a report alleging President Wiebe Boer &ldquo;engaged in unwelcome and inappropriate communication and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/calvin-president-resigns-over-inappropriate-messages/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Feb 2024 01:17:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/calvin-president-resigns-over-inappropriate-messages/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Six-Hour Meeting, Park Street Votes to Affirm Current Leadership]]></title><description><![CDATA[Senior minister Mark Booker asks the historic evangelical congregation to commit to work of repair after &ldquo;break of trust.&rdquo;Park Street Church voted to affirm senior minister Mark Booker on Sunday by a vote of 350 to 173, with 20 abstaining.The prominent evangelical church in Boston has been roiled by controversy as ministers, elders, staff, and lay leaders disagreed over a series of decisions&mdash;as well as the process of making decisions&mdash;at the 220-year-old congregationalist]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-six-hour-meeting-park-street-votes-to-affirm-current-leadership/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Feb 2024 21:20:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-six-hour-meeting-park-street-votes-to-affirm-current-leadership/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Petra Means Rock Churches: Jordan Permits First Prayers in 1,400 Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[Religious tourism initiative at ancient city recalls&nbsp;Moab, Byzantium, and Arab tribal Christianity, amid speculation on&nbsp;Paul&rsquo;s possible first missionary journey.Imagine yourself as Indiana Jones, traversing the narrow, nearly mile-long Siq gorge, with mountain cliffs towering on either side. Turning a corner then reveals the vast expanse of the ancient city of Petra and its majestic Treasury, the first-century rock-carved tomb of an ancient Nabatean king. You pass by the 121-foot]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/petra-meansrock-churches-jordan-permits-first-prayers-in-1400-years/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/petra-meansrock-churches-jordan-permits-first-prayers-in-1400-years/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Amid Catholic Crackdown, Nicaragua Closes 250 Evangelical Ministries]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mountain Gateway became the latest Christian ministry to run afoul of the Ortega regime.When Hurricanes Hilary and Idalia flooded Nicaragua&rsquo;s coast last August and September, evangelical ministries in the country had little choice but to step up and serve.President Daniel Ortega and his wife, vice president Rosario Murillo, had expelled the Red Cross from their country last July after the organization had criticized the country for its inhuman treatment of prisoners. The departure had left]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amid-catholic-crackdown-nicaragua-closes-250-evangelical-ministries/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amid-catholic-crackdown-nicaragua-closes-250-evangelical-ministries/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Was Carnival Rapture Warning Courageous or Inappropriate? Brazil Debates Eschatology]]></title><description><![CDATA[After pop star&rsquo;s surprise witness ends with a bang, evangelical leaders discuss whether to axe apocalypse talk as ineffective evangelism.When two Brazilian pop stars began chatting on live TV two weeks ago, few likely thought their conversation would start a debate about the end times.On February 11, in the midst of Carnival, Baby do Brasil joined fellow veteran Ivete Sangalo in a trio el&eacute;trico, a truck equipped with a powerful sound system that drives through the streets as partygo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/was-carnival-rapture-warning-courageous-or-inappropriate-brazil-debates-eschatology/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 20:05:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/was-carnival-rapture-warning-courageous-or-inappropriate-brazil-debates-eschatology/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[​​Trump on Track to Sweep South Carolina]]></title><description><![CDATA[Despite some tension within churches over the candidates, evangelicals mostly side with the former president&rsquo;s track record over their former governor Nikki Haley.<br />
In the lead-up to South Carolina&rsquo;s primary contest on Saturday, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley held a news conference to tell supporters that she&rsquo;s &ldquo;not going anywhere&rdquo; and is committed to offering voters an alternative to former president Donald Trump.Meanwhile, her presidential rival&mdash;w]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trump-on-track-to-sweep-south-carolina/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 18:07:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trump-on-track-to-sweep-south-carolina/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Picture Jesus: Is He Shiny?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christ&rsquo;s resplendence in the Transfiguration says more than we think.Jesus Christ is arguably the most famous man who ever lived. His image is everywhere. But what did the God-Man from Nazareth actually look like?We often imagine a particular &ldquo;look&rdquo; based on artistic renderings we&rsquo;ve seen, but many of these designs are influenced by the artist&rsquo;s culture. And while we may be able to assume certain visual traits based on the time and culture in which Jesus lived, ther]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/picture-jesus-is-he-shiny/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/picture-jesus-is-he-shiny/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gender Difference Is Real, but Too Complex to Spell Out All the Specifics]]></title><description><![CDATA[A theologian articulates an Augustinian alternative to the reigning perspectives on nature and culture.When asked to define time, Augustine remarked that he knew what it was until someone asked him to define it. One could say the same of the term gender in contemporary debate. Although there is no lack of debate about gender, rarely is the term clearly defined.In his book Gender as Love: A Theological Account of Human Identity, Embodied Desire, and Our Social Worlds, theologian Fellipe do Vale a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gender-difference-is-real-but-too-complex-to-spell-out-all-the-specifics/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gender-difference-is-real-but-too-complex-to-spell-out-all-the-specifics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The True Master of the Elements]]></title><description><![CDATA[Netflix&rsquo;s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender speaks to a longing C.S.Lewis described&mdash;and can remind us of our promises in Christ.He can part water, command fire and wind, and move mountains. He&rsquo;s not a super-Christian&mdash;he&rsquo;s Avatar Aang, master of the four elements and protagonist of the Netflix&rsquo;s live-action version of Avatar: The Last Airbender (ATLA), which began streaming Thursday.Watching a live-action remake of a beloved animation is fraught with trepi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-true-master-of-the-elements/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-true-master-of-the-elements/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can ‘Dirty Money’ Do the Lord’s Work? Indonesian Christians Weigh In]]></title><description><![CDATA[How churches and ministries in Indonesia navigate accepting&mdash;and refunding&mdash;donations from corruption and other sources that conflict with biblical ethics.Indonesia&rsquo;s Catholic community learned last year that thousands of dollars donated by a public official were proceeds from a multimillion-dollar telecom bribery case.Johnny Gerard Plate, a cabinet minister before he was sentenced to a 15-year prison term, had a history of donating to his religious community in Indonesia&rsquo;s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-dirty-money-do-the-lords-work-indonesian-christians-weigh-in/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-dirty-money-do-the-lords-work-indonesian-christians-weigh-in/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Alabama Rules that Frozen Embryos Are Children]]></title><description><![CDATA[The first-of-its kind decision affirms life at its earliest stages but complicates the future of IVF.<br />
Last week, Alabama extended protections beyond the unborn in the womb to the unborn outside it, becoming the first state to rule that frozen embryos are children under the law.The decision has elicited praise from some evangelicals who, believing life begins at conception, want to see these &ldquo;snowflake babies&rdquo; treated as people rather than as commodities.It&rsquo;s also complicated th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/alabama-rules-that-frozen-embryos-are-children/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 16:43:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/alabama-rules-that-frozen-embryos-are-children/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Like-Minded, Not Like Me]]></title><description><![CDATA[Birds of a feather might flock together, but Christians must flock to Christ.Cleanliness is next to godliness.<br />
Forgive and forget.<br />
Growing up in my conservative, mostly evangelical, rural Texas town, I went looking for accepted truisms in the Bible&mdash;only to discover they&rsquo;d never been there at all. Gradually, I came to realize life could be more complicated than those sayings allowed, and yet I&rsquo;m still surprised every now and again when I find myself clinging to some pithy prover]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/like-minded-not-like-me/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/like-minded-not-like-me/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[God Says My Afro Hair Is Very Good]]></title><description><![CDATA[An excerpt on identity, hope, and glory from My Divine Natural Hair: Inspiration and Tips to Love and Care for Your Crown.In Chad, the women say God left a gift in the mountains to make their hair grow. If the flowering plant that produces the seeds, which these women have been blending into a silky powder and applying to their hair with oils for a millennium, is a gift from God, it would only be one of the innumerable ways the Creator&rsquo;s abundant grace is revealed through Black women&rsquo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-says-my-afro-hair-is-very-good/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-says-my-afro-hair-is-very-good/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Continue to Remember’ the Suffering in Ukraine]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians should be known for uplifting the afflicted before a distracted world.By now, two years after the initial conflict, many Americans have largely forgotten about Ukraine. As often happens after a global crisis, we eventually become too distracted, irritated, or entertained by other news and media. Of course, there have been other more recent international conflicts as well, which also deserve our attention and prayers.In early 2022, Ukraine began receiving widespread global attention du]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/continue-to-remember-the-suffering-in-ukraine/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Feb 2024 02:54:30 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/continue-to-remember-the-suffering-in-ukraine/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What a Murdered Russian Dissident Can Teach Us About Moral Courage]]></title><description><![CDATA[Alexei Navalny was willing to stand alone&mdash;knowing he&rsquo;d never be alone in the bigger story.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Russian president Vladimir Putin murdered another Christian this week. It was just another day in Putin&rsquo;s supposed project of protecting &ldquo;the Christian West&rdquo; from godlessness. After all, they tell me, one can&rsquo;t create a Christian nationalist empire without killing some people.Before the world for]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-a-murdered-russian-dissident-can-teach-us-about-moral-courage/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-a-murdered-russian-dissident-can-teach-us-about-moral-courage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Report: Iran Arrested 166 Christians in 2023, Targeting Bible Distributors]]></title><description><![CDATA[Four watchdog groups unite to urge UK parliament to hold Tehran accountable for &ldquo;faceless victims&rdquo; of Islamic reeducation and other religious freedom violations.Religious reeducation did not work on Esmaeil Narimanpour.First arrested by the Iranian government in 2021, he and seven other converts to Christianity were cleared by the state prosecutor, who stated that their change of religion was not a crime under Iranian law. The following year, he was ordered with several others to att]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/report-iran-arrested-166-christians-in-2023-targeting-bible-distributors/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2024 17:50:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/report-iran-arrested-166-christians-in-2023-targeting-bible-distributors/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Park Street Divided: Congregation Asked to End Conflict with a Vote]]></title><description><![CDATA[A clash over leadership at the landmark evangelical church in Boston is testing the strength of democratic governance.A years-long fight over leadership styles and decision-making processes at historic Park Street Church in Boston has boiled over into accusations of abusing spiritual authority and authoritarianism.There are petitions calling for a congregational review of the leadership&rsquo;s decision to fire a popular former minister, an open letter defending the current senior minister, publ]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/park-street-divided-congregation-asked-to-end-conflict-with-a-vote/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2024 17:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/park-street-divided-congregation-asked-to-end-conflict-with-a-vote/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[He Enzheng: Female Missionary Pioneer in Xinjiang]]></title><description><![CDATA[Her faith and sacrifices have inspired many Chinese Christians to devote their lives to mission in the Muslim region.<br />
In the 1940s, following a missiological vision of &ldquo;Back to Jerusalem,&rdquo; a group of visionary Chinese Christians set out with a heart for evangelizing Muslims, aspiring to traverse China&rsquo;s northwestern provinces and neighboring countries.He Enzheng and her future husband Zhao Maijia (Mecca Zhao) were among this group of pioneers. Their goal was to bring the gospel]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/he-enzheng-female-missionary-pioneer-in-xinjiang/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:22:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/he-enzheng-female-missionary-pioneer-in-xinjiang/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Through Compassion Philippines, Locals Can Now Sponsor Children]]></title><description><![CDATA[Following in the footsteps of South Korea, the most-Christian country in Asia opens its own fundraising office.Three years ago, a group of nearly 48 former Compassion International&ndash;sponsored children in the Philippines decided it was time for them to start investing in kids in their own country.&ldquo;Because we believe in the power of Christ and the strategies of Compassion in changing lives, we came together and decided that it is now our turn to do the same,&rdquo; said Glendy Obahib, o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/through-compassion-philippines-locals-can-now-sponsor-children/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 21:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/through-compassion-philippines-locals-can-now-sponsor-children/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptists to Launch New Org to Oversee Abuse Database]]></title><description><![CDATA[After years of holdups, a task force says the work of abuse reform is too much for volunteers alone.<br />
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention&rsquo;s abuse reform task force announced plans Monday to launch a new, independent nonprofit to host a database of abuse pastors and to implement other reforms.They still need the money to run it.The new nonprofit will oversee a proposed Ministry Check website listing abusive pastors, which has stalled since a website for the abuse reforms was launched]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-to-launch-new-org-to-oversee-abuse-database/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 18:20:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-to-launch-new-org-to-oversee-abuse-database/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Doubt Is a Ladder, Not a Home]]></title><description><![CDATA[Churches should welcome questions. That doesn&rsquo;t require embracing perpetual doubt.What makes Christianity hard?There are many possible answers to this question. How you answer it reveals a great deal not only about yourself&mdash;your temperament, your station in life, your mind and heart&mdash;but also about the context in which you live. Christians in different times and places would answer quite differently.Suppose, for example, you live in Jerusalem just a few decades after the crucifi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/doubt-is-a-ladder-not-a-home/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/doubt-is-a-ladder-not-a-home/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Quest for a Good Children’s Bible]]></title><description><![CDATA[A children&rsquo;s ministry veteran explains where kids&rsquo; Bibles tend to go wrong&mdash;and highlights a few that get it right.The best children&rsquo;s Bibles are remarkable works of faith and art. They offer young readers and their families an engaging and accessible introduction to biblical stories and the loving, holy character of God.But there are plenty of children&rsquo;s Bibles on the market, and for every wonderful option, another fails to meet this goal. Too many choose moralism o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-quest-for-a-good-childrens-bible/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-quest-for-a-good-childrens-bible/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meet the Iranian Christians Crafting an Evangelical Alliance]]></title><description><![CDATA[Introducing 11 of the dozens of diaspora ministries working to unite one of the world&rsquo;s fastest-growing gospel movements.Last week in Tehran, thousands rallied to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Islamic revolution that established Iran&rsquo;s modern theocracy. Last October in London, 130 Iranian Christians gathered to worship and pray, and celebrated a quiet decision to establish an evangelical alliance.Time will tell which gathering was more consequential.In 1979, one month after]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meet-the-iranian-christians-crafting-an-evangelical-alliance/</link><pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 19:20:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meet-the-iranian-christians-crafting-an-evangelical-alliance/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Big, Big Market: Why CCM Filled ’80s and ’90s Homes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recent histories, documentaries, and devotionals prompt fans to look back&mdash;and perhaps learn some lessons&mdash;from the genre&rsquo;s heyday.The kids and teens of the 1990s are now in their 30s and 40s, and the nostalgia of that era&rsquo;s Christian music has us revisiting favorite albums and artists. This throwback fandom has revived decades-old praise songs like &ldquo;Here I Am to Worship&rdquo; and fueled movies that celebrate Christian Contemporary Music (CCM), like the 2021 Netflix]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/big-big-market-why-ccm-filled-80s-and-90s-homes/</link><pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:25:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/big-big-market-why-ccm-filled-80s-and-90s-homes/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Empty Streets to the Empty Grave]]></title><description><![CDATA[While reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem is a carved stone in the shape of a goblet. Carved into the cup of the goblet is a circle within a cross within a circle. It&rsquo;s called the Omphalos, and it represents the center or &ldquo;navel&rdquo; of the world. According to tradition going back to at least the fourth century, the Church of the Holy Sepulc]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/empty-streets-to-the-empty-grave/</link><pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/empty-streets-to-the-empty-grave/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[&lsquo;God &amp;amp; Country&rsquo; Preaches to the Choir]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rob Reiner&rsquo;s documentary makes a strong case against political extremism in the name of Christ&mdash;for those who already agree.Heave an egg out a Pullman window,&rdquo; social critic H. L. Mencken famously said in 1925, &ldquo;and you will hit a fundamentalist anywhere in the United States.&rdquo; I often think about Mencken&rsquo;s line when I read the coverage of evangelical Christianity at left-leaning websites such as Salon, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, and MSNBC&mdash;drop an egg ou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lsquogod-ampamp-countryrsquo-preaches-to-the-choir/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lsquogod-ampamp-countryrsquo-preaches-to-the-choir/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How a Radio Current Jolted a Christian Leader into Staying in Ministry]]></title><description><![CDATA[After an accident on a radio tower, Federico Magbanua went on to inspire a generation of pastors in the Philippines.<br />
When the late Federico &ldquo;Fred&rdquo; Mission Magbanua Jr. preached a radio sermon on offering one&rsquo;s body as a living sacrifice, he probably didn&rsquo;t imagine he&rsquo;d one day hear these words again as a 10,000-watt radio frequency current surged through him in a near-death accident.It happened one night in early 1961, while Magbanua was working at the Far East Broa]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-radio-current-jolted-a-christian-leader-into-staying-in-ministry/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-radio-current-jolted-a-christian-leader-into-staying-in-ministry/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Contemporary Christian Music Explains American Christianity]]></title><description><![CDATA[When the CCM business model faltered, it gave way to what sells even better: politics and fearmongering.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.A friend and I were talking once about the first concerts we ever attended. His was Van Halen; mine was Amy Grant.&ldquo;Okay, second concert?&rdquo; he asked.Him: M&ouml;tley Cr&uuml;e. Me: Petra.After a minute or two of silence, he said, &ldquo;You realize we would have hated each other in middle school, don&rsquo;t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-contemporary-christian-music-explains-american-christianity/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-contemporary-christian-music-explains-american-christianity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Black Americans Who Leave Church Don’t Go Far]]></title><description><![CDATA[How their disaffiliation stands to have a bigger impact on their communities and why leaders are hopeful they&rsquo;ll come back.Black Americans are the most religious non-religious group in the country.In a new Pew Research Center report on the growing segment of unaffiliated &ldquo;nones&rdquo; in the US, they stand out for their faithfulness. Nearly all Black nones believe in a higher power, and a third still believe in the God of the Bible. Barely any consider themselves atheists.Even among]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/black-americans-who-leave-church-dont-go-far/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2024 18:07:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/black-americans-who-leave-church-dont-go-far/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Try to Talk Before You Go]]></title><description><![CDATA[Cutting off &ldquo;toxic&rdquo; people is social media&rsquo;s go-to mental health advice. But Jesus commands us to seek conversation and reconciliation.Toxic. Abusive. Oppressive. Unhealthy.I&rsquo;d never heard those words used so often as I have in the last four years. At times, it has seemed like everyone I know is deciding to handle conflict with friends, colleagues, and churches by deciding to leave.Maybe some of this is a generational shift as younger generations embrace the idea of &ldqu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/try-to-talk-before-you-go/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/try-to-talk-before-you-go/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Evangelicals Aren’t Afraid of Being Outnumbered by Nones]]></title><description><![CDATA[Church leaders believe Christ still offers the answers that the religiously unaffiliated are looking for, even if religious baggage is driving them away.With 28 percent of Americans saying they don&rsquo;t belong to a religious tradition, the &ldquo;nones&rdquo; now outnumber any single faith group in the US, according to a Pew Research Center study released last month.Their retreat from church, Pew polling shows, is fueled not only by secular disbelief but also by negative perceptions of Christ]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-evangelicals-arent-afraid-of-being-outnumbered-by-nones/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-evangelicals-arent-afraid-of-being-outnumbered-by-nones/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Are the Prayers of Righteous Fans Powerful and Effective?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ministry leaders&mdash;and Africa Cup football fanatics&mdash;from six nations weigh in on God&rsquo;s role in sports.Few saw a third Africa Cup of Nations title in reach for C&ocirc;te d'Ivoire&rsquo;s men&rsquo;s national team when they fired their coach at the beginning of the continent&rsquo;s biggest football (soccer) tournament. Or when they failed to land their desired next coach. Or when they were the last team that advanced out of the AFCON group round.But somewhere along the way, as th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/are-the-prayers-of-righteous-fans-powerful-and-effective/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Feb 2024 20:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/are-the-prayers-of-righteous-fans-powerful-and-effective/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How the Church Can Help Black Women Heal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Being a &ldquo;strong Black woman&rdquo; was my badge of honor, until it almost killed me.There are many issues of pressing concern for Black Christians in America, such as ensuring Black lives matter in our churches, reaching Black youth with the gospel, discipling the next generation of Black church leaders, battling white Christian nationalism, and identifying ways the church can address the impact of racial disparities in our country.But a concern in my own life as a Black Christian woman is]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-church-can-help-black-women-heal/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Feb 2024 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-church-can-help-black-women-heal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Students Are Reading John Mark Comer, and Now I Know Why]]></title><description><![CDATA[The popular pastor&rsquo;s latest works inhabit a fruitful tension between inheriting church tradition and rebuilding it for today&rsquo;s world.I&rsquo;ll begin with a confession: I was once very skeptical of John Mark Comer.From afar, he seemed like one more polished celebrity pastor turned speaker turned writer, with slick content designed to evoke the Rob Bell aesthetic of yore&mdash;and for that reason, to annoy people like me. By &ldquo;people like me,&rdquo; most charitably, I mean bookis]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-students-are-reading-john-mark-comer-and-now-i-know-why/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Feb 2024 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-students-are-reading-john-mark-comer-and-now-i-know-why/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As Bodies Grow Cold]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is no resurrection without deathIt can be hard to hope and believe when everything you touch is cold. I&rsquo;ve been praying about a certain situation for over three years. Recently, it has gotten to the point where I feel like I need to see movement. I haven&rsquo;t.Movement brings heat. Movement keeps you warm. Jog in place for a few minutes and you&rsquo;ll feel your temperature increase. Your blood starts pumping. Your body activates. But how do you pray when your hands grow cold? How]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-bodies-grow-cold/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-bodies-grow-cold/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Brazilian Megachurches Became Global Church Planters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Satellite congregations are popping up wherever a critical mass can be found, from Florida to Portugal to Kazakhstan.The Florida Center neighborhood is the place to go in Orlando if you are a Brazilian immigrant missing home. From Guaran&aacute; sodas to brigadeiro candies, all kinds of merchandise from the South American country are available in stores and restaurants. Today you can also find there Alcance Orlando, a satellite church of a congregation in Curitiba, a city of nearly 2 million in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-brazilian-megachurches-became-global-church-planters/</link><pubDate>Fri, 12 Jan 2024 01:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-brazilian-megachurches-became-global-church-planters/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Friends in High Places]]></title><description><![CDATA[We love celebrity conversions, but this obsession may not be as gospel-centered as it seems.We love Christian celebrities. And by that I don&rsquo;t only mean speakers and pastors who gain celebrity status in the Christian world. I mean famous celebrities in secular spaces&mdash;think Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Daddy Yankee, or the latest, Hulk Hogan&mdash;who publicly convert or make a profession of faith.In one sense, this rejoicing is good and right, an extension of the &ldquo;rejoicing in th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/friends-in-high-places/</link><pubDate>Wed, 03 Jan 2024 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/friends-in-high-places/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[There Is a Light That Changes Everything]]></title><description><![CDATA[The real gift of Christmas.The Christmas season is upon us! For my kids, this means the anticipation of gifts. I think they begin making their lists on December 26 for the following year. They look forward to and talk about their coming gifts for months and months.When the gifts finally arrive, they are met with various reactions&mdash;some more excited than others. But the one thing that never fails is this: After about an hour, my kids are off doing something completely not related to the very]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/there-is-a-light-that-changes-everything/</link><pubDate>Mon, 25 Dec 2023 13:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/there-is-a-light-that-changes-everything/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Made This ‘Epiphany’ Stand Out?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The unique revelation of Advent for all peopleThe story of the wise men, or &ldquo;Magi&rdquo; as Matthew calls them, has a special sense of mystery and joy to it and has long been celebrated by Christians on a special feast day called Epiphany. The Greek word epiph&aacute;neia means &ldquo;shining out&rdquo; or &ldquo;revealing.&rdquo; Of course, the Bible is full of great epiphanies: The burning bush that caused Moses to turn aside and meet God was an epiphany; Isaiah&rsquo;s vision in chapter]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-made-this-epiphany-stand-out/</link><pubDate>Sun, 17 Dec 2023 20:40:33 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-made-this-epiphany-stand-out/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Advent for Grieving Hearts]]></title><description><![CDATA[The hope of union that helps us persevere todayThe Christmas season isn&rsquo;t always jolly and merry. In fact, it can be filled with heartache, sorrow, tears, and pain. I understand this intimately. Ever since June 30, 2021, my family&rsquo;s holidays have been marked by tears and sadness. On that day, our 20-year-old daughter died in a tragic car accident while we traveled home from vacation together. Within seconds, our firstborn child was taken from us.Death is our enemy. I hate death&mdash]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/advent-for-grieving-hearts/</link><pubDate>Sat, 09 Dec 2023 10:17:31 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/advent-for-grieving-hearts/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Top 5 Books on Confucianism]]></title><description><![CDATA[These books can help Christians gain a better understanding of Confucianism and do better in our evangelism.Confucianism is a belief system rather than a religion, a system of ethics rather than a story of the divine. As the former state religion of ancient China, Confucianism serves as the foundation for Chinese culture, shaping its worldview, forming its traditional values, and offering a structure for relationships and the challenges of everyday life.Many of God&rsquo;s truths, which Chinese]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-top-5-books-on-confucianism/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2023 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-top-5-books-on-confucianism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Flight to Egypt: How Pastor’s Wife in Gaza Church Got Out]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrowing journey with children and grandparents reunites family with husband. In lieu of peace, Palestinian Christians sheltering at Orthodox and Catholic churches grow increasingly desperate.Janet Maher is out of Gaza.The Palestinian wife of the Egyptian former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church had been sheltering in the Saint Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church with her three children and 350 others&mdash;but not her husband. Two weeks before the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, Hanna Mah]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/flight-to-egypt-how-pastors-wife-in-gaza-church-got-out/</link><pubDate>Wed, 22 Nov 2023 18:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/flight-to-egypt-how-pastors-wife-in-gaza-church-got-out/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[People Say Worship Music All Sounds the Same. They Might Mean Something Else.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Complaints about the emerging genre may have to do with the discomfort with monoculture surrounding it.<br />
The first time I taught Music History I, a student came to my office worried about an upcoming listening exam. &ldquo;This is impossible,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The music all sounds the same.&rdquo;That semester, we studied everything from ancient Greek music theory to Bach&rsquo;s St. Matthew Passion. We covered Gregorian chant, Notre Dame polyphony, Renaissance madrigals, Counter Reformation]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/people-say-worship-music-all-sounds-the-same-they-might-mean-something-else/</link><pubDate>Tue, 14 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/people-say-worship-music-all-sounds-the-same-they-might-mean-something-else/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Among Chinese Southern Baptists, Women Continue to Use Pastor Title]]></title><description><![CDATA[Leaders say &ldquo;due to history and language&rdquo; churches use the term for non-ordained ministers and women.The title of pastor is used for women in Chinese Southern Baptist churches because of language, history, and culture, but does not indicate churchwide authority, the Chinese Baptist Fellowship of the USA and Canada (CBFUSA) said in an official statement.Rather, the title of &ldquo;Reverend&rdquo; is used to denote authority in the Chinese Southern Baptist church, is given through ordi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/among-chinese-southern-baptists-women-continue-to-use-pastor-title/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2023 18:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/among-chinese-southern-baptists-women-continue-to-use-pastor-title/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kids’ Access to Porn Is a Problem. Are State Laws the Solution?]]></title><description><![CDATA[As some Christian advocates fight for age verification, others say it&rsquo;s parents&rsquo; responsibility to monitor.<br />
When parents ask Chris McKenna at what age they should give their kid a smartphone, he has a stock answer: &ldquo;the age you want them to see porn.&rdquo;The former youth pastor started Protect Young Eyes, a nonprofit that teaches tech safety to schools, businesses, churches, and parents, in 2015 after he became concerned about the dissolving barriers between pornography and y]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kids-access-to-porn-is-a-problem-are-state-laws-the-solution/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kids-access-to-porn-is-a-problem-are-state-laws-the-solution/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Started Attending Diwali Parties to Break Out of My Christian Bubble]]></title><description><![CDATA[I was raised in a vibrant Indian community. How I'm trying to build relationships with Hindu friends in America.&ldquo;We have turned into the kind of Indians we have always hated.&rdquo;I cringed. I couldn&rsquo;t believe my husband would say something like this&mdash;at least out loud. But inside, I agreed.Though we are both ethnically Indian, I grew up in the Middle East among other Indian immigrants, while my husband was born and raised in India in a town where his family has lived for gener]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-started-attending-diwali-parties-to-break-out-of-my-christian-bubble/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-started-attending-diwali-parties-to-break-out-of-my-christian-bubble/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Christian X-odus]]></title><description><![CDATA[As faithful Twitter users drop the platform, writers, leaders, and ministries adapt to a new social landscape.Scrolling through our Twitter X feeds over the last several weeks, we&rsquo;ve seen familiar Christian names, from David French to Sam Allberry, signing off the platform. Many more are wondering aloud whether they want to stay much longer.&ldquo;Yet another person I really enjoy following left this platform yesterday,&rdquo; tweeted Bible teacher Beth Moore, who&rsquo;s amassed almost 1]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-christian-x-odus/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-christian-x-odus/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[This War Shows the Weakness in Just War Theory]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many Christian responses to the Israel-Hamas conflict lean on just war theory. It&rsquo;s well intentioned&mdash;but deeply flawed.Just war theory is a venerable Christian tradition. It is the philosophical basis of international and American laws of war and undeniably noble in its intent. But it&rsquo;s also deeply flawed, and the horrific Israel-Hamas war&mdash;to which many Western Christians have responded within a just war framework&mdash;demonstrates its limitations anew.The basic elements]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/this-war-shows-the-weakness-in-just-war-theory/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/this-war-shows-the-weakness-in-just-war-theory/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[First Graduates of Persian Seminary Prepared to Serve a Traumatized Iran]]></title><description><![CDATA[London-based theological institute celebrates the academic success of 15 Muslim-background students, many of whom have suffered family rejection and political repression.Iran&rsquo;s Islamic republic is driving its citizens away from religion&mdash;and into trauma and depression. But as Christianity grows among a disillusioned public, the church is not exempt from complications, whether at home or in the extensive diaspora.&ldquo;Many Iranian Christians struggle with high levels of anxiety and p]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/first-graduates-of-persian-seminary-prepared-to-serve-a-traumatized-iran/</link><pubDate>Wed, 08 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/first-graduates-of-persian-seminary-prepared-to-serve-a-traumatized-iran/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘All the Light We Cannot See’ Reminds Me to Look for God]]></title><description><![CDATA[The novel and Netflix show explore scriptural themes of light and dark&mdash;and the cosmic reign of Christ.My wife and I spent our honeymoon in St. Lucia, an island known for its two iconic mountains that rise from the Caribbean like majestic guardians. At breakfast one morning, with the mountains behind us, I remember asking my wife, &ldquo;Do you think people who live here ever get tired of looking at them?&rdquo;Twenty years later, I&rsquo;d answer my own question: yes. The grind of life act]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-reminds-me-to-look-for-god/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2023 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-reminds-me-to-look-for-god/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Calling Is Christ, Not Marriage]]></title><description><![CDATA[Paul&rsquo;s advice to stay unmarried&mdash;like his advice for any circumstance&mdash;is about complete devotion to Christ.It&rsquo;s good to remain unmarried.These words aren&rsquo;t mine but the apostle Paul&rsquo;s (1 Cor. 7:8). Yet despite their source, they&rsquo;re not words we&rsquo;re likely to hear enthusiastically preached from evangelical pulpits today.I don&rsquo;t recall being very aware of these words from Paul when I married young, just out of Bible college, where the faculty tol]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-calling-is-christ-not-marriage/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-calling-is-christ-not-marriage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When 6 Churches Became 180: Philippines Shows Need for Resilient Congregations]]></title><description><![CDATA[The pandemic forced these 'polymorphic' churches to shift into house churches.When the Philippine government imposed restrictions on public gatherings in early 2020 due to the spread of COVID-19, many small churches faced a dilemma: let go of their pastors or close their doors. These small independent churches heavily depended on physical gatherings to collect the tithes and offerings essential for their weekly finances. The abrupt shift was particularly detrimental to churches serving lower-inc]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-6-churches-became-180-philippines-shows-need-for-resilient-congregations/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-6-churches-became-180-philippines-shows-need-for-resilient-congregations/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meitei Christians Caught in Middle of Manipur Violence]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thousands of majority believers lost homes and churches in India's worst ethnic conflict this year. Yet they feel "overlooked and despised" by both sides.On May 3 of this year, Koireng (identified only by his first name) first heard reports that an unidentified group had lit a famous war memorial on fire. As a Meitei pastor in Churachandpur, a district in the Indian state of Manipur, Koireng grew alarmed by the news that the arson had escalated into widescale property destruction.Tensions had be]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meitei-christians-caught-in-middle-of-manipur-violence/</link><pubDate>Tue, 07 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meitei-christians-caught-in-middle-of-manipur-violence/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sudanese Protestant Church Destroyed in All Saints’ Day Bombing]]></title><description><![CDATA[The largest and second-oldest church in Omdurman was hit following similar bombings targeting local evangelical schools.<br />
At least two Christian buildings were bombed last week amid fighting between rival military factions in Sudan, sources said.Last Wednesday, a Sudan Evangelical Presbyterian Church building in Omdurman came under heavy shelling from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) that left its worship structure in ruins, two sources with the church said. Local Christian leaders also confirmed]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sudanese-protestant-church-destroyed-in-all-saints-day-bombing/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2023 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sudanese-protestant-church-destroyed-in-all-saints-day-bombing/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Ohio Train Derailment, Christian Mom Runs for Mayor]]></title><description><![CDATA[Q&amp;A with Misti Allison, who entered local politics because she saw her East Palestine community struggling.Election Day is on Tuesday for many local races, if not national ones, and one town of about 5,000 in northeast Ohio will be electing a mayor. In February, East Palestine was the site of a fiery train derailment of cars that sent hazardous materials into the air, dirt, and water of the town. The disaster brought the small town into the national spotlight, and thecleanup of the town is o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-ohio-train-derailment-christian-mom-runs-for-mayor/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:30:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-ohio-train-derailment-christian-mom-runs-for-mayor/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Younger Pastors Took the Brunt of the COVID-19 Burden]]></title><description><![CDATA[New research shows most ministers under 34 saw job responsibilities change and worried about their mental health.Michael Prevett spent his first few months in ministry measuring out the distance between chairs.The 33-year-old discipleship pastor says that, to a lot of his peers, going into ministry at all &ldquo;sounds a little crazy.&rdquo; But it was even worse in January 2021 when he left his job as a project manager at a construction company and joined the staff at Seven Mile Road Church in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/younger-pastors-took-the-brunt-of-the-covid-19-burden/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/younger-pastors-took-the-brunt-of-the-covid-19-burden/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kingdom Halls Reopen After Blasts at Jehovah’s Witnesses Convention in India Kills Four]]></title><description><![CDATA[The bombing is the first major attack on the community of 1.4 million since its beginnings in the country in 1905.Kingdom halls reopened for in-person gatherings on Sunday near the area of an October 29 fatal bomb attack at a Jehovah&rsquo;s Witnesses prayer convention in Kochi, a city in the Indian southern state of Kerala.&ldquo;We decided to return to physical meetings from today to remove the fear from people&rsquo;s minds. The online meetings were held only for a few days following the blas]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kingdom-halls-reopen-after-blasts-at-jehovahs-witnesses-convention-in-india-kills-four/</link><pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/kingdom-halls-reopen-after-blasts-at-jehovahs-witnesses-convention-in-india-kills-four/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastor’s Family Trapped in Gaza Grieves Relatives Killed at Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former pastor of Gaza Baptist Church&mdash;stuck in Egypt since start of the war&mdash;scrambles to evacuate wife and children as they struggle to survive at St. Porphyrius Orthodox Church.Trapped in Gaza, Janet Maher has not had a shower for two weeks. She feeds her three children one meal a day, often no more than bread and cheese.Her cousin perished from damage caused by an Israeli missile, shielding his seven- and five-year-old boys from the collapsing wall at St. Porphyrius Orthodox Church.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-family-trapped-in-gaza-grieves-relatives-killed-at-church/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:50:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-family-trapped-in-gaza-grieves-relatives-killed-at-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sojourner Truth Was a ‘Double Woman’ in More Ways than One]]></title><description><![CDATA[She championed both abolition and women&rsquo;s rights. And she wasn&rsquo;t afraid to challenge advocates of either cause.In the most recent issue of The Atlantic, historian Clint Smith examines the life of an escaped slave named Josiah Henson. He asks, &ldquo;Why weren&rsquo;t American students being taught about Henson when they learned about [Harriet] Tubman, or assigned his autobiography alongside Frederick Douglass?&rdquo;The answer, according to Smith, is the moral complexity of Henson, a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sojourner-truth-was-a-double-woman-in-more-ways-than-one/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sojourner-truth-was-a-double-woman-in-more-ways-than-one/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jesus Was Civil, Not Polite]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christ was an exemplar of civility in an age of sociopolitical and religious hypocrisy.Our world today is defined by two extremes: intense hostility on one hand and suffocating politeness on the other.A few years ago, I worked in federal government in Washington, DC, during a very divided season&mdash;not unlike the election year we are about to enter. It was then that I learned there&rsquo;s a difference between civility and politeness and why it&rsquo;s more important than ever to recognize th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-was-civil-not-polite/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-was-civil-not-polite/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Debate over Concert Worship Goes Back Eras]]></title><description><![CDATA[Taylor Swift&rsquo;s &ldquo;transcendent&rdquo; stadium tour got Christians once again talking about whether secular stages point us to God&rsquo;s common grace or just another idol.<br />
&ldquo;Take us to church, Taylor!&rdquo; was one of the many call-and-response rituals between Taylor Swift and the millions of fans who flocked to stadiums during the spring and summer of 2023 to gather around the music and persona of Taylor Swift.It&rsquo;s not the first time fans have gathered around the work of]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-debate-over-concert-worship-goes-back-eras/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-debate-over-concert-worship-goes-back-eras/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[16 Evangelical Alliances Call for Gaza Ceasefire, Condemn Hamas]]></title><description><![CDATA[Statement issued by regional and national fellowships seeking &ldquo;a just peace&rdquo; goes biblically deeper than similar humanitarian pleas.As civilian casualties mount in Gaza in collateral damage from the Israeli-Hamas war, 16 evangelical alliances and fellowships are calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.But their November 1 statement of lament, repentance, and condemnation aims deeper.&ldquo;We call on the Church and people of faith to increase and intensify just peacemaking in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/16-evangelical-alliances-call-for-gaza-ceasefire-condemn-hamas/</link><pubDate>Fri, 03 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/16-evangelical-alliances-call-for-gaza-ceasefire-condemn-hamas/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Largest US Christian College Fined $37.7M]]></title><description><![CDATA[Grand Canyon says it hasn&rsquo;t misrepresented its program costs and is being unfairly targeted by the Department of Education.<br />
Grand Canyon University (GCU), the largest Christian college in the US, has been fined a record $37.7 million for allegedly misrepresenting the cost of its doctoral programs. Grand Canyon denies the claims and says it&rsquo;s been &ldquo;unjustly targeted&rdquo; by government agencies.The US Department of Education&rsquo;s office of Federal Student Aid announced the f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/largest-us-christian-college-fined-377m/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 Nov 2023 19:13:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/largest-us-christian-college-fined-377m/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Campus Antisemitism and the Lessons of a Nazi-Occupied Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[We do not love our &ldquo;side&rdquo; if we let it slide into movements that history and our consciences show lead to atrocities.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Last week a Jewish woman, an activist in progressive causes, told me her daughter and her friends were terrified that fellow students at their elite university would find out they were Jewish. This is hardly paranoia, given the way that report after report confirms such actions, from the rippi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/campus-antisemitism-and-the-lessons-of-a-nazi-occupied-church/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 Nov 2023 18:07:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/campus-antisemitism-and-the-lessons-of-a-nazi-occupied-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[From the Chicago Suburbs to Penang, We Sought to Love Our Neighbors]]></title><description><![CDATA[Whether hospitality means house parties or intimate gatherings, God&rsquo;s charge is the same.<br />
It&rsquo;s so nice to finally meet my neighbors. I haven&rsquo;t met any neighbors in the past 10 years I&rsquo;ve been living here.&rdquo;I vividly remember the radiant smile on my middle-aged neighbor&rsquo;s face as she told me this. It was at our third neighborhood house party, and she was excited. Twenty neighbors filled our house snacking on finger foods, chatting, and listening to me play Rachm]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/from-the-chicago-suburbs-to-penang-we-sought-to-love-our-neighbors/</link><pubDate>Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/from-the-chicago-suburbs-to-penang-we-sought-to-love-our-neighbors/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 7: Friendly Fire in the Culture War]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lasting damage was inflicted not by restrictions imposed from outside the church but by politicized conflicts inside each congregation.Pastors frequently cited COVID-19 as a source of political polarizing and ideological conflict in focus groups, interviews, and survey comments. A pastor in Jackson, Mississippi reflected, &ldquo;We couldn&rsquo;t please anybody. You had this binary thinking about everything that was happening.&rdquo;A second pastor shared, Over the past 24 months, the most chall]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-7-friendly-fire-in-the-culture-war/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 22:47:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-7-friendly-fire-in-the-culture-war/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Was Facing a Lifetime in Mental Institutions When God Threw Me a Lifeline]]></title><description><![CDATA[How he purged the voices in my head telling me I was worthless.I grew up in a loving middle-class family in Lubbock, Texas, a farming and ranching community famous for raising cotton, corn, peanuts, and cattle.As a five-year-old, I experienced a severe trauma while walking to school with a classmate after eating lunch together in my home. Stopping by my friend&rsquo;s house to say hello to her mom, we were shocked at her mother lying motionless on her bed. She was dead. Several years later, my b]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-was-facing-a-lifetime-in-mental-institutions-when-god-threw-me-a-lifeline/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-was-facing-a-lifetime-in-mental-institutions-when-god-threw-me-a-lifeline/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As Campus Threats Rise, College Ministries Look for Ways to Help]]></title><description><![CDATA[The fallout of the Israel-Hamas war at US universities, including antisemitic attacks, is roiling the Ivy Leagues especially.Across the country, college campus tensions over the Israel-Hamas war are high, and students connected to the war&rsquo;s fallout&mdash;especially Jewish students facing more threats on campus now&mdash;report struggling with sadness, fear, and anger. Campus ministry leaders say they are trying to find small ways to be friends to those students who are suffering or afraid.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-campus-threats-rise-college-ministries-look-for-ways-to-help/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 18:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-campus-threats-rise-college-ministries-look-for-ways-to-help/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Opposite of Abuse Is Care]]></title><description><![CDATA[In an age of spiritual abuse scandals, the early church offers a positive model of pastoral authority.Americans buy millions of self-help books each year, but we, the children of (post)modernity, are not the first to appreciate this genre. It was popular already in the ancient world. Military manuals have existed since at least the fourth century BCE, ready to advise on how to select the best warhorse and conduct an effective siege&mdash;or, conversely, survive under siege. The ancients dispense]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-opposite-of-abuse-is-care/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-opposite-of-abuse-is-care/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The History of Chinese Bible Translation Is Full of Cooperation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Western missionaries collaborated with Chinese Christian scholars to translate the Word of God, leading to the achievement of the Union Version.One author once said that in the hearts of many Christians, the Chinese Union Version (CUV) Bible is &ldquo;the only Chinese Bible; everyone calls it the &lsquo;Chinese Bible&rsquo; and not the CUV.&rdquo;Another praised the CUV as &ldquo;a collection of the essence of a hundred years of Bible translation,&rdquo; a &ldquo;culmination of the efforts of co]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-history-of-chinese-bible-translation-is-full-of-cooperation/</link><pubDate>Wed, 01 Nov 2023 15:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-history-of-chinese-bible-translation-is-full-of-cooperation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Give Me Yesus: Indonesia Replaces Arabic Name for Christ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Beginning next year, the largest Muslim country in the world will use the Bahasa name for Christian holidays.The Indonesian government announced last month that it will stop using the Arabic term for Jesus Christ&mdash;Isa al Masih&mdash;when referring to Christian holidays and will instead use the Bahasa term Yesus Kristus beginning in 2024.The change will alter the names of three national holidays: the Death of Isa al Masih (Good Friday), the Ascension of Isa al Masih, and the Birth of Isa al]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/give-me-yesus-indonesia-replaces-arabic-name-for-christ/</link><pubDate>Tue, 31 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/give-me-yesus-indonesia-replaces-arabic-name-for-christ/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[1 in 3 Latino Protestants Report Interacting with the Dead]]></title><description><![CDATA[Catholicism, Protestantism, and indigenous culture shape the interpretation of these experiences and how people relate to those who have passed away.When Octavio Esqueda was one, his little sister died.Over the next nine years, his mother suffered five miscarriages. He remained an only child.His parents had another daughter when he was nine, only for her to die several years later in a pool accident.&ldquo;My parents had extremely different experiences with both deaths,&rdquo; said Esqueda, who]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/1-in-3-latino-protestants-report-interacting-with-the-dead/</link><pubDate>Tue, 31 Oct 2023 20:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/1-in-3-latino-protestants-report-interacting-with-the-dead/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Qi Gong: A Form of Exercise or a Doorway into the Spiritual World?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian leaders from mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore weigh in on the ancient Chinese practice&mdash;which includes tai chi&mdash;and its physical and divine connotations.In the 1980s the practice of Qi Gong became widespread in China, with more than 60 million practitioners at one point, according to Pew Research Center&rsquo;s study on religion in the country.Today Qi Gong practitioners can be found all around the world, from the US and Canada to Europe and South Korea.Qi G]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/qi-gong-a-form-of-exercise-or-a-doorway-into-the-spiritual-world/</link><pubDate>Tue, 31 Oct 2023 18:05:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/qi-gong-a-form-of-exercise-or-a-doorway-into-the-spiritual-world/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Another Southern Baptist Betrayal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Revelations of a scandalous amicus brief raise the question: Who&rsquo;s driving the SBC?There&rsquo;s a story my family has told since before I was born about my great-uncle Johnny. When his four daughters were teenagers, the family took a long trip in which they had to stop in a familiar town for dinner.About 30 minutes out, Aunt Betty Jane and the girls started talking through the variety of eating options and, after 10&ndash;15 minutes of deliberation, they agreed upon the best restaurant. B]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/another-southern-baptist-betrayal/</link><pubDate>Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/another-southern-baptist-betrayal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Remembering Abouna Samaan, Creator of Cairo’s Cave Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[US evangelical leaders and thousands of Copts honor an Orthodox priest whose mountain complex chiseled the glory of God into Egypt&rsquo;s &ldquo;Garbage City.&rdquo;Over 40,000 people gathered at Cairo&rsquo;s famed cave churches this month for perhaps the largest Christian funeral service in Coptic Orthodox history.They honored Egypt&rsquo;s beloved Abouna (&ldquo;Father&rdquo;) Samaan, founder of St. Simon the Tanner Monastery, who passed away October 11 at the age of 81.His renown, however,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-abouna-samaan-creator-of-cairos-cave-church/</link><pubDate>Mon, 30 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-abouna-samaan-creator-of-cairos-cave-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christians Give at Record Levels to Fund Israel Relief]]></title><description><![CDATA[The war has spurred millions in donations to ministries that provide everything from emergency supplies to security gear for future attacks.When war broke out in Israel, organizations and ministries working in the country put crisis plans into action. They called up trained workers and volunteers, retrieved supplies from stocked warehouses, and drove bulletproof vehicles to deliver aid to victims and gear to first responders.And they looked to Christians in the US and around the globe to help fu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-give-at-record-levels-to-fund-israel-relief/</link><pubDate>Mon, 30 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-give-at-record-levels-to-fund-israel-relief/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Puritan’s Guide to Quieting Our ‘Inner Atheist’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Even the most spiritual people can struggle with doubts about God. But how do they overcome them?I recently had a conversation with a college sophomore who&rsquo;s been struggling with his faith. He is a Christian who wants to believe, he said, but there are many days when he wakes up doubting that there&rsquo;s enough proof to justify belief in God&rsquo;s existence.I sympathized with the young man&rsquo;s struggle because I&rsquo;ve experienced it myself. Like me, he seems to be an intellectua]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-puritans-guide-to-quieting-our-inner-atheist/</link><pubDate>Mon, 30 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-puritans-guide-to-quieting-our-inner-atheist/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[International House of Prayer Founder Mike Bickle Accused of Sexual Abuse]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former IHOPKC leaders bring forward what they say are credible allegations from several women over decades of ministry.Mike Bickle, the founder of the International House of Prayer of Kansas City (IHOPKC), is facing allegations of sexual and spiritual abuse spanning decades and involving multiple women.Bickle, 68, has been accused of sexual misconduct &ldquo;where the marriage covenant was not honored,&rdquo; according to a statement released Saturday from a group of former IHOPKC leaders who in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/international-house-of-prayer-founder-mike-bickle-accused-of-sexual-abuse/</link><pubDate>Sun, 29 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0100</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/international-house-of-prayer-founder-mike-bickle-accused-of-sexual-abuse/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Argentina Takes Next Step in Officially Honoring Evangelicals. They Want More.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Protestants are grateful for Reformation Day celebrations&mdash;and wonder if they'll ever get religious equality.This Reformation Day, 18 of Argentina&rsquo;s 24 provinces will celebrate evangelical and Protestant churches.Evangelical leaders hope that someday soon, the whole country will join in.Last month the federal government moved closer to nationally recognizing October 31 in honor of these communities when the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that has since headed to the Senate.&ldquo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/argentina-takes-next-step-in-officially-honoring-evangelicals-they-want-more/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/argentina-takes-next-step-in-officially-honoring-evangelicals-they-want-more/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Palestinian Evangelicals Call Western Church to Repentance, Criticized in Return]]></title><description><![CDATA[Middle East Christians assert their rejection of violence as they relate frustration with lack of Western recognition of the reality of occupation and the collateral damage of bombing campaigns.Since the outbreak of war after unprecedented terror attacks on Israel by Hamas, Middle Eastern churches, councils, and leaders have expressed their outrage over the killing of thousands of innocent civilians.Many Arab Christian groups have issued public statements. Most emphasized the Christian call to b]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/palestinian-evangelicals-call-western-church-to-repentance-criticized-in-return/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Oct 2023 21:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/palestinian-evangelicals-call-western-church-to-repentance-criticized-in-return/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meet the Christian Love Expert Giving Filipinos Hope About Dating]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pastor Ronald Molmisa set out to write &ldquo;Lovestruck&rdquo; for high school students with love woes. Now it&rsquo;s a nine-book series and a parachurch ministry.While ministering to high school students in Metro Manila in 2005, Ronald Molmisa found himself in recurring conversations with students about love and dating. Some students were serial daters who dated girlfriend after girlfriend. Others struggled to deal with their heartache after a break-up.With sex and dating being taboo topics i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meet-the-christian-love-expert-giving-filipinos-hope-about-dating/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/meet-the-christian-love-expert-giving-filipinos-hope-about-dating/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Abuse Survivors ‘Disgusted’ by Southern Baptist Court Brief]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lawyers for multiple SBC entities argued against third-party liability under Kentucky&rsquo;s new statute of limitations.Abuse survivors, along with some members of the Southern Baptist Convention&rsquo;s Executive Committee and the SBC&rsquo;s abuse reform task force, have denounced a Kentucky court filing by Southern Baptist entities aimed at limiting their liability for sexual abuse claims.A brief filed earlier this year by lawyers for the Executive Committee, Southern Baptist Theological Sem]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/abuse-survivors-disgusted-by-southern-baptist-court-brief/</link><pubDate>Fri, 27 Oct 2023 02:27:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/abuse-survivors-disgusted-by-southern-baptist-court-brief/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Get Through 2024]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians can&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s waiting for us next year. But we can know what kind of people we hope to be when we get there.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.The other day I was talking to a pastor who sighed and asked, &ldquo;Are we really going to do this again?&rdquo; After all the tumult and division of churches and families from the last two presidential elections, it&rsquo;s exhausting to think another one is coming.He asked, &ldquo;Can]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-get-through-2024/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-get-through-2024/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Church of England Advances Plans to Bless but Not Affirm Same-Sex Couples]]></title><description><![CDATA[A report with proposals for new prayers and liturgy leave both sides disappointed.Church of England clergy could soon be authorized to pray for God&rsquo;s blessing over same-sex couples, though not quite affirming their unions as they would a marriage, according to a controversial paper set to be debated at an upcoming meeting of the church&rsquo;s national assembly, General Synod. Services with liturgy to bless the couples wouldn&rsquo;t take place until 2025.In the 108-page document, bishops]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-of-england-advances-plans-to-bless-but-not-affirm-same-sex-couples/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-of-england-advances-plans-to-bless-but-not-affirm-same-sex-couples/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelical Mike Johnson ‘Raised Up’ as House Speaker]]></title><description><![CDATA[After weeks of jockeying in Congress, Republicans voted in the Bible-quoting Louisiana Southern Baptist.<br />
After weeks of turmoil, House Republicans elected Rep. Mike Johnson on Wednesday as the new speaker of the House, an act the Louisiana congressman suggested was ordained by God.&ldquo;I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear: that God is the one who raises up those in authority,&rdquo; Johnson said in his first speech after being elected speaker in a 220&ndash;209 vote. &ldquo;He ra]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-mike-johnson-raised-up-as-house-speaker/</link><pubDate>Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-mike-johnson-raised-up-as-house-speaker/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Religious Freedom Commission Laments Israel-Hamas War at Anniversary Gathering]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the International Religious Freedom Act turns 25, advocates look ahead to next steps.Religious freedom advocates lamented the loss of civilian lives in the Israel-Hamas war, antisemitism, and Islamophobia on the 25th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA).The bipartisan and multifaith US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), created by passage of the act in 1998, commemorated the 25th anniversary of IRFA at an October 23 event on Capitol Hill with an o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/religious-freedom-commission-laments-israel-hamas-war-at-anniversary-gathering/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Oct 2023 20:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/religious-freedom-commission-laments-israel-hamas-war-at-anniversary-gathering/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Media Becomes the ‘Prince of the Power of the Air’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Breaking free from disinformation and systemic oppression entails discipling a nation.In the Philippines, my home country, fake news travels fast&mdash;not only through social media, but through word-of-mouth communication spread by &ldquo;Marites,&rdquo; a Tagalog word for a person who gossips.This is a compound word from mare, meaning &ldquo;godmother&rdquo; as well as clusters of friends in the neighborhood, and the English word latest. In effect, it means &ldquo;Mare, what&rsquo;s the latest]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-media-becomes-the-prince-of-the-power-of-the-air/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Oct 2023 19:20:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-media-becomes-the-prince-of-the-power-of-the-air/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Must Put Our Body Where Our Mouth Is]]></title><description><![CDATA[The path to restoring Christian credibility is paved with embodied action, not empty words.It&rsquo;s no secret that people today are questioning their faith and leaving the church because of religious hypocrisy&mdash;there&rsquo;s even a recent study showing this to be the case.The unbelieving world is paying more attention than ever to whether Christians&rsquo; beliefs and actions match up. If there&rsquo;s anything we&rsquo;ve learned in recent years, it&rsquo;s that our simply knowing what i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-must-put-our-body-where-our-mouth-is/</link><pubDate>Wed, 25 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-must-put-our-body-where-our-mouth-is/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ukraine Passes Law to Ban Russia-Linked Orthodox Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[Threatened amid accusations of collaboration with an enemy state, implementation awaits more votes, presidential signature, and judicial review. UOC leader calls it &ldquo;a struggle against God.&rdquo;Ukraine&rsquo;s parliament overwhelmingly passed a preliminary vote last Thursday for a bill that could ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which has close ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, from operating within Ukraine&rsquo;s borders.Law 8371 would give Ukrainian authorities power to examine t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ukraine-passes-law-to-ban-russia-linked-orthodox-church/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ukraine-passes-law-to-ban-russia-linked-orthodox-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Korean American Methodists Struggle to Split from UMC]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some conservative churches that voted to disaffiliate say the denomination has responded by forcing out their pastors and charging them millions to keep their property.Majority-Korean churches looking for a way out of the United Methodist Church (UMC) fear they&rsquo;re at risk of losing not only their land but also their leadership; a handful of Korean pastors say they were removed from their conservative congregations after the churches began the process to disaffiliate.Of the 244 Korean-langu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/korean-american-methodists-struggle-to-split-from-umc/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/korean-american-methodists-struggle-to-split-from-umc/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[American Evangelicals Divide over Ukraine]]></title><description><![CDATA[Republican candidates make competing arguments to potential voters.Ministers detained by police. A secret service that searches sanctuaries, questions clergy with polygraphs, and puts church leaders under house arrest. A president who threatens to ban any religious organizations with ties to a neighboring country.For American evangelicals concerned about international religious freedom, these reports would be enough to raise alarms about any country. But they&rsquo;re even more alarming when the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-evangelicals-divide-over-ukraine/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-evangelicals-divide-over-ukraine/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[One Christian’s Quest to Change the Way We See Immigration]]></title><description><![CDATA[Equipped with Scripture, history, and a defunct restaurant on the southern border, Sami DiPasquale hopes he can soften politics-hardened hearts.When Sami DiPasquale visited conflict-torn Kurdistan for a research trip in 2009, he did not expect anyone there to know or care much about where he lived: El Paso, Texas. But when he told people where he was from, their eyes would widen.El Paso! Wow! Isn&rsquo;t it dangerous?Aren&rsquo;t things kind of crazy there?He was barraged with similar questions]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-christians-quest-to-change-the-way-we-see-immigration/</link><pubDate>Mon, 23 Oct 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-christians-quest-to-change-the-way-we-see-immigration/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How True Crime Can Create a False Reality]]></title><description><![CDATA[Criminal dramas are becoming more popular today, but at what cost to a Christian&rsquo;s conscience?As a middle school girl, I enjoyed watching criminal dramas with my mom&mdash;especially Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit. My father, however, believed such media ultimately created the kind of criminals they depicted. And while I didn&rsquo;t become a criminal, I did grow up with a different sort of brokenness.As a child, I had abnormal fears and paranoia about being kidnapped. I would lock]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-true-crime-can-create-a-false-reality/</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-true-crime-can-create-a-false-reality/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Moms Feel More Pressure to Get It Right]]></title><description><![CDATA[Today&rsquo;s resources aim to offer reassurance instead of adding to the weight parents already feel.A majority of mothers with kids at home today&mdash;69 percent in a new survey from Barna Group&mdash;say they struggle to &ldquo;feel like they are enough&rdquo; as a mother. Only 19 percent said that they feel they are &ldquo;able to contribute meaningfully to the world.&rdquo;<br />
What does it mean to be &ldquo;enough,&rdquo; and where do moms look as they try to figure it out?<br />
Overwhelmed young]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-moms-feel-more-pressure-to-get-it-right/</link><pubDate>Fri, 20 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-moms-feel-more-pressure-to-get-it-right/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Argentina Legalized Abortion in 2020. Will This Impact Evangelicals’ Presidential Vote?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Upstart candidate Javier Milei says he's pro-life. But for some Christians, his economic positions may be a bigger draw than his moral ones.<br />
SALTA, ARGENTINA&mdash;Clutching a yellow flag with a lion&rsquo;s head, the logo of her favorite presidential candidate, Alicia Ramos rushed to catch a glimpse of the fiery figure she hopes will transform Argentina: Javier Milei, a wild-haired, self-styled libertarian who is currently the country&rsquo;s presidential front-runner.Ramos, 29, was one of the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/argentina-legalized-abortion-in-2020-will-this-impact-evangelicals-presidential-vote/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/argentina-legalized-abortion-in-2020-will-this-impact-evangelicals-presidential-vote/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let the Children Play: Their Lives Depend on It]]></title><description><![CDATA[How the next generation's mental health crisis might recall the timeless values of wandering and wayfinding.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Most people know that something is going badly awry with the next generation.We know this not because older people are, as always, complaining about how the morals and manners of kids these days are so much worse than they used to be. We know it instead because the young people themselves are telling us so. In alm]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-children-play-their-lives-depend-on-it/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-children-play-their-lives-depend-on-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Can You Find the Wolves in This Picture?’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Martin Scorsese&rsquo;s &ldquo;Killers of the Flower Moon&rdquo; probes the unacknowledged darkness in every human heart.Lament is at the heart of Killers of the Flower Moon, the latest film from director Martin Scorsese, which premieres on Apple TV+ and in theaters on Friday, October 20. The subject may seem well-worn&mdash;a true-life story of a murder spree&mdash;but Scorsese elevates it into a meditation on love, guilt, and what it means to be righteous.Based on a journalistic history with t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-you-find-the-wolves-in-this-picture/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-you-find-the-wolves-in-this-picture/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pray for al-Ahli]]></title><description><![CDATA[A historian of Gaza&rsquo;s only Christian hospital, where scores died in an explosion this week, shares the story of the longstanding refuge.The Arabic word ahli can be translated into English in several ways: family, membership, and people. This family is not limited to nuclear family membership. It&rsquo;s capacious, expanding to include a wide range of people who belong together.This word, ahli, has appeared in news headlines across the world this week, following the explosion that killed sc]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pray-for-al-ahli/</link><pubDate>Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pray-for-al-ahli/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Scores Killed in Blast at Gaza’s Only Christian Hospital]]></title><description><![CDATA[The fatal explosion hit a well-known facility run by Anglicans&mdash;and formerly by Southern Baptists&mdash;&ldquo;in the middle of one of the world&rsquo;s most troubled places.&rdquo;Scores of Palestinians were killed Tuesday in an explosion in the courtyard of Gaza&rsquo;s only Christian hospital.The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry, which estimated a death toll of over 500, blamed the attack at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the blast]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/scores-killed-in-blast-at-gazas-only-christian-hospital/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/scores-killed-in-blast-at-gazas-only-christian-hospital/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hundreds Killed in Blast at Gaza’s Only Christian Hospital]]></title><description><![CDATA[The fatal explosion hit a well-known facility run by Anglicans&mdash;and formerly by Southern Baptists&mdash;&ldquo;in the middle of one of the world&rsquo;s most troubled places.&rdquo;Hundreds of Palestinians were killed Tuesday in an explosion in the courtyard of Gaza&rsquo;s only Christian hospital.The Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry, which estimated a death toll of over 500, blamed the attack at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the bla]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hundreds-killed-in-blast-at-gazas-only-christian-hospital/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hundreds-killed-in-blast-at-gazas-only-christian-hospital/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Antisemitic Violence and Its Shameful Defense]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christians must care for both Israeli and Palestinian victims of war&mdash;and that means actively rejecting hatred of the Jewish people.One day after Hamas&rsquo;s Simchat Torah massacres in Israel, crowds gathered at a rally in Times Square promoted by the Democratic Socialists of America. &ldquo;Our resistance stormed illegal settlements,&rdquo; shouted one speaker, &ldquo;and paraglided across colonial borders.&rdquo; The crowd responded with rousing cheers.It was an unapologetic celebration]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/antisemitic-violence-and-its-shameful-defense/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/antisemitic-violence-and-its-shameful-defense/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As Asian American Christians Decline, Most ‘Nones’ Still Feel Close to Religion]]></title><description><![CDATA[New Pew survey of 7,000 adults explores the beliefs and practices of Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims and their affinity to Confucianism and Daoism.<br />
Christians comprise the largest faith group (34%) among Asian Americans.But since 2012, Christianity has declined by 8 percentage points. Meanwhile, the share of religiously unaffiliated people has increased from 26 to 32 percent over the same period.This is according to a new Pew Research Center survey of religion among Asian American adu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-asian-american-christians-decline-most-nones-still-feel-close-to-religion/</link><pubDate>Wed, 18 Oct 2023 19:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-asian-american-christians-decline-most-nones-still-feel-close-to-religion/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Remembering ‘Grandma’ Lin Calvert, Missionary Doctor Who Brought Life to Remote Papua New Guinea]]></title><description><![CDATA[In her 69 years at Kapuna Hospital, Calvert delivered 10,000 babies, saved countless lives, trained healthcare workers, and loved the people.I paused to soak in the scene before me. I had come to the remote Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea to write a book about the Calvert family, who, together with the local medical team, transformed medical care in the region.Now, bathed in sunlight streaming through a window in her home, the elderly Lin Calvert sat bent over her Bible, grasping a magnifying]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-grandma-lin-calvert-missionary-doctor-who-brought-life-to-remote-papua-new-guinea/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-grandma-lin-calvert-missionary-doctor-who-brought-life-to-remote-papua-new-guinea/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘A Blueprint for Discipleship in an Urban Context’ with Dhati Lewis]]></title><description><![CDATA[Making disciples in our own neighborhoods.From the very beginning, Dhati Lewis had a plan. He was going to be in the NFL, and that was it. Yet, when he was so close to achieving it, God gave him a different dream. Instead, he suddenly found his calling into ministry, one that inspired his mission of being God&rsquo;s hands and feet in urban contexts, starting with his own neighborhood.Guest Bio:Dr. Dhati Lewis serves as the Vision and Multiplication Pastor of Blueprint Church as well as the foun]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-blueprint-for-discipleship-in-an-urban-context-with-dhati-lewis/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2023 17:41:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-blueprint-for-discipleship-in-an-urban-context-with-dhati-lewis/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christians Have a Duty to Hate the Evil of Hamas]]></title><description><![CDATA[The example of Jesus, the teachings of the just war tradition, and Hamas&rsquo;s own words make this clear.By now you will have heard of slaughtered Israeli babies, seen the graphic video of a kidnapped Jewish teenager being pulled by her hair with what appears to be blood between her legs, read of the 85-year-old grandmother taken to the Gaza strip without her medicines to die alone and in great pain.By now you will know that Hamas terrorists have shot children, raped women, snatched infants fr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-have-a-duty-to-hate-the-evil-of-hamas/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-have-a-duty-to-hate-the-evil-of-hamas/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 5: A Tectonic Shift in Technology]]></title><description><![CDATA[The pandemic greatly accelerated the adoption of and reliance on technology among churches.The expansion of technology during the COVID-19 pandemic drastically shifted the landscape of church ministry. Though some changes were temporary, many will remain.As one of the Arbor researchers put it, &ldquo;The toothpaste can&rsquo;t be put back in the tube.&rdquo;Our research indicates that more than two-thirds of respondents (67.5%) believe their church was reshaped due to its embrace of technology d]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-5-a-tectonic-shift-in-technology/</link><pubDate>Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:42:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-5-a-tectonic-shift-in-technology/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Armenia Struggles to Aid 100,000 Artsakh Refugees After War]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelical, Orthodox, and secular aid workers care for traumatized Nagorno-Karabakh kin they say were ethnically cleansed from their homeland. Azerbaijani Christians reply.Karolin is one of 30,000 Armenian children without a home&mdash;again.Fleeing the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the face of Azerbaijan&rsquo;s assault last month, the 12-year-old girl had an unexpected encounter. After crossing the Lachin corridor westward to Goris in Armenia proper, she found her beloved social]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/armenia-struggles-to-aid-100000artsakh-refugees-after-war/</link><pubDate>Mon, 16 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/armenia-struggles-to-aid-100000artsakh-refugees-after-war/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Should Christians Share a Conference Stage with Theological Opponents?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jackie Hill Perry, Sean McDowell, and others explain why they appear alongside speakers with different stances and when they&rsquo;d refuse to join a lineup.<br />
These days, Christian speakers have to carefully consider not just what they say&mdash;but those they say it alongside.From packed-stadium conferences and denominational events to church retreats and ministry webinars, evangelical audiences pay attention to the names and faces getting platformed. These lineups can serve as organizational en]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-christians-share-a-conference-stage-with-theological-opponents/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-christians-share-a-conference-stage-with-theological-opponents/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘No One Will Save You’ Has Evangelical Aliens]]></title><description><![CDATA[The new sci-fi horror flick by former missionary kid Brian Duffield has an unusual spiritual spin.In his piece for CT, Aaron Earls explores what C. S. Lewis thought about evangelizing aliens&mdash;provided we discover they do indeed exist. But what if aliens came to proselytize us?Directed by Brian Duffield and now streaming on Hulu, No One Will Save You is a mostly silent sci-fi horror film featuring only a single discernible line of dialogue. The film has already earned high praise from the li]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-one-will-save-you-has-evangelical-aliens/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-one-will-save-you-has-evangelical-aliens/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wither the Poisonous Plant of Hamas]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Palestinian Christian&rsquo;s view of this week&rsquo;s tragedy in Israel&mdash;and how to address the roots of the problem.This article is published pseudonymously for the author&rsquo;s safety.Israel has suffered a 9/11-scale attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement, commonly known as Hamas, which has devastated Jews and Palestinians alike. No words can describe the sadness and horror. But we must not allow this terrible event to cloud our vision or to push us into vengeance against civilia]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wither-the-poisonous-plant-of-hamas/</link><pubDate>Fri, 13 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wither-the-poisonous-plant-of-hamas/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Little-Known History of Evangelicals’ Changing Israel Views]]></title><description><![CDATA[Responses by Christian leaders to today&rsquo;s war in the Holy Land are 50 years in the making.The horrific attacks on Israel on October 7 came almost 50 years to the day since the start of the Yom Kippur War. Then, hostilities began after the surprise invasion of Israel by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan on October 6, 1973. This time, the violence began with a brutal onslaught by the terrorist group Hamas.Comparisons between the two can be overwrought. But tracking how evangelicals (and especially Am]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-little-known-history-of-evangelicals-changing-israel-views/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-little-known-history-of-evangelicals-changing-israel-views/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Singapore Is a Fine City–Unless You’re Trying to Talk About Mental Health]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pastors and church leaders want to spark more conversations about faith and wellbeing amid the country&rsquo;s stressful education system.Regina Hum was an 18-year-old student at Singapore Polytechnic when she began experiencing symptoms of depression.&ldquo;I started withdrawing from friends and family, feeling no need to share with them what I was feeling, and they also did not seem to notice,&rdquo; said Hum, who worships at Faith Community Baptist Church. &ldquo;Waking up feeling there was n]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singapore-is-a-fine-cityunless-youre-trying-to-talk-about-mental-health/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Oct 2023 19:10:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singapore-is-a-fine-cityunless-youre-trying-to-talk-about-mental-health/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Singapore Is a Fine City&amp;mdash;Unless You&rsquo;re Trying to Talk About Mental Health]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pastors and church leaders want to spark more conversations about faith and wellbeing amid the country&rsquo;s stressful education system.Regina Hum was an 18-year-old student at Singapore Polytechnic when she began experiencing symptoms of depression.&ldquo;I started withdrawing from friends and family, feeling no need to share with them what I was feeling, and they also did not seem to notice,&rdquo; said Hum, who worships at Faith Community Baptist Church. &ldquo;Waking up feeling there was n]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singapore-is-a-fine-cityampmdashunless-yoursquore-trying-to-talk-about-mental-health/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Oct 2023 19:10:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singapore-is-a-fine-cityampmdashunless-yoursquore-trying-to-talk-about-mental-health/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Bothsidesism’ About Hamas Is a Moral Failure]]></title><description><![CDATA[Israelis and Palestinians are equally beloved of God. But there&rsquo;s no moral ambiguity about the genocidal evil of Hamas.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Sometimes certain moments in history reveal in minutes what was concealed for decades. And sometimes those moments of revelation come with hearing oneself say the words, &ldquo;Yes, but &hellip;&rdquo; or &ldquo;But what about &hellip;&rdquo;The aftermath of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel is]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bothsidesism-about-hamas-is-a-moral-failure/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bothsidesism-about-hamas-is-a-moral-failure/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Is One Jewish Family the Subject of So Many Conspiracy Theories?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new book charts the centuries-long history of the Rothschilds and recurring waves of antisemitism.My first encounter with the Rothschild name happened in a thrift store. I was maybe nine years old and ran across a little wool dress coat just my size. The tag said &ldquo;Rothschild,&rdquo; and when I showed my find to my mother, her eyes lit up. &ldquo;The Rothschilds are very famous and wealthy,&rdquo; I remember her saying. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s probably a very nice coat.&rdquo;I don&rsquo;t re]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-is-one-jewish-family-the-subject-of-so-many-conspiracy-theories/</link><pubDate>Thu, 12 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-is-one-jewish-family-the-subject-of-so-many-conspiracy-theories/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ghana’s Politicians and Christian Leaders Seek to Ban Witchcraft Accusations]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hundreds of suspected women in the Western African nation have been exiled into &ldquo;witch camps.&rdquo; Some have faced worse.During the last week of September, news broke that a 60-year-old woman had been killed at her home in northern Ghana by a young male relative.&ldquo;All that I know is that she is suspected of witchcraft,&rdquo; Zakari Iddi, the woman&rsquo;s brother-in-law, told Citi Newsroom.The murder comes on the heels of recent efforts by Christian leaders and the Ghanian governm]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ghanas-politicians-and-christian-leaders-seek-to-ban-witchcraft-accusations/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Oct 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ghanas-politicians-and-christian-leaders-seek-to-ban-witchcraft-accusations/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Sound of Freedom’ Star Tim Ballard Accused of Preying on Staff on Undercover Missions]]></title><description><![CDATA[In a lawsuit five women allege the anti-trafficking hero sexually assaulted them, raising the question of whether ministries should engage in such off-the-grid operations.Tim Ballard, the star figure depicted in the summer hit movie Sound of Freedom, has been accused of battery and sexual assault by women who worked alongside him in anti-trafficking rescue operations.In a lawsuit filed this week in Utah, five unnamed women share detailed accounts of their experiences with Ballard. The film, whic]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sound-of-freedom-star-tim-ballard-accused-of-preying-on-staff-on-undercover-missions/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sound-of-freedom-star-tim-ballard-accused-of-preying-on-staff-on-undercover-missions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Amid Israel-Hamas War, Local Christians Seek Righteous Anger and Gospel Hope]]></title><description><![CDATA[As terrorism leads to thousands of deaths, Palestinian evangelicals and Messianic Jews share astonishment, grief, and prayer for peace and justice.With at least 1,200 Israelis and 1,100 Palestinians slain, it is not simply the Israel-Hamas war&rsquo;s stunning casualty total that has outraged the world, but also the brutality of Hamas.More than 200 youth were killed at a concert festival, villages and farms were raided and terrorized, and an estimated 150 hostages have been threatened with deat]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amid-israel-hamas-war-local-christians-seek-righteous-anger-and-gospel-hope/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amid-israel-hamas-war-local-christians-seek-righteous-anger-and-gospel-hope/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘We Do Need Healing’: What First Nation Christians Make of Australia’s Indigenous Representation Referendum]]></title><description><![CDATA[Leaders want a seat at the table. Not all are sure about changing the Constitution.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia were not granted citizenship until 1963. And they were not counted in the census until 1967.To Brooke Prentis, the former CEO of the Christian social justice organization Common Grace, these numbers aren&rsquo;t just dates and statistics. As a woman from the Wakka Wakka people of southwest Queensland, they&rsquo;re a part of what she calls her &ldquo;livin]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-do-need-healing-what-first-nation-christians-make-of-australias-indigenous-representation-referendum/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Oct 2023 19:09:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-do-need-healing-what-first-nation-christians-make-of-australias-indigenous-representation-referendum/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 4: The Miracle of Plates and Pews]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why did some faithful congregations shrink in size and giving while others witnessed explosive growth?According to some, the pandemic season was a plague of biblical proportions. It is not surprising then that the testimony of some pastors sounds like the story of the widow whose jar of oil and flour in 1 Kings 17 did not run out.Instead of a devastating drought, some pastors talked about how God kept his promises and &ldquo;they never worried about money.&rdquo; Other pastors told a different,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-4-the-miracle-of-plates-and-pews/</link><pubDate>Wed, 11 Oct 2023 00:25:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-4-the-miracle-of-plates-and-pews/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fellowship of Christian Athletes Let Back in San Jose Schools After Court Rejects District’s ‘Double Standard’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ninth Circuit ruling boosts First Amendment protections for faith groups denied campus access.Serving as the Bay Area director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Rigo Lopez didn&rsquo;t expect that his work would involve court depositions and early morning emails with lawyers. Or that he&rsquo;d have to pray for and defend students whose teachers campaigned against their club and its convictions.But Monday marks a long-awaited milestone in the Christian organization&rsquo;s legal fi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fellowship-of-christian-athletes-let-back-in-san-jose-schools-after-court-rejects-districts-double-standard/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fellowship-of-christian-athletes-let-back-in-san-jose-schools-after-court-rejects-districts-double-standard/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Billions in Federal Aid Helped Christian Orgs Survive the Pandemic]]></title><description><![CDATA[A CT analysis of federal data shows that ministries received about $7 billion in forgiven PPP loans, with about a third of US churches receiving funding.During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US government provided an unusual lifeline to tens of thousands of Christian organizations and churches through forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans under the CARES Act.That aid amounted to roughly $7 billion in forgiven loans, according to an analysis of federal data by Christianity Today. Most of t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/billions-in-federal-aid-helped-christian-orgs-survive-the-pandemic/</link><pubDate>Tue, 10 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/billions-in-federal-aid-helped-christian-orgs-survive-the-pandemic/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Loren Cunningham, Who Launched Millions on Short-Term Missions]]></title><description><![CDATA[YWAM founder saw &ldquo;waves&rdquo; of young people carrying the gospel to every nation.Loren Cunningham, the charismatic visionary who launched Youth With a Mission (YWAM) and mobilized millions of young people for short-term trips, died on Friday morning. He was 88.When he was only 20, Cunningham was praying and saw an image of a map, but the map was moving. Waves were crashing on the shores of every continent, receding, and then crashing again. The picture appeared to him like &ldquo;a menta]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-loren-cunningham-who-launched-millions-on-short-term-missions/</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Oct 2023 22:20:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-loren-cunningham-who-launched-millions-on-short-term-missions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let the Reformed of the Lord Say No to Cessationism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Disbelief in the Spirit&rsquo;s miraculous work is gaining ground in some Christian circles, but it&rsquo;s fighting a losing battle.The cessationist debate is back, although in some ways, it&rsquo;s never left.Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church recently hosted the Cessationist Conference, timed to coincide with the release of the Cessationist movie&mdash;bringing an age-old topic back to the forefront of trending conversations, especially among Reformed believers. These discussion]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-reformed-of-the-lord-say-no-to-cessationism/</link><pubDate>Mon, 09 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-the-reformed-of-the-lord-say-no-to-cessationism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[American Christians Should Stand with Israel under Attack]]></title><description><![CDATA[While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.Americans awoke this morning to reports of war in the Middle East, as the terrorist group Hamas attacked the state of Israel in unspeakably brutal ways. As our screens fill with imagery of fire raining down from the skies, of families grieving the kidnapping and murder of their loved ones, we know that&mdash;just as for our own country in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks&mdash;this evil day is just the beginning of what is to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-christians-should-stand-with-israel-under-attack/</link><pubDate>Sun, 08 Oct 2023 03:07:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/american-christians-should-stand-with-israel-under-attack/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[To Grow in New England, Southern Baptists Crack ‘Yankee Stoicism’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Overall church membership is up by nearly 10 percent in the region.<br />
The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a fixture of the religious landscape in the American South, where grits, Republican politics, and SEC football are king. But the region where you&rsquo;re most likely to find a growing Southern Baptist church is the land of lobster rolls, progressive politics, and Boston Red Sox baseball: New England.A new analysis by Lifeway Research found that the area spanning Connecticut to Maine was]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/to-grow-in-new-england-southern-baptists-crack-yankee-stoicism/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/to-grow-in-new-england-southern-baptists-crack-yankee-stoicism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fruitful and Multiplying: 9 Visions for Evangelical Ministry in the Middle East]]></title><description><![CDATA[Inspired by new transnational networks, Arab ministry leaders and international partners reflect on the previous 25 years of service and call for similar spiritual integration.Middle East evangelicals must emulate China.So stated Nabil Costa, chief executive officer of the Lebanese Society for Education and Social Development (LSESD), at his organization&rsquo;s 25th anniversary celebration, held last week at LSESD&rsquo;s Beirut Baptist School (BBS).He was not calling for a change in geopolitic]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fruitful-and-multiplying-9-visions-for-evangelical-ministry-in-the-middle-east/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fruitful-and-multiplying-9-visions-for-evangelical-ministry-in-the-middle-east/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Should We Welcome Sex Offenders into Our Churches?]]></title><description><![CDATA[One pastor and his staff considered whether their congregation should accept people with a history of abuse.On Sunday mornings at New York Chinese Alliance Church, where I pastor, several different ethnic congregations come to listen to God&rsquo;s Word in their mother tongues. Parents drop off their youngsters for children&rsquo;s worship and Sunday school. Youth gather for fellowship and Bible study.Our seasoned ushers always try to welcome every familiar face and newcomer into the house of Go]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-we-welcome-sex-offenders-into-our-churches/</link><pubDate>Thu, 05 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-we-welcome-sex-offenders-into-our-churches/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Virtuous Pagan’s (Accidental) Guide to Building a Healthier Evangelicalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Fredrik deBoer&rsquo;s indictment of his fellow progressives is surprisingly relevant to a very different movement.When and why I first started reading author and journalist Fredrik deBoer is beyond me. I wouldn&rsquo;t have run into him in my usual ideological haunts: He&rsquo;s an atheist; I&rsquo;m a Christian. He&rsquo;s&mdash;per his own description&mdash;a cradle Communist and a thoroughgoing leftist; I&rsquo;m a political libertarian and temperamental conservative. We overlap on some poli]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-virtuous-pagans-accidental-guide-to-building-a-healthier-evangelicalism/</link><pubDate>Thu, 05 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-virtuous-pagans-accidental-guide-to-building-a-healthier-evangelicalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Blessed Are the Rich, for They Can Afford to Limit Their Kids’ Screen Time]]></title><description><![CDATA[Too much tech is bad for children. But are we only discipling families &lsquo;entrusted with much&rsquo;?My husband and I are hardliners when it comes to kids and tech. Granted, our twin eldests are only four, so you might say we haven&rsquo;t been at it long enough to claim victory here&mdash;and fair enough. Even if teenage demands for a smartphone are the tech battle royale of modern parenting, getting through the toddler years without screens is no small skirmish.I wouldn&rsquo;t say strictl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/blessed-are-the-rich-for-they-can-afford-to-limit-their-kids-screen-time/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/blessed-are-the-rich-for-they-can-afford-to-limit-their-kids-screen-time/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Golden Chain Linking God’s People: Arab Christians Active Since Pentecost]]></title><description><![CDATA[Three historic Arab theologians show how to explain the Trinity to Muslims and remind modern Christians not to jump straight from Augustine to Reformation Europe.When did Arabs become Christians?When I visit the United States and introduce myself as a seminary professor, I am often asked, very politely, about the circumstances of my conversion from Islam. As an Arab, they assume I must also be a Muslim.I answer politely, but poignantly, that I have been a Christian since the day of Pentecost.The]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-golden-chain-linking-gods-people-arab-christians-active-since-pentecost/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 18:25:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-golden-chain-linking-gods-people-arab-christians-active-since-pentecost/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Worship in a Time of Trauma: New Releases Offer Songs for Healing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian artists open up about mental health, abuse, and loss.Working in a level-four neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for over 12 years, Grace Assad has cared for newborns with heart defects, rare genetic disorders, and risky surgery recoveries. Navigating infant loss is part of her job.She&rsquo;s also a songwriter and musician, making music with her husband Peter under the name &ldquo;poems of grace.&rdquo; Their latest single, &ldquo;Held,&rdquo; came as a cathartic expression of grief a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-in-a-time-of-trauma-new-releases-offer-songs-for-healing/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-in-a-time-of-trauma-new-releases-offer-songs-for-healing/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Andy Stanley’s ‘Unconditional’ Contradiction]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Atlanta-area pastor has said he affirms a New Testament sexual ethic, but his words and deeds have muddled that message.Late last month, North Point Community Church hosted the Unconditional Conference, billing the gathering as an event &ldquo;for parents of LGBTQ+ children and for ministry leaders looking to discover ways to support parents and LGBTQ+ children in their churches.&rdquo; It would stake out a &ldquo;quieter middle space&rdquo; on a contentious topic, the organizers said.As cri]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/andy-stanleys-unconditional-contradiction/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/andy-stanleys-unconditional-contradiction/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Green Card Change Leaves Thousands of Foreign-Born Pastors in Limbo]]></title><description><![CDATA[The wait for those with religious worker visas suddenly grew by years due to a procedural shift, and advocates and attorneys fear they could lose their place in the US.<br />
Albert Oliveira was excited. He had come to the US from Brazil in 2010 on a student visa, graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, began pastoring a growing church, married, and started a family.But he and his wife, a German citizen, would need green cards to remain in the US and allow Oliveira to continue his pa]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/green-card-change-leaves-thousands-of-foreign-born-pastors-in-limbo/</link><pubDate>Wed, 04 Oct 2023 14:39:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/green-card-change-leaves-thousands-of-foreign-born-pastors-in-limbo/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Tribute to a Quiet Baseball Star in an Age of Christian Celebrity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Instead of flashy religiosity, Tim Wakefield had a privately influential faith.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-tribute-to-a-quiet-baseball-star-in-an-age-of-christian-celebrity/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-tribute-to-a-quiet-baseball-star-in-an-age-of-christian-celebrity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do Not Conform to the Work Habits of AI]]></title><description><![CDATA[Robots will come for our jobs if we do our jobs like robots.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/do-not-conform-to-the-work-habits-of-ai/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/do-not-conform-to-the-work-habits-of-ai/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My High Priest Understands My Pain]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus&rsquo; mercy is in his complete understanding of our hurt, not only in his ability to solve it.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-high-priest-understands-my-pain/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-high-priest-understands-my-pain/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How a CrossFit Gym Is Making a Small Town Strong]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new documentary captures how an exercise community helps people dealing with addiction&mdash;and offers an example for churches.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-crossfit-gym-is-making-a-small-town-strong/</link><pubDate>Tue, 03 Oct 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-a-crossfit-gym-is-making-a-small-town-strong/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Whistleblower Who Won $70M Was Motivated by ‘Moral Clarity’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sarah Feinberg said she had the responsibility to do the right thing when she discovered fraud at her government contractor employer.<br />
Sarah Feinberg was a Marine Corps combat veteran, a Wharton Business School graduate, and a Christian mother of three when she left her job at one of the country&rsquo;s biggest defense contractors&mdash;and filed a lawsuit under a whistleblower statute. Feinberg says she was prompted by the Holy Spirit and her moral convictions.Eight years later, in September 202]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-whistleblower-who-won-70m-was-motivated-by-moral-clarity/</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2023 20:55:21 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-whistleblower-who-won-70m-was-motivated-by-moral-clarity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[12 Scholars Who Brought the Bible into Chinese]]></title><description><![CDATA[Each had unique translation philosophies, diction preferences, and intended audiences in mind, frameworks that informed how they approached their all-consuming work.<br />
In the early morning of August 1, 1895, a brutal incident occurred in Fujian province, China. Hundreds of rioters ambushed a group of foreign Christian missionaries who were vacationing in the mountains, resulting in 11 deaths and five injuries. Among the martyred were several women and children, including a 13-month-old baby.Coinci]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/12-scholars-who-brought-the-bible-into-chinese/</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2023 20:55:21 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/12-scholars-who-brought-the-bible-into-chinese/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Uwe Holmer, Pastor Who Forgave a Communist Dictator]]></title><description><![CDATA[When the East German government collapsed, the evangelical minister welcomed Erich Honecker into his home for 10 weeks.For Uwe Holmer, the question wasn&rsquo;t simple. But it was clear.Did he believe what Jesus said?The East German dictator Erich Honecker was asking for his help. Honecker had long been an enemy of the church, a powerful ideological opponent of Christianity who had worked to suppress and control people of faith in the German Democratic Republic, and he had personally harried and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-uwe-holmer-pastor-who-forgave-a-communist-dictator/</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-uwe-holmer-pastor-who-forgave-a-communist-dictator/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Never Read Tim Keller? Here’s Where to Begin.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Eight books that capture different dimensions of his life and ministry.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/never-read-tim-keller-heres-where-to-begin/</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/never-read-tim-keller-heres-where-to-begin/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Only Jesus Can Satiate Sheep and Wolves Alike]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Good Shepherd interrupts the story of our hunger and introduces himself as the Bread of Life.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/only-jesus-can-satiate-sheep-and-wolves-alike/</link><pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/only-jesus-can-satiate-sheep-and-wolves-alike/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 3: The Great Revealer]]></title><description><![CDATA[The pandemic revealed spiritual immaturity, simmering polarization, and unexpected resiliency.The pandemic was a crucible that revealed underlying political and personal anxieties, as well as congregational strengths and weaknesses in many churches. COVID-19 stripped away the familiar and became The Great Revealer for church leaders.Consequently, it enabled leaders to learn important lessons about their churches, themselves, and their ministries. While this theme only appeared in three responses]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-3-the-great-revealer/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 21:51:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-3-the-great-revealer/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 2: Adapt to Survive]]></title><description><![CDATA[To survive COVID-19, leaders were forced to adapt at a relentless and unpredictable pace.The declaration of a worldwide pandemic in March 2020 and the cascade of health policies that followed forced pastors and congregations to rapidly respond. Because no churches wrote &ldquo;close our doors&rdquo; in their three-year goals, everyone had to learn quickly and make adjustments simply to survive.In his article on power, privilege, and adaptive leadership in 2020, Todd Bolsinger framed the crisis i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-2-adapt-to-survive/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 21:19:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-2-adapt-to-survive/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bold Prayers Made Amy Carmichael’s 55 Years in India Possible]]></title><description><![CDATA[Even by the standards of other missionaries, the Irish woman&rsquo;s ministry to sexually exploited children was intrepid.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bold-prayers-made-amy-carmichaels-55-years-in-india-possible/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bold-prayers-made-amy-carmichaels-55-years-in-india-possible/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Season One Introduction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Horror is having a moment &hellip; and we are too.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/season-one-introduction/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/season-one-introduction/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[There’s No One Equation for Educating Christian Kids]]></title><description><![CDATA[God will be faithful to our children, and we can trust him no matter where they go to school.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/theres-no-one-equation-for-educating-christian-kids/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/theres-no-one-equation-for-educating-christian-kids/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Handful of Churches Split from the Christian and Missionary Alliance over Women in Ministry]]></title><description><![CDATA[New position on ordination and titles pushed some &ldquo;beyond where their convictions would allow them to go.&rdquo;Eight congregations have broken away from the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) over the denomination&rsquo;s decision to ordain women and allow them to carry the title of &ldquo;pastor.&rdquo;The change was approved by a majority of delegates at the Alliance&rsquo;s general council in June, after several years of discussion. According to an internal study, it is supported]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-handful-of-churches-split-from-the-christian-and-missionary-alliance-over-women-in-ministry/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-handful-of-churches-split-from-the-christian-and-missionary-alliance-over-women-in-ministry/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Who Ya Gonna Call?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Candidates debate, PEPFAR languishes, and the Hispanic church grows.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/who-ya-gonna-call/</link><pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/who-ya-gonna-call/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Universe Is Not a Horror Show]]></title><description><![CDATA[We live in a world haunted by sin and suffering. But it&rsquo;s also one that points us to a glory beyond imagining.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.I rarely frequent the app formerly known as Twitter for long enough to be angered by anything, but I was last week.A friend of mine posted a prayer request for her son, hospitalized for schizophrenia, with which he&rsquo;s been grappling a long time. Most of the responses were what one would expect&mdash;e]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-universe-is-not-a-horror-show/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-universe-is-not-a-horror-show/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shannon Harris Wasn’t Content with Being a Purity Culture Stagehand]]></title><description><![CDATA[Her new memoir brings her voice into the story of "I Kissed Dating Goodbye." It also brings in an entirely different gospel.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shannon-harris-wasnt-content-with-being-a-purity-culture-stagehand/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shannon-harris-wasnt-content-with-being-a-purity-culture-stagehand/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[German Homeschoolers Face Deportation After 15 Years in the US]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Christian family says their status has been revoked without warning.<br />
A Christian family who fled Germany to be able to homeschool their seven children say they now face deportation, 15 years after arriving in the United States and fighting for asylum.The Romeikes celebrated what their supporters called &ldquo;an incredible victory that can only be credited to our Almighty God&rdquo; in 2014, when they were allowed to remain in the US after years of court appeals. Their lawyer said the decisi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/german-homeschoolers-face-deportation-after-15-years-in-the-us/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/german-homeschoolers-face-deportation-after-15-years-in-the-us/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Artsakh Exodus: Armenians Mourn as 98,000 Flee Christian Homeland]]></title><description><![CDATA[Azerbaijani offensive shatters 33-year effort&nbsp;at&nbsp;nation-building, depopulating majority of&nbsp;enclave from fear of genocide. Despite depression, Bible Society leader says, &ldquo;God will not abandon us.&rdquo;Suddenly, more than 80 percent of people in Nagorno-Karabakh have fled.Last week the unrecognized Armenian republic, called &ldquo;Artsakh&rdquo; by its 120,000 residents, suffered an invasion by Azerbaijan, which is recognized internationally as sovereign over the enclave nest]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-artsakh-exodus-armenians-mourn-as-98000-flee-christian-homeland/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-artsakh-exodus-armenians-mourn-as-98000-flee-christian-homeland/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Artsakh Exodus: Armenians Mourn as 100,000 Flee Christian Homeland]]></title><description><![CDATA[Azerbaijani offensive shatters 33-year effort&nbsp;at&nbsp;nation-building, depopulating majority of&nbsp;enclave from fear of genocide. Despite depression, Bible Society leader says, &ldquo;God will not abandon us.&rdquo;Suddenly, more than 80 percent of people in Nagorno-Karabakh have fled.Last week the unrecognized Armenian republic, called &ldquo;Artsakh&rdquo; by its 120,000 residents, suffered an invasion by Azerbaijan, which is recognized internationally as sovereign over the enclave nest]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-artsakh-exodus-armenians-mourn-as-100000-flee-christian-homeland/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-artsakh-exodus-armenians-mourn-as-100000-flee-christian-homeland/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Conspiracist Thinking Is Cultural Marxism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Marx&rsquo;s view of history powerfully shaped how we think about time and power, but it&rsquo;s not the Bible&rsquo;s view.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/conspiracist-thinking-is-cultural-marxism/</link><pubDate>Thu, 28 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/conspiracist-thinking-is-cultural-marxism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Our Church Lost Three Men to Suicide in Two Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a pastor, I&rsquo;ve learned that the church can play a vital role in helping members with mental health issues.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-church-lost-three-men-to-suicide-in-two-years/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/our-church-lost-three-men-to-suicide-in-two-years/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shaken Yet Stirred: Turkish Christians Advise Moroccan Church on Earthquake Aid]]></title><description><![CDATA[From Istanbul to Marrakesh, disaster relief can help Muslim-background believers legitimize their faith. But first, say Turks, the church must be united.Help for Morocco is coming from Turkey. While humble in scope, the biggest impact may be on the church.First Hope Association (FHA), a Turkish Christian disaster relief agency that provided aid after the massive earthquake that struck southeast Turkey in February, was granted permission to assist in Morocco after its own devastating quake. A fou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shaken-yet-stirred-turkish-christians-advise-moroccan-church-on-earthquake-aid/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shaken-yet-stirred-turkish-christians-advise-moroccan-church-on-earthquake-aid/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI Has No Place in the Pulpit]]></title><description><![CDATA[Technology can serve the church. But it can&rsquo;t replace the good, frustrating, endless work of ministry.What should ministers do about artificial intelligence? Over the last year or so, we&rsquo;ve been inundated with breathless stories about ChatGPT and similar programs that eerily mimic, equal, or surpass the voice, language, and powers of the human mind.Some of us have had fun with them (&ldquo;Please write a Shakespearean sonnet in celebration of the San Antonio Spurs&rdquo;); some of us]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ai-has-no-place-in-the-pulpit/</link><pubDate>Wed, 27 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ai-has-no-place-in-the-pulpit/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Refugee Resettlement Begins to Rebound After Historic Lows]]></title><description><![CDATA[Still, fewer persecuted Christians have been able to flee to the US.Fewer Christians fleeing persecution in their native countries have found a safe harbor in the United States in the past half decade, according to a new report from a pair of Christian nonprofits, which cites the effects of the pandemic and the dismantling of US refugee resettlement programs during the Trump administration.The report, titled &ldquo;Closed Doors,&rdquo; found the number of Christians coming to the US from countri]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/refugee-resettlement-begins-to-rebound-after-historic-lows/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 22:52:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/refugee-resettlement-begins-to-rebound-after-historic-lows/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fly Me to the Moon: Praying for Peace this Mid-Autumn Festival]]></title><description><![CDATA[A former NASA R&amp;D director contemplates how faith in God has shaped lunar explorations.Before my retirement in 2021, I traveled regularly to speak at Christian conferences in America and East Asia. These preaching engagements often occurred during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is a popular time for Chinese churches&mdash;whether in the US or in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and the Philippines&mdash;to hold special events. While I deeply enjoyed fellowshipping with these brothers and sisters in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fly-me-to-the-moon-praying-for-peace-this-mid-autumn-festival/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 18:05:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/fly-me-to-the-moon-praying-for-peace-this-mid-autumn-festival/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chapter 1: Pain and Loss (of Presence)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pandemic challenges and battles, especially the loss of presence, inflicted deep and lasting wounds on pastoral leaders.Shepherding a congregation is intensely intimate work. Pandemic restrictions didn&rsquo;t merely prevent pastors from seeing people face-to-face; in many cases they disrupted both ministry and ministers. In particular, the rush to stream worship services online revealed that many congregants associate church with preaching rather than pastoring.This shook the gospel calling of]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-1-pain-and-loss-of-presence/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 17:12:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/chapter-1-pain-and-loss-of-presence/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why and What? Introduction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many of our assumptions about the pandemic&rsquo;s impact on American churches are incorrect or incomplete. What actually happened? And why talk about this now?The COVID-19 pandemic officially ended on May 11th, 2023. While it lasted only three years, the pandemic impacted almost every institution in America. Research studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 on economics, housing, and secular employment.But how did COVID-19 impact the American church?To answer this question, Church Salary (a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-and-what-introduction/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 17:06:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-and-what-introduction/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trailer: COVID and the Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[How did COVID-19 impact the American church?What caused some churches to thrive, while others struggled? Why did some pastors quit or resign, when so many stayed? What can we learn from pandemic that will prepare us for the uncertain future? We all have assumptions and ideas about what happened. But are they correct? What really happened and why?To answer these questions, ChurchSalary, a ministry of Christianity Today, partnered with the Arbor Research Group to conduct a year-long study of over]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trailer-covid-and-the-church/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 16:56:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trailer-covid-and-the-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastors Wonder About Church Members Who Never Came Back Post-Pandemic]]></title><description><![CDATA[New research shows disagreement over COVID-19 policies drove changes in attendance, but &ldquo;a lot of it is a mystery.&rdquo;After a few hard pandemic years, Paul Seay is happy to see more people coming to the two Methodist churches he pastors in Abingdon, Virginia.Still, he can&rsquo;t help but wonder, What happened to the people who never returned?&ldquo;Some had been very involved&mdash;and they&rsquo;re just gone,&rdquo; said Seay, who leads Charles Wesley United Methodist Church, a histor]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-wonder-about-church-members-who-never-came-back-post-pandemic/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 15:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-wonder-about-church-members-who-never-came-back-post-pandemic/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[COVID-19 Hit Black Churches Harder, but They Weathered It Better]]></title><description><![CDATA[New research shows how Black churches suffered during the pandemic. But these congregations also found unity where others were torn apart.Pastor Lorenzo Neal had the first panic attack of his life on a hot summer night during the pandemic. He imagined it was what a heart attack would feel like. His neighbors called 911.As the pastor of New Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jackson, Mississippi, he was carrying a lot of burdens through the pandemic.He has pastored New Bethel for 14 yea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/covid-19-hit-black-churches-harder-but-they-weathered-it-better/</link><pubDate>Tue, 26 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/covid-19-hit-black-churches-harder-but-they-weathered-it-better/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[J.D. Greear: Tim Keller’s Friendship Transformed My Preaching]]></title><description><![CDATA[Three lessons the late pastor-theologian taught me about the art of sermons.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jd-greear-tim-kellers-friendship-transformed-my-preaching/</link><pubDate>Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jd-greear-tim-kellers-friendship-transformed-my-preaching/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[100,000 Reuses for the Church to Find]]></title><description><![CDATA[With a record number of congregations predicted to close their doors by 2025, multiuse developments may be the future for shrinking congregations and empty buildings.<br />
The future looked bleak for St. Peter&rsquo;s United Church of Christ (UCC) in Louisville, Kentucky. The congregation had dwindled to a dozen elderly German Americans in a poor, predominantly Black neighborhood. Their building was falling apart.Despite its fa&ccedil;ade of stained glass and majestic steeples, all the building syste]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/100000-reuses-for-the-church-to-find/</link><pubDate>Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/100000-reuses-for-the-church-to-find/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[India By Any Other Name? Christians Braced for ‘Bharat’ or Not]]></title><description><![CDATA[Believers weigh what the latest postcolonial name change discussion would mean for religious freedom and pluralism in the Hindu-majority nation.This month&rsquo;s G20 summit in New Delhi gave rise to a controversy about a possible name change for the host nation, after the Indian government denoted the country as &ldquo;Bharat&rdquo; instead of the usual &ldquo;India&rdquo; on official guest invitations.This was a clear departure from political convention, and the ensuing debate focused on the n]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/india-by-any-other-name-christians-braced-for-bharat-or-not/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/india-by-any-other-name-christians-braced-for-bharat-or-not/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Cost of Creativity: Bonhoeffer Set Aside Ethics For Art. Did He Choose Well?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The theologian set aside his nearly finished magnum opus while in prison, investing instead in creative writing.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-cost-of-creativity-bonhoeffer-set-aside-ethics-for-art-did-he-choose-well/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-cost-of-creativity-bonhoeffer-set-aside-ethics-for-art-did-he-choose-well/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rosaria Butterfield Issues Five Battle Cries for the Church Militant]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is much to admire in her views on church and community, but also much to find troubling in her new polemic.If Rosaria Butterfield&rsquo;s courage &ldquo;waned and waxed&rdquo; in writing Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, as she reports in her acknowledgements section, you wouldn&rsquo;t know it from the text. Her tone is urgent and earnest, and she conceives of her work as a charge by a &ldquo;church militant&rdquo; against a powerful enemy who is sure to lose the war, but is now winnin]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rosaria-butterfield-issues-five-battle-cries-for-the-church-militant/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rosaria-butterfield-issues-five-battle-cries-for-the-church-militant/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[PEPFAR Fight Worries African Christian Leaders]]></title><description><![CDATA[Those in the countries where the HIV/AIDS program has saved millions of lives feel sidelined by the American debate.African Christians who have long worked against HIV/AIDS either in health facilities or in church ministry are anxiously watching the current AIDS fight in Congress, which will have direct effects on their programs on the ground.The September 30 deadline is approaching to reauthorize the President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a US-funded HIV/AIDS program that is]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pepfar-fight-worries-african-christian-leaders/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pepfar-fight-worries-african-christian-leaders/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Eating Bitterness: My Culture Helps Me Persevere. The Bible Helps Me Hope.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Both talk about endurance in suffering, but only Scripture encourages me to boast in my weakness.I was a bridesmaid at a friend&rsquo;s wedding this summer. The night before the big day, I ransacked my kitchen to concoct a welcome drink for the groom and his groomsmen. As I stirred oyster sauce, vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice, honey, ginger, matcha powder, and Sichuan pepper together in a big bowl, I forced myself to taste the unpleasant-looking mixture and realized that one flavor was lacking: b]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/eating-bitterness-my-culture-helps-me-persevere-the-bible-helps-me-hope/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2023 15:17:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/eating-bitterness-my-culture-helps-me-persevere-the-bible-helps-me-hope/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What’s It Worth To Ya?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Workers strike, loan repayments spike, TikTokers hike.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/whats-it-worth-to-ya/</link><pubDate>Fri, 22 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/whats-it-worth-to-ya/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Asbury Marketing Navigated the Potential Pitfalls of Revival Fame]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;This was not ours. And we don&rsquo;t take credit.&rdquo;College marketers love photos: students in class, students out on the grass&mdash;maybe throwing a frisbee, reading a book, or laughing with friends. For a Christian school, any image of someone singing or praying is good. They are always looking for compelling pictures that say to prospective students, This could be you.And the Asbury revival&mdash;the &ldquo;outpouring&rdquo; in February 2023, where students in Wilmore, Kentucky,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-asbury-marketing-navigated-the-potential-pitfalls-of-revival-fame/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-asbury-marketing-navigated-the-potential-pitfalls-of-revival-fame/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelical Colleges Celebrate Best-Ever Enrollment Numbers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Students impacted by pandemic isolation seem drawn to Christian communities and education.Eleven evangelical college and universities have announced record enrollment this fall&mdash;which is a record for breaking records, as far as anyone in Christian higher education remembers.Asbury University saw enrollment jump 20 percent, while East Texas Baptist University&rsquo;s student population climbed above 1,800, the highest in the school&rsquo;s 111-year history. Abilene Christian University has m]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-colleges-celebrate-best-ever-enrollment-numbers/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-colleges-celebrate-best-ever-enrollment-numbers/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Japanese American Pastors Prepared Their Flocks For Internment]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sermons preached the Sunday before they were sent off exhorted suffering Christians to find their hope in Jesus and to continue to gather together.Many Japanese American Christians first heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, as they returned home from Sunday worship. Japanese students gathered with their faculty at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, to pray long into the evening. During the nightly curfew enforced for Nikkei (the term for all ethnic Ja]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-japanese-american-pastors-prepared-their-flocks-for-internment/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-japanese-american-pastors-prepared-their-flocks-for-internment/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mitt Romney Chose Truth Over Tribe. We Should Too.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Character and competency matter all the time, whether that&rsquo;s in public office or the church.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.This week, all of Washington is abuzz about journalist McKay Coppins&rsquo;s profile in The Atlantic of US Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), which revealed Romney&rsquo;s forthcoming retirement from the world&rsquo;s most important deliberative body.The piece, excerpted from Coppins&rsquo;s forthcoming book, Romney: A Reckoning, i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mitt-romney-chose-truth-over-tribe-we-should-too/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mitt-romney-chose-truth-over-tribe-we-should-too/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Imagination Can Change Our Culture Wars]]></title><description><![CDATA[Stories and parables can heal division.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-imagination-can-change-our-culture-wars/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-imagination-can-change-our-culture-wars/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tony Evans Brings Up the Mixed Emotions of Remarriage After Loss]]></title><description><![CDATA[His engagement announcement reflects the complications of grief and celebration that Christians experience with second marriages.Tony Evans stood before his Dallas congregation last week&mdash;with keyboards playing softly in the background and his four adult children standing behind him&mdash;to announce that nearly four years after losing his wife Lois, he was engaged to remarry.&ldquo;God, in his sovereignty, has brought someone into my life,&rdquo; the 74-year-old told the crowd, which broke]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tony-evans-brings-up-the-mixed-emotions-of-remarriage-after-loss/</link><pubDate>Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tony-evans-brings-up-the-mixed-emotions-of-remarriage-after-loss/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do Artsakh’s Armenians Need More or Less ‘Christian’ Advocacy?]]></title><description><![CDATA[As humanitarian aid&mdash;and Azerbaijan&rsquo;s attacks&mdash;return to the Caucasus enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, religious freedom advocates debate the merits of emphasizing religion.It was almost a good news story.After nine months of blockade, humanitarian aid finally reached the Armenian Christians of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday. But almost immediately, ending three years of tense ceasefire after a 2020 war, Azerbaijan renewed on Tuesday its military assault on the mountainous Caucasus encla]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/do-artsakhs-armenians-need-more-or-less-christian-advocacy/</link><pubDate>Wed, 20 Sep 2023 20:55:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/do-artsakhs-armenians-need-more-or-less-christian-advocacy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Unable to Find Ultimate Truth in Zen Buddhism, I Turned to Jesus]]></title><description><![CDATA[I thought I needed to try harder at meditation. What I really needed was the Holy Spirit to enlighten me.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/unable-to-find-ultimate-truth-in-zen-buddhism-i-turned-to-jesus/</link><pubDate>Wed, 20 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/unable-to-find-ultimate-truth-in-zen-buddhism-i-turned-to-jesus/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christians Seek to Expand Holy Land Tours to Include Christians]]></title><description><![CDATA[Arab believers want American visitors to see the &ldquo;living stones&rdquo; in Israel.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-seek-to-expand-holy-land-tours-to-include-christians/</link><pubDate>Tue, 19 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-seek-to-expand-holy-land-tours-to-include-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Senator Demands to Know if World Vision Is Funding Terrorism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Christian aid organization says it is not and defends former director sentenced to prison in Israel.Senator Chuck Grassley is concerned that World Vision International may have funded terrorism with US taxpayers&rsquo; money.The long-serving legislator from Iowa sent the Christian humanitarian aid organization a letter last month asking for answers to a number of questions about funding, current programs, and accountability. World Vision received $491 million from US Agency for International Dev]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/senator-demands-to-know-if-world-vision-is-funding-terrorism/</link><pubDate>Tue, 19 Sep 2023 16:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/senator-demands-to-know-if-world-vision-is-funding-terrorism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[All About That Tenor: Why Men Don’t Sing in Worship]]></title><description><![CDATA[Music experts say we don't need more "manly songs," but we do need to help lower voices find their placeThe 1910 edition of the YMCA songbook, Manly Songs for Christian Men, has no foreword or introduction, just a brief explanation on the title page: &ldquo;A collection of Sacred Songs adapted to the needs of Male Singers. For use in Adult Bible Classes, Y.M.C.A. Meetings and all gatherings of men for religious work and worship.&rdquo;The first song is &ldquo;For the Man of Galilee,&rdquo; which]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-about-that-tenor-why-men-dont-sing-in-worship/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-about-that-tenor-why-men-dont-sing-in-worship/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[DeSantis Partners with Pastors in Attempt to Gain on Trump]]></title><description><![CDATA[Even with his new faith coalition and bolder pro-life convictions, few evangelicals are stepping away from the former president and GOP frontrunner.Ron DeSantis is putting his Christian convictions forward as he tries to gain ground with evangelical voters, who continue to favor former president Donald Trump.&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how you could be a leader without having faith in God,&rdquo; the Florida governor told hundreds gathered for the Family Research Council&rsquo;s Pray Vote Stand Su]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/desantis-partners-with-pastors-in-attempt-to-gain-on-trump/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:48:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/desantis-partners-with-pastors-in-attempt-to-gain-on-trump/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Middle Ground Leads to Nowhere]]></title><description><![CDATA[Neutrality doesn&rsquo;t work in church. But we can recover the heart of our faith.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-middle-ground-leads-to-nowhere/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-middle-ground-leads-to-nowhere/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Makoto Fujimura: Tim Keller’s Message to ‘Love the City’ Motivated Me as an Artist]]></title><description><![CDATA[How I found renewal through the late pastor&rsquo;s ministry.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/makoto-fujimura-tim-kellers-message-to-love-the-city-motivated-me-as-an-artist/</link><pubDate>Mon, 18 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/makoto-fujimura-tim-kellers-message-to-love-the-city-motivated-me-as-an-artist/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jesus Paid It All. There’s Still So Much We Owe.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Why the call to good works goes hand in hand with the free gift of grace.I recently had a gospel conversation with an agnostic woman who is seriously considering the claims of Christ. On a purely intellectual level, she finds the Christian worldview compelling. She admits that Christian theism offers a better rational explanation of the natural world and a better grounding for moral virtue than the more rigid brand of atheism she formerly espoused.But a deeper, more existential issue bothers her]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-paid-it-all-theres-still-so-much-we-owe/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-paid-it-all-theres-still-so-much-we-owe/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Single Christian Women Are Much More Than Their Wombs]]></title><description><![CDATA[The early church elevated females for their faith witness, not their fertility. We should do the same today.Single women are having a rough go of it lately. Their growing numbers are blamed for the rise of &ldquo;woke&rdquo; politics, millennial selfishness, and even incel culture. In some Christian circles, single women are reminded (in case they forgot) to marry and have children, even with a gender imbalance among unmarried Christians, and even though they&rsquo;re discouraged from dating out]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/single-christian-women-are-much-more-than-their-wombs/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 19:32:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/single-christian-women-are-much-more-than-their-wombs/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Myanmar’s Christians: As Our Churches Burn and People Flee, We Need the US’s Help]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Biden administration and the global church can do more to help the Chin people in Myanmar.On Monday, we will hold a congressional briefing at the Senate offices about the worsening situation facing Christians in Myanmar, particularly the Chin people. We hope that the US government will determine the attacks on Christians in Myanmar as war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that American Christians will speak out for their brothers and sisters in the country.Christian ethnic minorities i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/myanmars-christians-as-our-churches-burn-and-people-flee-we-need-the-uss-help/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/myanmars-christians-as-our-churches-burn-and-people-flee-we-need-the-uss-help/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Morocco Earthquake Moves Marginalized Churches to Christian Charity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Their faith unrecognized by the government, local believers serve displaced neighbors seeking shelter and the will of God.Local and foreign Christians have joined in relief efforts following last week&rsquo;s massive earthquake in Morocco.Nearly 3,000 people have died, with more than 5,000 injured. Registering 6.8 on the Richter scale, it is the North African nation&rsquo;s most powerful quake since 1969 and its deadliest since 1960.But far from the epicenter near the historic city of Marrakesh,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/morocco-earthquake-moves-marginalized-churches-to-christian-charity/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/morocco-earthquake-moves-marginalized-churches-to-christian-charity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wheaton College Releases Report on Its History of Racism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Task force and trustees call for community repentance, starting with a change to the name of the library.Wheaton College embraced racist attitudes that &ldquo;created an inhospitable and sometimes hostile campus environment for persons of color,&rdquo; according to a 122-page review of the school&rsquo;s history released by trustees today.Though the flagship evangelical institution was founded by abolitionists, over the next century and a half it turned away from concerns about racial equality.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wheaton-college-releases-report-on-its-history-of-racism/</link><pubDate>Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/wheaton-college-releases-report-on-its-history-of-racism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Church Is Life Together or Not at All]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s time for evangelicals to rediscover Bonhoeffer&rsquo;s best-known work on the nature of Christian community.Dechurching is upon America, and everything from religious abuse to apathy to digital media have been named as culprits. This conversation has created many hypotheses, and as many implausible solutions. But most of the analyses of evangelical dechurching miss the deeper problem: an anemic church theology taught and modeled to churchgoers. The call to dechurching may, in fact, be]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-is-life-together-or-not-at-all/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-is-life-together-or-not-at-all/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Honor Thy Church Mothers&amp;mdash;with Wages]]></title><description><![CDATA[Despite their crucial role in congregational life, 83 percent of women&rsquo;s ministry leaders remain unpaid.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/honor-thy-church-mothersampmdashwith-wages/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2023 19:22:32 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/honor-thy-church-mothersampmdashwith-wages/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[More Than Manipur: Tribal Christians Divided by Borders Yet United in Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Kuki share ancestry with the Chin in Myanmar and the Mizo in India&rsquo;s Mizoram, all of whom have a history of Christianity and turmoil.The ongoing attacks against the minority Kuki tribe by violent mobs in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur has brought attention to this mostly Christian people group. Since May, more than 180 people have been killed, hundreds of churches have been destroyed, and thousands have been displaced as the Hindu-majority Meitei people, who live in the lowla]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-than-manipur-tribal-christians-divided-by-borders-yet-united-in-faith/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/more-than-manipur-tribal-christians-divided-by-borders-yet-united-in-faith/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Esau McCaulley: The Streets Sent Me to the Pulpit]]></title><description><![CDATA[But then my path to preaching took an unexpected turn.My sophomore year of high school, I met a girl at a party. We talked on the phone for a few weeks before finally setting a date to meet up again. She lived in the Lincoln Park projects in Huntsville, Alabama. I relied on her directions when I drove to pick her up, but I couldn&rsquo;t find her house. Before giving up, I decided to get out and walk, in case she spotted me.That was a mistake. The locals noticed my car circling their block, and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/esau-mccaulley-the-streets-sent-me-to-the-pulpit/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2023 17:18:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/esau-mccaulley-the-streets-sent-me-to-the-pulpit/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Meow]]></title><description><![CDATA[I used to hate cats. Now my pet is a daily reminder of God&rsquo;s generosity to me.I&rsquo;ve hated cats all my life. Well, maybe not all my life. My mom has a picture of me, maybe six years old, playing with kittens in my grandpa&rsquo;s barn, and I remember begging to take that little furball home. But my mom hated cats, and I soon did too.My husband&rsquo;s family had a cat, and when we were dating, I shuddered whenever I visited. The creature was unbearably forward and gross. I was convince]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amazing-grace-how-sweet-the-meow/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2023 17:14:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amazing-grace-how-sweet-the-meow/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Did the Bible Become a Political Prop?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Kaitlyn Schiess traces the misuse of Scripture in American politics and encourages us to bring deeper discipleship to our political engagement.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-did-the-bible-become-a-political-prop/</link><pubDate>Thu, 14 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-did-the-bible-become-a-political-prop/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Problem with Anti-Anti-Christian Nationalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Moderate Christian nationalists shouldn't be smeared. But neither should extremism be defended.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-problem-with-anti-anti-christian-nationalism/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-problem-with-anti-anti-christian-nationalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Russian Evangelicals React to Moscow’s Most Wanted Baptist]]></title><description><![CDATA[Former head of Baptist Union flees abroad as the first Protestant charged for opposing the war in Ukraine. His level of support back home is mixed.Yuri Sipko is the first to fall.The 71-year-old former president of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists has been one of the few Russian religious leaders to publicly denounce the war in Ukraine. Although secular activists and a few Orthodox priests have been imprisoned for similar opposition, until last month no evangelicals had been]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/russian-evangelicals-react-to-moscows-most-wanted-baptist/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Sep 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/russian-evangelicals-react-to-moscows-most-wanted-baptist/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jake Tapper Says Reality Is Stranger than Fiction]]></title><description><![CDATA[The CNN anchor and novelist joins Moore to discuss faith, fiction, and former presidents.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jake-tapper-says-reality-is-stranger-than-fiction/</link><pubDate>Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jake-tapper-says-reality-is-stranger-than-fiction/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Talk to a Christian-Curious Agnostic]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new breed of secular seeker is replacing the New Atheists. But how can we reach them?The cultural ground is shifting when it comes to religion, atheism, and Christianity in the West. Three recent stories in my social media feed are a reminder how quickly it's happening.Richard Dawkins, the world-famous atheist, has been doubling down on his criticism of the transgender movement and progressive ideologies in general. The popular podcast host Joe Rogan, whose show receives over 190 million downl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-talk-to-a-christian-curious-agnostic/</link><pubDate>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-talk-to-a-christian-curious-agnostic/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Do Christians Belong in Southeast Asia? Pew Polled Buddhists and Muslims]]></title><description><![CDATA[[UPDATED] New religion survey of 13,000 adults across six nations examines conversion, karma, and compatibility with national identity.Among its neighbors, Singapore is a spiritual anomaly. Surrounded by deeply religious countries with overwhelming Muslim or Buddhist majorities, the island city-state is by some measures the world&rsquo;s most religiously diverse society, with no single faith composing a majority.Today, two out of three Singaporeans don&rsquo;t see religion as very important. Yet]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/do-christians-belong-in-southeast-asia-pew-polled-buddhists-and-muslims/</link><pubDate>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/do-christians-belong-in-southeast-asia-pew-polled-buddhists-and-muslims/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Christians Can Break the Stronghold of a Curse-Informed Worldview]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Nigerian pastor refuses to live his life by this framework&mdash;and he wants to help the African church get there too.Godwin Adeboye saw something interesting where residents of Ibadan, a city in southwest Nigeria, were dumping their garbage.At one location where people left trash, the government had posted a sign saying, &ldquo;Do not drop your refuse here. If you do so, the government will charge you.&rdquo;In another spot, someone else had written a different message: &ldquo;If you put you]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-christians-can-break-the-stronghold-of-a-curse-informed-worldview/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-christians-can-break-the-stronghold-of-a-curse-informed-worldview/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[4 in 10 Evangelicals Say They’ve Been Visited by the Dead]]></title><description><![CDATA[Despite Scripture&rsquo;s warning against communication from beyond the grave, most consider hearing from loved ones to be a comfort in their grief.<br />
Last summer, Heather Beville felt something she hadn&rsquo;t in a long time: a hug from her sister Jessica, who died at age 30 from cancer.In a dream, &ldquo;I hugged her and I could feel her, even though I knew in my logic that she was dead,&rdquo; she said. She immediately texted a group chat with her close friends, including her husband and her p]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/4-in-10-evangelicals-say-theyve-been-visited-by-the-dead/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/4-in-10-evangelicals-say-theyve-been-visited-by-the-dead/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Yorkers Watch as Their Only Evangelical Colleges Close]]></title><description><![CDATA[The abrupt departure of Alliance University and The King&rsquo;s College leaves a hole in an influential city.Don&rsquo;t you love New York in the fall?&rdquo; says Joe Fox in the classic romantic movie You&rsquo;ve Got Mail. &ldquo;It makes me want to buy school supplies.&rdquo;But students seeking a New York City fall at an evangelical college are now out of luck. There are no more schools affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges &amp; Universities (CCCU) operating in the city after]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-yorkers-watch-as-their-only-evangelical-colleges-close/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-yorkers-watch-as-their-only-evangelical-colleges-close/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sticking Out and Fitting In as an Asian American Believer]]></title><description><![CDATA[Theologian Michelle Lee-Barnewall reflects on her ethnic identity and her identity in Christ.We live in a world where race relations receive near-constant attention. Conversations about race permeate our politics, schools, universities, sporting events, concerts, health services&mdash;and our churches as well. And yet in public discourse, complex and wide-reaching issues of race are often reduced to the simple binary of Black versus white.But where does this leave other ethnicities that don&rsqu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sticking-out-and-fitting-in-as-an-asian-american-believer/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sticking-out-and-fitting-in-as-an-asian-american-believer/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Handle Toxic Friendships]]></title><description><![CDATA[3 tools to help us develop empathy.Eight years ago, my younger brother, Timothy D. Kim, was murdered. Tim and I didn&rsquo;t always get along or agree on everything; we were very different. But Tim had so many good qualities. We shared lots of laughs and love. My heart grieves whenever I hear that siblings are no longer on speaking terms.Even within nuclear families, we are divided over every topic under the sun&mdash;politics, science, immigration, gender, race, climate&mdash;to the point where]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-handle-toxic-friendships/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-handle-toxic-friendships/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Culture War Is Not Spiritual Warfare]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our ideological opponents are not the enemy.Someone who grew up in a more liberal religious tradition than mine once told me the sermons in his church were always boring, especially on Easter Sunday. &ldquo;That was the day the pastor had to deal with the Resurrection,&rdquo; a doctrine about which he was at best squeamish and at worst skeptical. &ldquo;We would have to wait to see what metaphor the Resurrection turned out to be&mdash;one year it was restarting one&rsquo;s life afresh, another w]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/culture-war-is-not-spiritual-warfare/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/culture-war-is-not-spiritual-warfare/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI Will Shape Your Soul]]></title><description><![CDATA[But how is up to us.It&rsquo;s summer in Silicon Valley, and I&rsquo;m out for a jog in my neighborhood. It&rsquo;s the most beautiful time of year: blossoming orange trees, beds thick with poppies, palm-sized roses in fuchsia and lemon. There&rsquo;s a trickle of water in the creek, temperatures are cooler than previous summers, and we&rsquo;re optimistic about this year&rsquo;s fire season.When I&rsquo;m nearly home, I come across an SUV with whirring sensors affixed to its top and sides, tryi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ai-will-shape-your-soul/</link><pubDate>Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ai-will-shape-your-soul/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In a World of Speed and Power, Cormac McCarthy Wasn’t Afraid of Depth]]></title><description><![CDATA[The late novelist&rsquo;s final books are ambitious portraits of the Western world and the human soul.In the Middle Ages, there was a popular group of texts that made up the so-called contemptus mundi genre (which, loosely translated, could mean &ldquo;how to develop a visceral disdain for the world&rdquo;). One of the genre&rsquo;s most famous works is Thomas &agrave; Kempis&rsquo;s Imitation of Christ. These rather &ldquo;Platonic&rdquo; works, in the sense of being in the vein of the philosop]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-a-world-of-speed-and-power-cormac-mccarthy-wasnt-afraid-of-depth/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-a-world-of-speed-and-power-cormac-mccarthy-wasnt-afraid-of-depth/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[It’s Eden Somewhere]]></title><description><![CDATA[The late Jimmy Buffett&rsquo;s songs and the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien both long for a home just beyond reach.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.One cannot imagine Jimmy Buffett and J. R. R. Tolkien in a room together, sharing a &ldquo;cheeseburger in paradise&rdquo; at The Eagle and Child. Tolkien was drawn to &ldquo;northernness,&rdquo; to Icelandic myths and elvish languages. Buffett captured the breezy exuberance of Caribbean rum. And yet both merge]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-eden-somewhere/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2023 17:44:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-eden-somewhere/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Singleness Is Not a Sin]]></title><description><![CDATA[But in Scripture, church history, and singles' own accounts of their lives, it's usually not a good thing, either.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singleness-is-not-a-sin/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/singleness-is-not-a-sin/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Russian Pastor Spoke Out Against Putin’s Invasion. It Cost Him His Church.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mikhail Manzurin prayed for Ukraine during church services and eventually fled to the United States.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-russian-pastor-spoke-out-against-putins-invasion-it-cost-him-his-church/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-russian-pastor-spoke-out-against-putins-invasion-it-cost-him-his-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Politician Awaits Finnish Court&rsquo;s Verdict on Hate Speech Charges&amp;mdash;Again]]></title><description><![CDATA[P&auml;ivi R&auml;s&auml;nen says quoting the Bible should not be a crime in a democracy.The facts are the same. The arguments, the same. But for two days in an appeals court in Helsinki, prosecution and defense rehashed the arguments that previously cleared Finnish politician P&auml;ivi R&auml;s&auml;nen and Evangelical Lutheran Mission bishop Juhana Pohjola of charges of criminal incitement against a minority group.State prosecutors argued there was a mistake last March. They say the district]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-politician-awaits-finnish-courtrsquos-verdict-on-hate-speech-chargesampmdashagain/</link><pubDate>Fri, 08 Sep 2023 14:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-politician-awaits-finnish-courtrsquos-verdict-on-hate-speech-chargesampmdashagain/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The People of Dog: Christians Own More Canines Than Cats]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;I think there's a theological argument there that we're doing what God designed us to do by taking care of animals.&rdquo;Three quarters of pet-owning Christians (75%) in the US have dogs, while less than half (43%) possess cats.That&rsquo;s according to a Pew Research Center report released this summer. In religious breakouts provided to CT, figures showed that twice as many Christian pet owners (53%) only own dogs while less than a quarter (21%) exclusively own cats. About 1 in 5 (22%)]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-people-of-dog-christians-own-more-canines-than-cats/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-people-of-dog-christians-own-more-canines-than-cats/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How the Grand Canyon of China Became a Christian Land]]></title><description><![CDATA[British missionary James O. Fraser overcame depression to help give the Lisu a written language, translate the Bible, and make them renowned hymn singers.In the remote mountains and ancient forests of China&rsquo;s Nujiang Grand Canyon, near the Myanmar and Tibet borders in Yunnan province, live the Lisu people (&#20616;&#20723;&#26063;).One of the country&rsquo;s 55 ethnic minorities, the community of about 900,000 is majority (80%) Christian, and the faith has been present among the people for]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-grand-canyon-of-china-became-a-christian-land/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2023 21:02:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-the-grand-canyon-of-china-became-a-christian-land/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Since When Did Pleasing God Become an Unattainable Ideal?]]></title><description><![CDATA[His servants aren&rsquo;t meant to feel like spiritual failures.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/since-when-did-pleasing-god-become-an-unattainable-ideal/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/since-when-did-pleasing-god-become-an-unattainable-ideal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Investigation: Mike Pilavachi ‘Used Spiritual Authority to Control People’]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Church of England concluded that the Soul Survivor founder engaged in spiritual abuse over four decades.<br />
One of the most influential leaders in British evangelicalism used his spiritual authority to control people, exhibiting &ldquo;coercive behavior&rdquo; that led to inappropriate relationships, wrestling, and massages, the Church of England has concluded.The church&rsquo;s investigation into allegations of harmful behavior by Mike Pilavachi, the founder of the Soul Survivor youth festival]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/investigation-mike-pilavachi-used-spiritual-authority-to-control-people/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:31:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/investigation-mike-pilavachi-used-spiritual-authority-to-control-people/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Dust to Lunch: Jordanian Christians Decry Cost of Funeral Feast]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tribal hospitality demands feeding the 500. But believers pinched by poverty call for cultural changes that still preserve honor.To honor the dead in Jordan, one must feed the living. But in solidarity with the poor, leading Christians are calling for a change in funeral customs.Shared with wider Muslim society, certain Christian practices are similar to Western norms.Upon the announcement of death, the bereaved family makes arrangements through the church to conduct a memorial service. The cask]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/from-dust-to-lunch-jordanian-christians-decry-cost-of-funeral-feast/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2023 15:47:47 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/from-dust-to-lunch-jordanian-christians-decry-cost-of-funeral-feast/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastors, There’s a Ministry in Staying Put]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the best gifts you can give your church is not leaving too soon.It&rsquo;s no secret that the pastoral profession is in a state of crisis. Pastors today are burned out, and many reached a breaking point in the past few years. A third have considered quitting ministry, and even those who haven&rsquo;t are running on empty&mdash;not to mention one in four are planning to retire soon.Pastors today face a multitude of burdens and demands, including the expectation to perform and succeed at a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-theres-a-ministry-in-staying-put/</link><pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2023 13:20:22 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-theres-a-ministry-in-staying-put/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[All the Lonely People in the Building]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hulu&rsquo;s whodunit is stubbornly pro-community in an isolated age.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-the-lonely-people-in-the-building/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Sep 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/all-the-lonely-people-in-the-building/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Worship Artists Who Skip Labels Still Need Support]]></title><description><![CDATA[An emerging infrastructure offers indie musicians help with streaming and marketing without signing away their music rights.<br />
Worship artists who eschew traditional label contracts are drawn to the creative freedom and ownership of their music&mdash;but not to the administrative load that comes with marketing and distributing their work.As the streaming era has opened new doors for a wider array of worship musicians to make a living outside commercial deals, a new infrastructure is forming to hel]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-artists-who-skip-labels-still-need-support/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-artists-who-skip-labels-still-need-support/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Atheism Is Dead. What’s the New New Atheism?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Far fewer British people agree with vitriolic assertions about religion. Still, disbelief in God is on the rise in both the UK and the US.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-atheism-is-dead-whats-the-new-new-atheism/</link><pubDate>Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-atheism-is-dead-whats-the-new-new-atheism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Men Are from Right-Leaning Mars. Women Are from Lefty Venus.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The sexes are trending in different political directions. Here&rsquo;s what the church can do about it.&ldquo;Does it feel like everyone in your church is getting more liberal?&rdquo;Someone posed this question at a recent get-together of evangelical pastors that I attended in the Nashville area. The person raising it had recently discovered that most of the young women in his congregation were not onboard with the church&rsquo;s complementarian convictions.Just a few minutes prior, I&rsquo;d sp]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/men-are-from-right-leaning-mars-women-are-from-lefty-venus/</link><pubDate>Tue, 05 Sep 2023 18:23:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/men-are-from-right-leaning-mars-women-are-from-lefty-venus/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: ‘Jesus Calling’ Devotional Author Sarah Young]]></title><description><![CDATA[The missionary wife&rsquo;s &ldquo;listening prayers&rdquo; comforted and inspired millions.Sarah Young, a devotional author who wrote in Jesus&rsquo; voice and became one of the most-read evangelicals of the 21st century, has died at 77.The wife of a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) missionary to Japanese people, Young suffered from Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses that sometimes forced her to stay in her room for 20 hours a day. In her isolation, she started to practice &ldquo;list]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-jesus-calling-devotional-author-sarah-young/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Sep 2023 21:55:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-jesus-calling-devotional-author-sarah-young/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When American Evangelicals Needed a Reputational Boost, They Turned to South Korean Evangelicals]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the second half of the 20th century, each group used the other as a ticket to legitimacy at home and abroad.On June 3, 1973, Billy Graham preached before 1.1 million people at his largest crusade. This event did not occur in America&rsquo;s heartland or a major American metropolitan center like Los Angeles or New York. Instead, it took place in the South Korean capital of Seoul.Next to Graham on the platform, acting as his translator, was Billy Kim, a South Korean evangelist who, like the rev]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-american-evangelicals-needed-a-reputational-boost-they-turned-to-south-korean-evangelicals/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Sep 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-american-evangelicals-needed-a-reputational-boost-they-turned-to-south-korean-evangelicals/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Used ChatGPT for Six Months to Help My Pastoral Ministry. Here’s What Worked.]]></title><description><![CDATA[A young Taiwanese pastor shares about the opportunities and challenges AI offers to those in the ministry.Since ChatGPT became publicly accessible last year, we&rsquo;ve heard reports that artificial intelligence (AI) will replace jobs and disrupt other aspects of our lives. Such changes may not currently be apparent to individual local churches in Taiwan. But in recent months, a number of Christian thinkers have been discussing how AI might either aid or possibly replace humans when it comes to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-used-chatgpt-for-six-months-to-help-my-pastoral-ministry-heres-what-worked/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Sep 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-used-chatgpt-for-six-months-to-help-my-pastoral-ministry-heres-what-worked/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Haitian Gangs Are a Major Threat. Last Week, a Church Fought Back.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelicals lament the circumstances but say a syncretistic pastor&rsquo;s faith-driven counterattack was unwise.Vijonet D&eacute;m&eacute;ro had little patience for the Haitian pastor who led his congregation into what proved to be a deadly confrontation with local gangs last week.&ldquo;Foolishly foolish action,&rdquo; said D&eacute;m&eacute;ro, a Protestant leader and secretary general at Universit&eacute; INUFOCAD in Port-au-Prince, referencing Jesus&rsquo; words about the blind leading the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/haitian-gangs-are-a-major-threat-last-week-a-church-fought-back/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Sep 2023 14:53:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/haitian-gangs-are-a-major-threat-last-week-a-church-fought-back/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[People Get Ready]]></title><description><![CDATA[The March on Washington turns 60, marijuana edges closer to acceptance, and Jimmy Carter faces his end.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/people-get-ready/</link><pubDate>Fri, 01 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/people-get-ready/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trailer: Be Afraid]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hosted by Kutter Callaway, this podcast takes you on a journey into the heart of one of the most popular genres of contemporary film and television: horror.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trailer-be-afraid/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 20:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trailer-be-afraid/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gen X Dropouts Widen the Generational Divide among Singapore Christians]]></title><description><![CDATA[Interviews with 63 churches reveal an urgent need for greater mutuality in relationships.When I (Wei-Hao) met with Matthew in a caf&eacute; in eastern Singapore to talk about generational divides in the church, he was very relaxed, jovial, and candid until the issue of church leadership came up. I knew I had touched a raw nerve when he leaned back, folded his arms, and sighed, saying, &ldquo;This is a conversation that I often have with some friends. A lot of us are struggling to convince our le]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gen-x-dropouts-widen-the-generational-divide-among-singapore-christians/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 20:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/gen-x-dropouts-widen-the-generational-divide-among-singapore-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As Mongolia Catholics Welcome Francis, Evangelicals Wrestle with Growing Pains]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recent revival has brought Protestant churches more members. But what Mongolian Christian leaders want most is more disciples.When Mongolia opened up in 1990 after seven decades of Communist rule, the country had only four known Christians.Heavy religious suppression under the Mongolian People&rsquo;s Republic had all but wiped out Christianity in the country, where the population was then about 2.1 million. But even before that, the faith had failed to secure a lasting foothold among the nomadi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-mongolia-catholics-welcome-francis-evangelicals-wrestle-with-growing-pains/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-mongolia-catholics-welcome-francis-evangelicals-wrestle-with-growing-pains/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastors with ADHD Can Burn Out or Shine]]></title><description><![CDATA[A swath of energetic, charismatic ministry leaders fight for focus.For years, Americans had an easy default when they thought of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): It was the stereotype of a distracted kid goofing off at a game or a fidgety student losing interest in class.No one imagined a middle-aged pastor trying to finish his sermon draft late Saturday night.But as rates of ADHD continue to rise&mdash;with an uptick in diagnoses among women and adults&mdash;the picture of the d]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-with-adhd-can-burn-out-or-shine/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-with-adhd-can-burn-out-or-shine/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why the World Seems So Resentful]]></title><description><![CDATA[The German philosopher Hartmut Rosa&rsquo;s concept of &lsquo;resonance&rsquo; offers a way through the current malaise.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.A friend told me about a mutual acquaintance who was always a happy, kind person, but who now&mdash;at least in some contexts&mdash;seems filled with anger and fear. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like I&rsquo;m hearing the same voice,&rdquo; my friend said, &ldquo;but now he seems so resentful that I sometimes won]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-the-world-seems-so-resentful/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-the-world-seems-so-resentful/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Then Should Men Live?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our culture won&rsquo;t say what a man should be. The church can.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-then-should-men-live/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-then-should-men-live/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Disrupting Hollywood with ‘Sound of Freedom’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Angel Studios cofounder Jeffrey Harmon on the making and marketing of &ldquo;The Chosen&rdquo; and of the summer&rsquo;s biggest film not named &ldquo;Barbie&rdquo; or &ldquo;Oppenheimer.&rdquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/disrupting-hollywood-with-sound-of-freedom/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/disrupting-hollywood-with-sound-of-freedom/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tim Keller: The Pastor of Record]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tim Keller didn&rsquo;t court the approval of &lsquo;secular elites,&rsquo; but he did serve as a parson in their neighborhood.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tim-keller-the-pastor-of-record/</link><pubDate>Thu, 31 Aug 2023 06:35:34 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tim-keller-the-pastor-of-record/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In This House We Believe Creeds Are for Church, Not Politics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Vivek Ramaswamy&rsquo;s right-wing satire of the popular progressive yard sign has the same flaws as its target.Vivek Ramaswamy emails me, as does half the Republican presidential primary field, because I am on the mailing list of a GOP fundraising outfit that does not honor unsubscribe requests.Ramaswamy&rsquo;s latest email stood out from the daily deluge, though, for the simplicity of its conceit.&ldquo;I am not afraid to say these truths,&rdquo; ran the subject line. Inside, the fundraising]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-this-house-we-believe-creeds-are-for-church-not-politics/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Aug 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-this-house-we-believe-creeds-are-for-church-not-politics/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Covenant Families Frustrated by Tennessee’s Failure to Pass New Gun Laws]]></title><description><![CDATA[Special legislative session ends without measures to prevent mass shootings at schools.They hoped the Tennessee legislature would listen to them. They hoped the elected representatives would do something&mdash;something&mdash;to make their kids safer.But at the end of the special session in Nashville on Tuesday, The Covenant School parents&rsquo; hopes were dashed. The legislature didn&rsquo;t even vote on the bills that the families of children who survived a Nashville school shooting in March]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/covenant-families-frustrated-by-tennessees-failure-to-pass-new-gun-laws/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Aug 2023 19:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/covenant-families-frustrated-by-tennessees-failure-to-pass-new-gun-laws/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Skipped Church for Three Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[My spiritual loneliness brought me back.Faith and church have been tough for a lot of people coming out of the pandemic. I&rsquo;m one of them. The last three years ushered my wife and I through two job changes, a cross-country move, and months spent hunkered inside, trying to keep our young children healthy and ourselves sane. By the time the world began to reopen, so much felt different.Until recently, I could count on one hand the number of times I&rsquo;d physically attended a church service]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-skipped-church-for-three-years/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Aug 2023 18:19:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-skipped-church-for-three-years/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Have China’s Christians Peaked? Pew Researches the Data Debate]]></title><description><![CDATA[New report examines the challenges of measuring religion among Chinese Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and other beliefs.Christianity&rsquo;s growth in China has stalled since 2010.That&rsquo;s according to a new Pew Research Center report measuring religion in China published today. In 2010, approximately 23.2 million adults in China self-identified as Christian. In 2018, 19.9 million adults did so, which Pew researchers say is not a &ldquo;statistically significant gap.&rdquo;Among]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/have-chinas-christians-peaked-pew-researches-the-data-debate/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Aug 2023 17:01:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/have-chinas-christians-peaked-pew-researches-the-data-debate/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Pastor Friend Likes Trump’s Border Policy. He Also Shelters Migrants.]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s politically convenient to treat migrants as &ldquo;invaders.&rdquo; But here in West Texas, reality is more complicated.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-pastor-friend-likes-trumps-border-policy-he-also-shelters-migrants/</link><pubDate>Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-pastor-friend-likes-trumps-border-policy-he-also-shelters-migrants/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastor in Trump Indictment Released After Supporters Cover His Bail]]></title><description><![CDATA[Illinois pastor Stephen Lee was back in church on Sunday, thanks in part to fundraising help from a Christian advocacy group.Living Word Lutheran Church in suburban Chicago had expected to be without its pastor on Sunday since he surrendered to authorities in Georgia days before.Chaplain Stephen Lee bought a one-way ticket to Atlanta and turned himself in Friday on charges related to election interference, the last of 18 people indicted along with former president Donald Trump. He wore a clerica]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastor-in-trump-indictment-released-after-supporters-cover-his-bail/</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastor-in-trump-indictment-released-after-supporters-cover-his-bail/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brazilian Young People Love Jesus and Are Hungry for a Deeper Faith]]></title><description><![CDATA[According to a recent Barna report, nearly 75 percent of Brazilian teenagers say they want to learn more about Christ.<br />
At just 14 years old, Lav&iacute;nia Fernandes competes with the other young people in her church, located in Recife, Pernambuco, northeast Brazil, to see who can bring the most friends from school to the Saturday services. There are now more than 10 people from her class at school who started attending church through her.&ldquo;My friends comment that I became kinder and happie]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brazilian-young-people-love-jesus-and-are-hungry-for-a-deeper-faith/</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/brazilian-young-people-love-jesus-and-are-hungry-for-a-deeper-faith/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Young Men Need a Model Not an ‘Übermensch’]]></title><description><![CDATA[The church can&rsquo;t compete with &ldquo;manosphere&rdquo; influencers. But it doesn&rsquo;t have to.The plight of young American men has become a serious concern of late. They&rsquo;re earning fewer college degrees compared to women, falling out of the labor market, and dying from overdose or suicide more often than women. Many are addicted to porn, video games, or online outrage.They&rsquo;re &ldquo;trying on new identities, many of them ugly, all gesturing toward a desire to belong,&rdquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/young-men-need-a-model-not-an-bermensch/</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:36:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/young-men-need-a-model-not-an-bermensch/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Put Off Your Old Self-Making]]></title><description><![CDATA[An interview with author Tara Isabella Burton on the history of self-creation&mdash;and how the habit usurps our need for God.One of my most recent posts on Instagram is a picture of a loaf of bread I baked. I baked it because I like bread, especially fresh bread, hot out of a 450-degree oven and covered in far too much butter. But why, exactly, did I post the picture on Instagram?It&rsquo;s a nice-enough loaf, but I&rsquo;ve no great baking talent. Part of my motive was simple enthusiasm for wo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/put-off-your-old-self-making/</link><pubDate>Tue, 29 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/put-off-your-old-self-making/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Everything Bad Is Going to Come Untrue’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tim Keller: We often seek short-term satisfaction. But what Jesus offers is far better.The governor and mayor, whether they know it or not, are using the gospel story line. It&rsquo;s the best one there is. The moralistic story line is, &ldquo;We are the good people; you are the bad people.&rdquo; That doesn&rsquo;t really help much in the long run. When your stance is, &ldquo;We are the good people. We have been telling you that you have been sinning, and now you finally got what you deserved,&]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/everything-bad-is-going-to-come-untrue/</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/everything-bad-is-going-to-come-untrue/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Keller’s Death, Redeemer Members Carry on His Small Church Vision]]></title><description><![CDATA[The New York pastor never wanted to build a megachurch.Redeemer Presbyterian Church&rsquo;s building on West 83rd Street in Manhattan does not call attention to itself. The Crunch gym next door has a bigger, louder sign and doors plastered with offers for memberships. Redeemer&rsquo;s building of glass and neutral brick blends into the buildings around it, except that if you look up, a cross shoots up above the fifth story. The church&rsquo;s founding pastor, Tim Keller, was reluctant to even bu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-kellers-death-redeemer-members-carry-on-his-small-church-vision/</link><pubDate>Mon, 28 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-kellers-death-redeemer-members-carry-on-his-small-church-vision/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Politicians, You Keep Saying ‘City on A Hill’]]></title><description><![CDATA[But it doesn&rsquo;t mean what you think it means.At the first Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election, the last biblical reference of the night was also its most significant&mdash;and the most often misunderstood.&ldquo;In his pitch to get to the Oval Office, President Reagan called America the &lsquo;shining city on a hill,&rsquo; a beacon of hope and optimism,&rdquo; prompted moderator Bret Baier.&ldquo;So, in your closing statement tonight, please tell American voters why]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/politicians-you-keep-saying-city-on-a-hill/</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Aug 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/politicians-you-keep-saying-city-on-a-hill/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is HGTV Harming Our Hospitality?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A trendy, perfectly furnished home is not required to be useful for the kingdom.Our first home was my in-laws&rsquo; tiny cottage, where we stayed for free. There were unfinished walls, the floors were painted chipboard, and all our furniture was dated and used. When our first guests came by, I remember looking around, my stomach twisting with anxiety. What must they be thinking of us? I wondered if I could ever host company again&mdash;at least, not until we moved.But our next home, a small fix]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-hgtv-harming-our-hospitality/</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Aug 2023 18:32:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-hgtv-harming-our-hospitality/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Christian Vocabulary for an Exhausted Age]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reclaiming the culture wars requires reclaiming wonder.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Last week I was talking with a new believer in Christ&mdash;one who came from a thoroughly secular background&mdash;and she mentioned that some family members were really worried about her. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe you&rsquo;ve become an evangelical Christian,&rdquo; one of them said. &ldquo;How can you be for guns?&rdquo;Guns?The family member assumed that her]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-christian-vocabulary-for-an-exhausted-age/</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Aug 2023 16:53:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-christian-vocabulary-for-an-exhausted-age/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nothing Compares 2 U]]></title><description><![CDATA[Presidential hopefuls debate, Trump talks to Tucker, and Daniel shares what&rsquo;s weird.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nothing-compares-2-u/</link><pubDate>Fri, 25 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nothing-compares-2-u/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The French Are Religious About Summer Vacation. Are They Religious During It?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some Christian ministries take a break. Others try to reach an increasingly secular population on holiday.<br />
The &Eacute;glise &Eacute;vangelique de Houlgate is situated in the charming and quiet town of Houlgate, two hours from Paris on the Normandy coast. With its red brick exterior from the 1950s, the Protestant church sits in an ideal location&mdash;visible at the entrance to the town and overlooking the beach&mdash;for a perfect escape from the fast-paced life of Paris.Houlgate has 1,711 year]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-french-are-religious-about-summer-vacation-are-they-religious-during-it/</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-french-are-religious-about-summer-vacation-are-they-religious-during-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Federal Court, a Baptist Judge Weighs the Future of US Immigration]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Texas suit reflects a broader evangelical debate over how many strangers are too many to welcome.Long before he was seated as a federal judge in the southern district of Texas, Drew Tipton starred in a high school musical.In 1977, when he was just ten, Tipton landed the title role in Angleton High School&rsquo;s fall play. The show was Oliver!, an adaptation of Charles Dickens&rsquo;s Oliver Twist. Pulling it off required a community-wide effort in the 10,000-person town of Angleton, Texas.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-federal-court-a-baptist-judge-weighs-the-future-of-us-immigration/</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-federal-court-a-baptist-judge-weighs-the-future-of-us-immigration/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelicals’ Theology of the Church Must Be Born Again]]></title><description><![CDATA[The &lsquo;Great Dechurching&rsquo; is an opportunity for our tradition to rediscover a more enduring ecclesiology.<br />
Most people who stopped attending evangelical churches in recent years are not &ldquo;nones&rdquo; or exvangelicals.In fact, many still self-identify as born-again Christians with perfectly orthodox Christian beliefs, according to Jim Davis and Michael Graham&rsquo;s newly released The Great Dechurching. These Christians believe in the Trinity, the atonement, and the reality of Jes]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-theology-of-the-church-must-be-born-again/</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-theology-of-the-church-must-be-born-again/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don’t Waste Your Life: How One Family Stopped Being Trashy Christians]]></title><description><![CDATA[These Tennesseans are finding ways to live without adding to the landfill. But they aren&rsquo;t finding a lot of &ldquo;zero waste&rdquo; company.Zach and Sadie McElrath&rsquo;s six-year-old daughter saw something at a store that caught her eye: a slingshot. But they didn&rsquo;t buy it for her because it would have ultimately produced landfill waste. Instead, their daughter is figuring out how to make a slingshot with a stick and rubber bands from around the house.The McElraths, based in Chatt]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-waste-your-life-how-one-family-stopped-being-trashy-christians/</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-waste-your-life-how-one-family-stopped-being-trashy-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Taiwanese Chip Maker Came to Phoenix. A Chinese Church Saw an Opportunity.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Local Christians are working together to bring the gospel to workers at the semiconductor plant.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-taiwanese-chip-maker-came-to-phoenix-a-chinese-church-saw-an-opportunity/</link><pubDate>Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-taiwanese-chip-maker-came-to-phoenix-a-chinese-church-saw-an-opportunity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[White Evangelicals Aren’t Sure About Ramaswamy. But for Indian American Christians, He’s a No-Go.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The former like the young billionaire&rsquo;s conservative politics. The latter worry about his connections to radical Hinduism.At 38 years old, Vivek Ramaswamy stands out among his fellow Republican presidential candidates for his age alone. The self-made billionaire has further set himself apart by saying he would ban social media for children, proposing to raise the voting age to 25, and espousing controversial views on 9/11. But when running in a party with a strong evangelical Christian win]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/white-evangelicals-arent-sure-about-ramaswamy-but-for-indian-american-christians-hes-a-no-go/</link><pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/white-evangelicals-arent-sure-about-ramaswamy-but-for-indian-american-christians-hes-a-no-go/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Paul Put His Own Stamp on the Ancient Pattern of Opening and Closing Letters]]></title><description><![CDATA[The apostle used his hellos and goodbyes to teach, bless, and worship.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/paul-put-his-own-stamp-on-the-ancient-pattern-of-opening-and-closing-letters/</link><pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/paul-put-his-own-stamp-on-the-ancient-pattern-of-opening-and-closing-letters/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[2024 Sets the Stage for a New Kind of Abortion Debate]]></title><description><![CDATA[Four issues on evangelicals&rsquo; minds as the Republican presidential race moves forward.Americans will get their best look yet at the slate of candidates vying for the GOP nomination in 2024 during the first Republican presidential debate and apre-recorded interview with former president Donald Trump, both airing Wednesday night.Evangelicals remain a key constituency for the Republican Party and for Trump in particular, who leads in most polls. But the political landscape has changed in signi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/2024-sets-the-stage-for-a-new-kind-of-abortion-debate/</link><pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/2024-sets-the-stage-for-a-new-kind-of-abortion-debate/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Losing Our Religion: David Brooks on the Allure of Tribalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[The columnist and author talks conservatism, conversion, and connection.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-david-brooks-on-the-allure-of-tribalism/</link><pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-david-brooks-on-the-allure-of-tribalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[America’s Church Authority Crisis Didn’t Start with Trump]]></title><description><![CDATA[A recent poll suggests evangelical voters trust the former president more than religious leaders. But this problem isn&rsquo;t new.The four-bar graph of the CBS/YouGov poll results, which made the rounds on social media this week, was undoubtedly crafted to go viral, and go viral it did.The chart showed that Republican primary voters who plan to back former president Donald Trump in 2024 find him to be the most trustworthy&mdash;ahead of conservative media figures, religious leaders, and even th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/americas-church-authority-crisis-didnt-start-with-trump/</link><pubDate>Tue, 22 Aug 2023 19:56:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/americas-church-authority-crisis-didnt-start-with-trump/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[With Eyes to See Addiction, Appalachian Churches Respond to the Opioids Crisis]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the toll of overdoses continue to rise, congregations provide recovery, medical care, and redemption.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/with-eyes-to-see-addiction-appalachian-churches-respond-to-the-opioids-crisis/</link><pubDate>Tue, 22 Aug 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/with-eyes-to-see-addiction-appalachian-churches-respond-to-the-opioids-crisis/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Standard Bible Finds Its Place in ‘Crowded’ Evangelical Market]]></title><description><![CDATA[The six-year-old CSB translation has recently climbed to the No. 2 spot on monthly bestseller list.<br />
One of the newest major Bible translations on the market may be securing its place among the most popular.The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) was the second most-sold Bible translation for three out of the past four months, according to data compiled by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), coming in behind the New International Version (NIV) and ahead of the English Standard Ver]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-standard-bible-finds-its-place-in-crowded-evangelical-market/</link><pubDate>Tue, 22 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-standard-bible-finds-its-place-in-crowded-evangelical-market/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Apologetics TV Ministry Loses Financial Accreditation Over Fundraising]]></title><description><![CDATA[&lsquo;The John Ankerberg Show&rsquo; kept 80 percent of money raised for audio Bibles.A television ministry with the most-watched Christian apologetics program has been ejected from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) for insufficient oversight and dishonest fundraising.The Ankerberg Theological Research Institute, which produces The John Ankerberg Show, failed to meet three ECFA standards, according to an ECFA investigation. The apologetics ministry reportedly did not h]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/apologetics-tv-ministry-loses-financial-accreditation-over-fundraising/</link><pubDate>Mon, 21 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/apologetics-tv-ministry-loses-financial-accreditation-over-fundraising/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stay the Course: How to Keep Your Faith in College]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Bible professor&rsquo;s advice for staying close to Christ on campus.Higher education has a hard road ahead. Christian colleges, in particular, are in crisis over lower enrollments, the financial constraints that come with fewer students, and larger ideological conflicts that reflect our increasingly fractured society. Data indicates that young people are the demographic most likely to leave organized religion behind.Arguably now more than ever, college is a coming-of-age time when many young]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/stay-the-course-how-to-keep-your-faith-in-college/</link><pubDate>Mon, 21 Aug 2023 19:24:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/stay-the-course-how-to-keep-your-faith-in-college/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Take Me Out to the Faith Night]]></title><description><![CDATA[More than half of MLB teams offer an annual post-game program with worship and testimony from Christian players.<br />
At 8:15 p.m. on a recent Saturday, Texas Rangers catcher Mitch Garver swung and missed at an 86-mph slider from San Diego Padres closer Josh Hader.Garver&rsquo;s strikeout secured a 4-0 victory for the home team in front of 42,677 fans at Petco Park. Three minutes later, an electric guitarist and keyboardist from The Rock Church&mdash;an evangelical megachurch in San Diego&mdash;stirr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/take-me-out-to-the-faith-night/</link><pubDate>Mon, 21 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/take-me-out-to-the-faith-night/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Repairing the Evangelical House Means Renewing the Evangelical Imagination]]></title><description><![CDATA[If our movement is ailing, argues Karen Swallow Prior, it&rsquo;s because we&rsquo;ve overlooked the importance of certain stories, symbols, and metaphors.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/repairing-the-evangelical-house-means-renewing-the-evangelical-imagination/</link><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/repairing-the-evangelical-house-means-renewing-the-evangelical-imagination/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Mind Is on God’s Mind]]></title><description><![CDATA[However ugly our thoughts, God is not scared of them.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-mind-is-on-gods-mind/</link><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-mind-is-on-gods-mind/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What a Twitter Spat Reveals about Public Religion in America]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Republican lawmaker called a Christian tweet &ldquo;bigoted.&rdquo; Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar came to religious liberty&rsquo;s defense.It started with a post on X (formerly Twitter)&mdash;an expression of Christianity with the brevity the site&rsquo;s format demands: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone.&rdquo; The poster in question was Lizzie Marbach, whose X bio describes her as a Republican political activist who lives in Ohio.Marbach&r]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-a-twitter-spat-reveals-about-public-religion-in-america/</link><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-a-twitter-spat-reveals-about-public-religion-in-america/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is the Sky Really Falling?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trump&rsquo;s fourth indictment, the Maui fires, and a TikTok video gone wild.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-the-sky-really-falling/</link><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-the-sky-really-falling/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptist EC President Resigns Over Falsified Résumé]]></title><description><![CDATA[Willie McLaurin is the third Executive Committee head in a row to step down amid controversy.<br />
Willie McLaurin, the acting president of the Southern Baptist Convention&rsquo;s Executive Committee, resigned suddenly on Thursday after admitting he had falsified his r&eacute;sum&eacute;.&ldquo;While considering McLaurin as a candidate for Floyd&rsquo;s permanent replacement, the SBC Executive Committee&rsquo;s Presidential Search Team discovered disqualifying information during their process of vett]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptist-ec-president-resigns-over-falsified-rsum/</link><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2023 02:38:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptist-ec-president-resigns-over-falsified-rsum/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mormons Expect More of the Next Generation. Why Don’t We?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our youth need more than market-driven ministry efforts.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mormons-expect-more-of-the-next-generation-why-dont-we/</link><pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2023 02:21:34 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/mormons-expect-more-of-the-next-generation-why-dont-we/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Colleges Level Up Video Game Degrees]]></title><description><![CDATA[Popular new programs focus on the power of storytelling and the potential for evangelism.Across the years&mdash;and gaming systems&mdash;Christians have engaged the realm of video games. They&rsquo;ve played, discussed, and developed games, but they haven&rsquo;t always had formal training in the theology of video games.Now, more than a dozen Christian colleges offer video game majors, minors, and concentrations, giving students called to game design the chance to learn in settings that integrat]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-colleges-level-up-video-game-degrees/</link><pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 20:18:30 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-colleges-level-up-video-game-degrees/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Capture This: How Christians Used Cameras to Expose Injustice]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photography played a key role in 19th- and 20th-century Christian outreach and missions.In the early years of the 20th century, Jacob August Riis was spotlighting the squalid New York City neighborhoods where hundreds of thousands were packed into dank and dangerous tenements. Half a world away, Alice Seeley Harris was working to expose the brutal regime terrorizing millions in the Congo Free State. In their quests to capture attention and inspire action, Riis and Harris each discovered a secret]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/capture-this-how-christians-used-cameras-to-expose-injustice/</link><pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 18:41:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/capture-this-how-christians-used-cameras-to-expose-injustice/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Oliver Anthony’s Viral Hit Doesn’t Love Its Neighbors]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Rich Men North of Richmond&rdquo; is disdainful towards people on welfare. Christians shouldn&rsquo;t be.As a native of Appalachia, I can&rsquo;t remember a time when I wasn&rsquo;t aware of the plight of blue-collar Americans. Mine is a region shaped by the struggle for fair pay and safe working conditions. To this day, &ldquo;coal country&rdquo; for many is synonymous with hard living and generational poverty.So when I heard about Oliver Anthony&rsquo;s viral hit, &ldquo;Rich Men North]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/oliver-anthonys-viral-hit-doesnt-love-its-neighbors/</link><pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/oliver-anthonys-viral-hit-doesnt-love-its-neighbors/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hillsong Founder Not Guilty of Sexual Abuse Cover-Up]]></title><description><![CDATA[An Australian court found Brian Houston may have had a reasonable excuse not to call police about his father&rsquo;s crimes.Hillsong founder Brian Houston has been found not guilty of concealing his father&rsquo;s sexual abuse of a young boy.An Australian court ruled Thursday that while Houston did not report his father&rsquo;s crimes to the police when he learned about them in the 1990s, the evidence does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did not have a reasonable excuse.&ldquo;I am n]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hillsong-founder-not-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-cover-up/</link><pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hillsong-founder-not-guilty-of-sexual-abuse-cover-up/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Violence Against Indian Christians Is Becoming a Problem for American Politicians]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the US pursues a closer relationship with India, activists are concerned some are overlooking the persecution of religious minorities in the world&rsquo;s largest country.For nine days, Pieter Friedrich starved himself to get his congressman&rsquo;s attention.Drawing from his own Christian tradition of prayer and fasting and the Indian political tactic of satyagraha, the activist and journalist fasted from July 27 until August 5, aiming to convince US Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/violence-against-indian-christians-is-becoming-a-problem-for-american-politicians/</link><pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:27:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/violence-against-indian-christians-is-becoming-a-problem-for-american-politicians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Barbie and Taylor Swift Are Bringing Us Together]]></title><description><![CDATA[Beyond hot pink and bejeweled outfits, they showcase a deeper desire for community and collective joy.The &ldquo;epic trifecta&rdquo; of Greta Gerwig&rsquo;s Barbie, Beyonc&eacute;&rsquo;s Renaissance Tour, and Taylor Swift&rsquo;s Eras Tour (all raking in millions of dollars) are taking over social media&mdash;having grown adult women reliving their youth in a &ldquo;Tween Girl Summer.&rdquo;But the enthusiasm and participation are no less among actual young people.Both my 18-year-old son and m]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/barbie-and-taylor-swift-are-bringing-us-together/</link><pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/barbie-and-taylor-swift-are-bringing-us-together/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[At Indigenous Seminary, Students Learn the Power of Faith Embedded in Identity]]></title><description><![CDATA[The newly accredited school promotes a theological education that&rsquo;s not at odds with culture.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/at-indigenous-seminary-students-learn-the-power-of-faith-embedded-in-identity/</link><pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/at-indigenous-seminary-students-learn-the-power-of-faith-embedded-in-identity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jesus Met Me on the Morning of My Funeral]]></title><description><![CDATA[I was dressed for burial when he gave me a mission to proclaim his name.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-met-me-on-the-morning-of-my-funeral/</link><pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:35:24 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jesus-met-me-on-the-morning-of-my-funeral/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Losing Our Religion: Credibility Gaps with Sam Allberry]]></title><description><![CDATA[The author, priest, and apologist talks institutional crises and hope in the gospel.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-credibility-gaps-with-sam-allberry/</link><pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-credibility-gaps-with-sam-allberry/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trump’s Georgia Election Meddling Didn’t Just Look Wrong. It Was Wrong.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The ex-president&rsquo;s new indictment isn&rsquo;t about appearances. Some things are just as evil as they seem.The Georgia grand jury&rsquo;s decision to indict former president Donald Trump on Monday night was surprising only for its speed.Grand juries are famously&mdash;or infamously, if you prefer&mdash;willing to indict. That&rsquo;s because they&rsquo;re presented with only the prosecutor&rsquo;s case (there is no defense at a grand jury hearing) and not required to reach a unanimous deci]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trumps-georgia-election-meddling-didnt-just-look-wrong-it-was-wrong/</link><pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2023 20:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trumps-georgia-election-meddling-didnt-just-look-wrong-it-was-wrong/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The 6 Hymns Tim Keller Picked for His Memorial Service]]></title><description><![CDATA[The late pastor taught us how to live&mdash;and die.<br />
It was June 3, 2020. The subject line of the email from Kathy Keller made my heart sink: &ldquo;Tim&rsquo;s got pancreatic cancer.&rdquo; The diagnosis was stage IV. With current therapy, life expectancy is less than a year. There is no stage V. Thus began a three-year journey that explored the cutting edge of experimental cancer therapeutics&mdash;but more significantly, the courageous approach to terminal illness by a man of deep faith.Tim h]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-6-hymns-tim-keller-picked-for-his-memorial-service/</link><pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-6-hymns-tim-keller-picked-for-his-memorial-service/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Maui Fires Burn Site Where Hawaiian Queen First Brought Christianity to the Island]]></title><description><![CDATA[Once the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom, Lahaina was home to Maui's first church and seminary.In the aftermath of the worst disaster in memory on their island&mdash;the deadliest fire in US history&mdash;Maui&rsquo;s Christians gathered on Sunday morning to offer prayers, continue to coordinate relief efforts, and mourn the loss around them.At Grace Bible Church Maui, pastor Jonavan Asato likened the destruction to the death of a loved one. &ldquo;When you look at that town and the memories tha]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/maui-fires-burn-site-where-hawaiian-queen-first-brought-christianity-to-the-island/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 19:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/maui-fires-burn-site-where-hawaiian-queen-first-brought-christianity-to-the-island/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Worship Music Nostalgia Brings New Profit to Old Songs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gen X and millennials&rsquo; favorite Christian throwbacks are also easy moneymakers.In April of this year, worship leader Krista Treadway planned a &ldquo;throwback&rdquo; worship service with nostalgic favorites from the &rsquo;90s and early 2000s, songs like &ldquo;The Heart of Worship,&rdquo; &ldquo;Shout to the Lord,&rdquo; and &ldquo;In the Secret.&rdquo;&ldquo;They&rsquo;re special songs,&rdquo; said Treadway, who grew up with the music as a pastor&rsquo;s kid. &ldquo;They hold such a dea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-music-nostalgia-brings-new-profit-to-old-songs/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 18:50:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-music-nostalgia-brings-new-profit-to-old-songs/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[United Methodist Pastors Less Healthy, More Depressed Than a Decade Ago]]></title><description><![CDATA[A new survey finds clergy well-being has become a more serious problem as the denomination splits.United Methodist clergy have been through the wringer in recent years, with a worldwide pandemic, a church schism, and the ongoing decline of one of the nation&rsquo;s largest Protestant denominations.Those stresses have likely taken a toll on their health, a new report shows.A survey of 1,200 United Methodist clergy found that half have trouble sleeping, a third feel depressed and isolated, half ar]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/united-methodist-pastors-less-healthy-more-depressed-than-a-decade-ago/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 18:36:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/united-methodist-pastors-less-healthy-more-depressed-than-a-decade-ago/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some of My Social Justice Allies Are Terrifying, and I Value Them for It]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Sensitive&rdquo; types like me won&rsquo;t always mesh with more intimidating activists. But we need each other to thrive.In almost every nonprofit or social enterprise job I&rsquo;ve had, at least one coworker terrified me. There was the boss who gave unexpectedly negative feedback on my performance review. There was the director who had sudden, inexplicable outbursts of anger and frustration. There was the colleague who asked pointed questions, one after another, staring at me intensely]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-of-my-social-justice-allies-are-terrifying-and-i-value-them-for-it/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-of-my-social-justice-allies-are-terrifying-and-i-value-them-for-it/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Should I Offer My Pronouns?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gendered language is increasingly controversial in public life. Christians are grappling with how to engage.Shua Wilmot and Raegan Zelaya worked in residence life at Houghton University, a Christian school in upstate New York. Even though it conflicted with university policy, they listed their pronouns in their email signatures to help students identify their genders, they said, given their atypical names. When the university requested they remove their pronouns earlier this year, Wilmot and Zel]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-i-offer-my-pronouns/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/should-i-offer-my-pronouns/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Repentance Is Both Vertical and Horizontal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our hearts aren&rsquo;t prepared for the Lord until they are ready to love others.The Book of Luke, more than any of the other Gospels, presents a sweeping look at Jesus&rsquo; teachings on ethics. Over half the parables we have from Jesus are unique to Luke. They cover topics like how to steward money and how Jesus sees people the world overlooks, such as the poor, the disabled, and women.At the foundation of it all is Jesus and his preaching about the kingdom of God.I have spent more than 40 y]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/repentance-is-both-vertical-and-horizontal/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/repentance-is-both-vertical-and-horizontal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Western Theologians Need Non-Western Theologians&amp;mdash;and Vice Versa]]></title><description><![CDATA[The particularities of people groups can aid the work of understanding and proclaiming the gospel.The worldwide growth of Christianity has brought about a flowering of theological perspectives. Yet many Western theologians have little familiarity with theologians working in non-Western contexts. Stephen T. Pardue, a professor at the Asia Graduate School of Theology, addresses this problem in a new book, Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church. J. Nelson Jennings, editor of the journal G]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-western-theologians-need-non-western-theologiansampmdashand-vice-versa/</link><pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-western-theologians-need-non-western-theologiansampmdashand-vice-versa/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[We’re Alone In This Together]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gen Xers leave the church, pilots get tired, and we&rsquo;re all more than a little lonely.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/were-alone-in-this-together/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/were-alone-in-this-together/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Two Anglican Church Plants Leave for the Episcopal Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[Resurrection South Austin is the latest to go, citing issues around race, women, sexual minorities, and abuse response.<br />
In the past year, two Anglican congregations in the US have left their more theologically conservative denomination for the mainline Episcopal Church.Formed in 2009, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is known for taking in breakaway Episcopal congregations and clergy, though these two departing churches&mdash;Resurrection South Austin in Texas and The Table in Indiana]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/two-anglican-church-plants-leave-for-the-episcopal-church/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/two-anglican-church-plants-leave-for-the-episcopal-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: ‘We Are Not in Heaven’: Niger Analyst Explains Christians’ Concern After Coup]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wary of West African war and Western sanctions, Christian minority in the jihadist-plagued Sahel region nervously prays for peace.The military coup in Niger has now entered its third week. Four days after the July 26 putsch, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) threatened military action if democratic rule was not restored within seven days.That deadline has passed, and leaders are still mulling their options while imposing sanctions against the junta, the group of mi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-we-are-not-in-heaven-niger-analyst-explains-christians-concern-after-coup/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2023 15:54:45 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/interview-we-are-not-in-heaven-niger-analyst-explains-christians-concern-after-coup/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 Books That Help Us Find Rest in Jesus]]></title><description><![CDATA[Chosen by Sarah J. Hauser, author of &ldquo;All Who Are Weary: Finding True Rest by Letting Go of the Burdens You Were Never Meant to Carry.&rdquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/5-books-that-help-us-find-rest-in-jesus/</link><pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/5-books-that-help-us-find-rest-in-jesus/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[For Some Christians, Ohio’s Issue 1 Wasn’t All About Abortion]]></title><description><![CDATA[Not all Christians in Ohio agreed on how to approach the referendum, which aimed to raise the threshold for passing constitutional amendments.Ohio went to the polls on Tuesday to vote on whether to make it harder to amend the state constitution by ballot, just months before a significant abortion measure goes before voters. But the measure failed.The headlines around the referendum, called &ldquo;Issue 1,&rdquo; framed it as another hot-button issue splitting Americans into the same factions&mda]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-some-christians-ohios-issue-1-wasnt-all-about-abortion/</link><pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2023 22:23:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-some-christians-ohios-issue-1-wasnt-all-about-abortion/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelical Alliance Accepts Iran Invite. Critics Claim Broken Engagement.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wise as serpents or na&iuml;ve as doves? WEA defends why it co-sponsored a UN human rights forum organized by the Islamic Republic, after accusations of legitimizing a persecutor.Last June, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) received a peculiar invitation. On the sidelines of the 53rd meeting of the United Nation&rsquo;s Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, the government of Iran organized a forum entitled &ldquo;The Role of Religions in Promoting Human Rights.&rdquo;The WEA was the only Chri]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-alliance-accepts-iran-invite-critics-claim-broken-engagement/</link><pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-alliance-accepts-iran-invite-critics-claim-broken-engagement/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[He Brought God and a Guitar to 245 Nations. Now He Serves Tea to the Suicidal.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Benny Prasad was once a sickly, depressed teenager. How the Indian artist has since used travel, music, and hot beverages to share the gospel.From the 2004 Olympic Games to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Kandukuri Benny Prasad has performed before presidents, parliaments, and universities with his &ldquo;Bentar,&rdquo; a bongo guitar that he designed himself.A gospel musician and an instrumental guitarist, the Bengaluru native also set a world record in 2010 for the fastest time to visit 245 countries]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/he-brought-god-and-a-guitar-to-245-nations-now-he-serves-tea-to-the-suicidal/</link><pubDate>Thu, 10 Aug 2023 20:08:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/he-brought-god-and-a-guitar-to-245-nations-now-he-serves-tea-to-the-suicidal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Manipur Mobs Destroyed Hundreds of Our Churches. Yet God Calls Us Christians to Repent.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Are we using this calamity to hide from our sins?Since the beginning of May, more than 180 people have lost their lives in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Most of these victims are Christians from the minority Kuki-Zo tribe and, in turn, thousands from these communities have fled from the violence for shelter in other parts of the state or country.<br />
Manipur is a hill-locked state with a fertile valley in the middle. The Meiteis occupy the valley districts, whereas the hill districts are]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/manipur-mobs-destroyed-hundreds-of-our-churches-yet-god-calls-us-christians-to-repent/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Aug 2023 23:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/manipur-mobs-destroyed-hundreds-of-our-churches-yet-god-calls-us-christians-to-repent/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Church Medium Is the Message]]></title><description><![CDATA[What the recent J. D. Greear video clip says about all of us.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-medium-is-the-message/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-church-medium-is-the-message/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[RFK Jr.’s Weird Evangelical Appeal Is on Shaky Ground]]></title><description><![CDATA[His hostility to established authority attracts some Christian voters. But on policy and personal history alike, it&rsquo;s an uncomfortable fit.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rfk-jrs-weird-evangelical-appeal-is-on-shaky-ground/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rfk-jrs-weird-evangelical-appeal-is-on-shaky-ground/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Despite Trump’s Indictments, Evangelicals Continue to Back His 2024 Run]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many evangelicals have stuck with the former president through his legal troubles, moral failings, and public indiscretions.On the eve of former president Donald Trump&rsquo;s indictment on charges that he attempted to overturn the presidential election of 2020, Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan&rsquo;s Purse, appeared on Greta Van Susteren&rsquo;s show on Newsmax to share his take.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a sad day for America,&rdquo; Graham said.The indi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/despite-trumps-indictments-evangelicals-continue-to-back-his-2024-run/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Aug 2023 19:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/despite-trumps-indictments-evangelicals-continue-to-back-his-2024-run/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Putting Their Prayers on the Line, Evangelical Chaplains Minister on Multiple Fronts in Ukraine]]></title><description><![CDATA[New rules integrate pastors into the military to help with physical and spiritual needs as fighting continues.Of all the dangers of war, I didn&rsquo;t think about speeding until I was in a car of evangelical chaplains in the besieged city of Bakhmut, Ukraine. It makes sense. A slow car is an easier target. We were not a slow car.But the speed is also a testament to the urgency these chaplains feel. There is so much to do. There aren&rsquo;t enough hours in a day. And the need grows with the war]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/putting-their-prayers-on-the-line-evangelical-chaplains-minister-on-multiple-fronts-in-ukraine/</link><pubDate>Wed, 09 Aug 2023 12:39:31 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/putting-their-prayers-on-the-line-evangelical-chaplains-minister-on-multiple-fronts-in-ukraine/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don’t Let the ‘Back-to-School Rush’ Diminish Your Humanity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Whenever we enter a new season of life, we must care for our souls in the process.The beginning of a new school year can bring relief or disappointment, or both. As a mom of three young children, I&rsquo;m looking forward to the return of familiar school-year routines&mdash;and I&rsquo;m also dreading the return of early morning tardy bells. My kids feel their own ambivalence: It&rsquo;s exciting to get a new lunchbox, but scary to walk into a new classroom full of people.Almost all transitions]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-let-the-back-to-school-rush-diminish-your-humanity/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-let-the-back-to-school-rush-diminish-your-humanity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Surprising Staying Power of Dispensationalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a school of theology, it&rsquo;s in decline. As a cultural and political force, it&rsquo;s more influential than ever.My father traveled from Texas to Minnesota for my seminary graduation. At some pre-ceremony gathering, he was chatting with my adviser about the latter&rsquo;s work in biblical hermeneutics. &ldquo;But,&rdquo; he asked, befuddled, &ldquo;don&rsquo;t you just sort of read the Bible and understand it? Doesn&rsquo;t it just mean what it says?&rdquo;Seven years later, Republican p]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-surprising-staying-power-of-dispensationalism/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-surprising-staying-power-of-dispensationalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Comedian Leanne Morgan Says God Wants Us to Laugh]]></title><description><![CDATA[With her Southern accent, self-deprecation, and funny family stories, the 57-year-old mom and grandmother wants to use standup to bless audiences.After 22 years in standup comedy, Leanne Morgan is having a breakout year. She completed a 100-city comedy tour, her first Netflix special ranked in the platform&rsquo;s top 10, and she landed a part in her first movie (a forthcoming Amazon release starring Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell), fitting this interview into her Atlanta filming schedule.Bu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/comedian-leanne-morgan-says-god-wants-us-to-laugh/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Aug 2023 17:27:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/comedian-leanne-morgan-says-god-wants-us-to-laugh/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Beyond the ‘Gender Roles’ Debate]]></title><description><![CDATA[Join us on August 23 for conversations across the complementarian/egalitarian divide.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/beyond-the-gender-roles-debate/</link><pubDate>Tue, 08 Aug 2023 04:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/beyond-the-gender-roles-debate/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A ‘Stubborn’ Child, She Became a Missionary to Those Stereotyped as Such.]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Florida's Brenda Carter decided to spend 30 years of her life serving the Hakka people in Taiwan.Deep in the countryside of Miaoli County, Taiwan, Brenda Carter has lived among the Hakka people for more than 30 years. Part of the Chinese Han population, the Hakka trace their lineage back to northern China. Their name is a nod to their migration south and can be translated as &ldquo;guest worker&rdquo; or &ldquo;sojourner.&rdquo; The four million Hakka in Taiwan make up about 15 percent of th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-stubborn-child-she-became-a-missionary-to-those-stereotyped-as-such/</link><pubDate>Mon, 07 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-stubborn-child-she-became-a-missionary-to-those-stereotyped-as-such/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What If Churches Ask for More and No One Says Yes?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jake Meador has a provocative proposal for reversing dechurching. But it may not be that simple.More than 1 in 10 Americans&mdash;around 40 million of us&mdash;stopped attending church in the last 25 years.New research using cell phone location data suggests weekly church attendance (defined as 36 weeks of the 47 studied) is at just 3 percent. And even where church attendance has rebounded since pandemic shutdowns, congregational involvement still lags.A shift of this scale is impossible to igno]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-if-churches-ask-for-more-and-no-one-says-yes/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-if-churches-ask-for-more-and-no-one-says-yes/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Britain’s ‘Soul Survivor’ Generation Grapples with Mike Pilavachi Scandal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Amid an investigation, Christians are wondering: Did a popular youth leader&rsquo;s &ldquo;vulnerability and self-deprecation&rdquo; avert skepticism and accountability?The last Soul Survivor festival, led by popular British evangelist Mike Pilavachi, marked the end of an era.What began as a gathering of around 2,000 young people at a campsite in southwest England had grown into a movement of tens of thousands, with 32,500 people&mdash;mostly teens&mdash;attending the final event in 2019.Pilavac]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/britains-soul-survivor-generation-grapples-with-mike-pilavachi-scandal/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/britains-soul-survivor-generation-grapples-with-mike-pilavachi-scandal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Turkish Christians Turn to Tabitha for Earthquake Relief&amp;mdash;and Resurrection]]></title><description><![CDATA[Six months after disaster, the biblical Dorcas raised from the dead by Peter inspires Protestant generosity&mdash;just as she modeled for the early church.Exhausted and emotionally spent at the end of a full week surveying the damage from Turkey&rsquo;s massive earthquake last February, Ali Kalkandelen needed hope. As chairman of his nation&rsquo;s Association of Protestant Churches (TeK), he felt the weight of responsibility to help his colleagues in 27 affected congregations.Eventually, he fou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/turkish-christians-turn-to-tabitha-for-earthquake-reliefampmdashand-resurrection/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Aug 2023 17:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/turkish-christians-turn-to-tabitha-for-earthquake-reliefampmdashand-resurrection/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pink Trips, Flaming Lips, Legal Tips]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trump&rsquo;s third indictment, the Barbie movie, and new action on the CCM charts.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pink-trips-flaming-lips-legal-tips/</link><pubDate>Fri, 04 Aug 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pink-trips-flaming-lips-legal-tips/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What the US Can Learn from PEPFAR]]></title><description><![CDATA[Researcher Deborah Birx, former head of the now-embattled Bush program, thinks US churches can fight diseases like African churches fought HIV/AIDS.Physician Deborah Birx has led the US government&rsquo;s effort against HIV/AIDS for decades. An army colonel who worked on HIV/AIDS and vaccine research, she went on to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&rsquo;s arm of the President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). She later led PEPFAR itself as the US Global AIDS Co]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-the-us-can-learn-from-pepfar/</link><pubDate>Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-the-us-can-learn-from-pepfar/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[True Change Is a Matter of the Heart]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Christian gospel is meant to transform our whole person&mdash;our emotions as much as our thoughts.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.Once when I was preaching in a church that&rsquo;s more on the &ldquo;decently and in order&rdquo; side of Christian liturgy, my host warned me that one woman there was a lot more demonstrative than the rest of the congregation. &ldquo;There are certain songs we sing that make her start crying and waving her hands,&rdq]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/true-change-is-a-matter-of-the-heart/</link><pubDate>Thu, 03 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/true-change-is-a-matter-of-the-heart/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Religious Liberty Doesn’t Have to Make Polarization Worse]]></title><description><![CDATA[If it&rsquo;s done right, it can actually make it easier for us to live together.Americans support religious liberty&mdash;in general. But they are deeply polarized about how far the natural and constitutional right of individuals to respond to their conceptions of the divine should extend. And unfortunately, Americans tend to be reluctant to extend religious liberty broadly to views they find unsympathetic.I think that&rsquo;s sad. Religious liberty is for everyone and should be cherished by al]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/religious-liberty-doesnt-have-to-make-polarization-worse/</link><pubDate>Thu, 03 Aug 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/religious-liberty-doesnt-have-to-make-polarization-worse/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Horror Uncovers Our ‘Holy’ Hypocrisy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sometimes the blatant evils portrayed in scary movies and shows can reveal the more subtle sins within us.There&rsquo;s been a fascinating upward tick in the horror genre&rsquo;s popularity lately, especially among young people.Just two decades ago, drama was by and large the most popular genre for TV and movies. But a 2022 Deloitte study found that Gen Z&rsquo;s third favorite genre is horror, just one percentage point less than action, with comedy at number one. The genre&rsquo;s popularity ex]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-horror-uncovers-our-holy-hypocrisy/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-horror-uncovers-our-holy-hypocrisy/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Carmel Jones, Black Banker for British Pentecostals]]></title><description><![CDATA[With a vision of Jesus, he started a credit union that enabled dozens of churches to buy buildings.As far as anyone knows, Carmel Jones started the only financial institution in the history of Great Britain that began with a religious vision. But if Pentecostals aren&rsquo;t supposed to start credit unions based on dreams about Jesus speaking to them on a church roof, no one ever told him.&ldquo;I had no one to guide me but God,&rdquo; Jones said.Jones, a Church of God in Christ minister who fou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-carmel-jones-black-banker-for-british-pentecostals/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-carmel-jones-black-banker-for-british-pentecostals/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[International Anti-Persecution Strategies Are Failing Nigerian Christians]]></title><description><![CDATA[How the efforts of global advocacy groups depend on the capacity of local leaders.Every November, churches around the world dedicate a Sunday for the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).Unfortunately, it is slightly misnamed&mdash;reflecting the significant corrections needed for our efforts in advocacy on its behalf. It should be the International Day of Prayer with the Persecuted Church.But it also needs an additional adjective.Christian, secular, and government-led re]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/international-anti-persecution-strategies-are-failing-nigerian-christians/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/international-anti-persecution-strategies-are-failing-nigerian-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Losing Our Religion: Evangelical Imagination with Karen Swallow Prior]]></title><description><![CDATA[The author and professor talks conversion stories and church culture.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-evangelical-imagination-with-karen-swallow-prior/</link><pubDate>Wed, 02 Aug 2023 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-evangelical-imagination-with-karen-swallow-prior/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[America’s ‘First Evangelical President’ Might Not Have Been a Christian at All]]></title><description><![CDATA[Two new books probe the mysteries of Abraham Lincoln&rsquo;s public and private relationship to religion.If Abraham Lincoln still matters to Americans in the 21st century&mdash;and he does&mdash;a major reason is that there&rsquo;s much at stake politically in how we remember him. This is as true of Lincoln&rsquo;s religious beliefs as for any other part of his life. In a nation deeply divided over the proper role of religion in the public square, it makes a difference whether our greatest presi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/americas-first-evangelical-president-might-not-have-been-a-christian-at-all/</link><pubDate>Tue, 01 Aug 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/americas-first-evangelical-president-might-not-have-been-a-christian-at-all/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[When AI Goes to War]]></title><description><![CDATA[I wish &lsquo;Judeo-Christian norms&rsquo; were enough to ensure ethical AI warfare. They&rsquo;re not.What will we do when AI goes to war?After all, a future of &ldquo;killer robots&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t far off. We have unmanned aircraft already&mdash;the US-pioneered drone warfare in the Middle East in the post-9/11 era, and subsequent conflicts, including Russia&rsquo;s invasion of Ukraine, have led other countries and combatants to get in on the action. The technology needed to make drones, dr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-ai-goes-to-war/</link><pubDate>Mon, 31 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/when-ai-goes-to-war/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Former NAE President Arthur Gay, Who Introduced Reagan’s ‘Evil Empire’ Speech]]></title><description><![CDATA[The longtime Illinois pastor led the National Association of Evangelicals and World Relief around the fall of the Soviet Union.Arthur Gay, an evangelical leader who oversaw the National Association of Evangelicals when President Reagan gave his historic &ldquo;evil empire&rdquo; speech, has died at the age of 86.Gay was president of the association from 1982 to 1984 and held the same role at World Relief, its humanitarian arm, from 1991 to 1996.Though his leadership began decades ago, Gay&rsquo;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-former-nae-president-arthur-gay-who-introduced-reagans-evil-empire-speech/</link><pubDate>Mon, 31 Jul 2023 18:24:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-former-nae-president-arthur-gay-who-introduced-reagans-evil-empire-speech/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Like the Cedars of Lebanon: Baptists Honored for Lifelong Service]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recognized for the promotion of women&rsquo;s rights and inclusive education, two leading figures relate civil war struggles and the challenge of special needs.Lebanese Baptists have reason to be proud. This month, two senior members of their community, Mona Khauli and Nabil Costa, were recognized for their faith-based work on behalf of their nation.Mona Khauli, the 85-year-old executive director of the national Young Women&rsquo;s Christian Association (YWCA), was honored by the Baptist World A]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/like-the-cedars-of-lebanon-baptists-honored-for-lifelong-service/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/like-the-cedars-of-lebanon-baptists-honored-for-lifelong-service/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Indonesia, Light Skin is Prized. Some Christians Are Pushing Back.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Despite entrenched colorism in society, believers show how the Bible redefines a woman&rsquo;s self-worth.Growing up on the Indonesian island of Java, Happy Natalisa remembers being mocked for her dark complexion. Her classmates called her si hitam (black) and orang Papua because her father was Papuan, an ethnic group hailing from Indonesia&rsquo;s easternmost province in Western New Guinea.Her appearance affected how she served in the church. She preferred to be behind the scenes, choosing to j]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-indonesia-light-skin-is-prized-some-christians-are-pushing-back/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-indonesia-light-skin-is-prized-some-christians-are-pushing-back/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Church Shooting Victims to Receive $144.5 Million]]></title><description><![CDATA[And other news briefs from Christians around the world.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-shooting-victims-to-receive-1445-million/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/church-shooting-victims-to-receive-1445-million/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Say It Ain't So]]></title><description><![CDATA[A congressional hearing looks to the heavens, the Black community mourns a broken earth, and a Hollywood star drops in for a conversation about grace.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/say-it-aint-so/</link><pubDate>Fri, 28 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/say-it-aint-so/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Misreading Scripture with Artificial Eyes]]></title><description><![CDATA[I asked ChatGPT to interpret the Sermon on the Mount. Here&rsquo;s what I learned about AI&rsquo;s exegetical errors.This piece has been adapted from an article thatwas originally published in the Biblical Mind.In the past several months, it has been difficult to avoid discussion of artificial intelligence or, more particularly, ChatGPT and a host of other chatbots developed by technology companies. Based on the popularity of the topic (and often handwringing tone) within higher education and te]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/misreading-scripture-with-artificial-eyes/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/misreading-scripture-with-artificial-eyes/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Barbie and Ken Go East of Eden]]></title><description><![CDATA[For Christians, Greta Gerwig&rsquo;s latest film is an opportunity to reckon with the &ldquo;fortunate fall.&rdquo;Questions about gender and sexuality plague the evangelical church, from the SBC to the PCA. Books on the topic are proliferating. In that context, it&rsquo;s understandable that some folks see the new Barbie film as another volley in the gender wars. But Greta Gerwig&rsquo;s latest project is far too layered to be read through a literalist hermeneutic.Rather than offering a blind a]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/barbie-and-ken-go-east-of-eden/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 17:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/barbie-and-ken-go-east-of-eden/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[On Stage and in Theaters, Corrie ten Boom Testifies Again]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Rabbit Room playwright A.S. Peterson adapted &lsquo;The Hiding Place&rsquo; for a new generation.The story of one humble Dutch family has long riveted American evangelicals. Corrie and Betsie ten Boom, simple Christian watchmakers living with their father in the Netherlands, risked everything to protect their Jewish neighbors from the Holocaust. And they endured unspeakable evil at the hands of the Nazis with faith, hope, and Scripture, always testifying to the goodness of God and the power]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/on-stage-and-in-theaters-corrie-ten-boom-testifies-again/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/on-stage-and-in-theaters-corrie-ten-boom-testifies-again/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Amid Quran Burning Outcry, Should All Blasphemy Be Banned?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sweden&rsquo;s desecration of Islam&rsquo;s holy book has prompted a bid to burn the Bible. European evangelicals condemn the offense but link the freedoms of expression and religion.Swedish evangelicals fear a human rights retreat, as the fallout continues from last month&rsquo;s Quran burning.Earlier this month, Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador after Swedish police authorized the burning of the Torah and the Bible in front of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm&mdash;though the Muslim applica]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amid-quran-burning-outcry-should-all-blasphemy-be-banned/</link><pubDate>Thu, 27 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amid-quran-burning-outcry-should-all-blasphemy-be-banned/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Young Christians in South Korea Are Apathetic About Reunification]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;In my lifetime, I have never heard a church talk about reunification or peace between North and South Korea.&rdquo;Solga Kim grew up singing the popular Korean folksong &ldquo;Our Wish Is Reunification.&rdquo;Part of the lyrics goes like this: &ldquo;Reunification carried out with all heart and soul / Reunification will revive our nation.&rdquo; But the tune&rsquo;s heartfelt desire for peace and unity between North and South Korea does not seem to be a melody that the Korean church often]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/young-christians-in-south-korea-are-apathetic-about-reunification/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jul 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/young-christians-in-south-korea-are-apathetic-about-reunification/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why US Christians Must Wrestle with a Korea Divided in Two]]></title><description><![CDATA[70 years after the country was split in half, Americans have a responsibility to assist in ending this unresolved separation.In 1992, the American evangelist Billy Graham flew to Pyongyang to meet face to face with Kim Il Sung, the founding leader of the Democratic People&rsquo;s Republic of Korea. Mounting tensions between the United States and North Korea did not prevent Graham from preaching in two of the city&rsquo;s official churches, meeting with church leaders and seminarians from around]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-us-christians-must-wrestle-with-a-korea-divided-in-two/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-us-christians-must-wrestle-with-a-korea-divided-in-two/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Latest Black Tragedy Is My Trauma Too]]></title><description><![CDATA[Communal suffering has to be reckoned with. And so does God&rsquo;s healing word.A few weeks ago, I arrived at the airport a little early to pick up a friend and decided to pull over in the emergency lane to wait. I knew it wasn&rsquo;t the right thing to do, but there were 20 cars already there, so I figured my decision wasn&rsquo;t too bad.Moments later, however, I heard a siren and saw police car lights in my rearview mirror.Without warning, my hands began to tremble, my breathing quickened,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-latest-black-tragedy-is-my-trauma-too/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jul 2023 18:49:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-latest-black-tragedy-is-my-trauma-too/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Losing Our Religion and Russell Moore’s Hope]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mike Cosper interviews Russell about his new book calling for repentance and renewal in American evangelicalism.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-and-russell-moores-hope/</link><pubDate>Wed, 26 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/losing-our-religion-and-russell-moores-hope/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Write Algorithms for a Living. God Doesn’t Want Me to Quit.]]></title><description><![CDATA[At a moment of career disillusionment, a new book gave me a biblical perspective on the blessings and dangers of big tech.In the last decade, our lives have become increasingly saturated with digital technology. Apps and platforms play outsized roles socially, professionally, casually, and corporately; in work, school, and church. It can be hard to remember how we used to carry on without the technological conveniences of modern life. Even many young adults feel a chasm between the tech norms th]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-write-algorithms-for-a-living-god-doesnt-want-me-to-quit/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-write-algorithms-for-a-living-god-doesnt-want-me-to-quit/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Two Holy Ghostwriters Behind American Christianity’s Charismatic Turn]]></title><description><![CDATA[Church life was booming in the 1950s. But where was the Spirit?It started with an innocent-enough question: &ldquo;Have you ever heard of the expression speaking in tongues?&rdquo;For the magazine editor who asked it, it was just a story idea. But it turned into a journalistic investigation that changed a reporter&rsquo;s spiritual life, brought many Christians into a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, and blew through evangelicalism with a strong charismatic wind. They Speak with Other]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-two-holy-ghostwriters-behind-american-christianitys-charismatic-turn/</link><pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-two-holy-ghostwriters-behind-american-christianitys-charismatic-turn/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Digital Hymnal’s Demise Is Delayed]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lifeway still plans to end online music resource but apologizes for short notice.Update (July 24): Lifeway has decided to postpone the discontinuation of lifewayworship.com, the online Baptist church music resource that was once conceived as a digital hymnal without a back cover. The Southern Baptist Convention publisher announced it was shutting the site down last week, but backtracked after an outcry from a lot of surprised worship leaders.&ldquo;We are delaying the implementation of this deci]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/digital-hymnals-demise-is-delayed/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2023 22:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/digital-hymnals-demise-is-delayed/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Where Boomer Faith in God Is Low, Gen Z Belief Is Up]]></title><description><![CDATA[What nearly 20,000 people in 26 countries believe about God, Satan, and the supernatural.Countries with more baby boomers who say they believe in God as described in &ldquo;holy scriptures&rdquo; (including the Bible, the Quran, and the Torah) are less likely to have members of Gen Z who do.But countries with fewer boomers who hold this belief are more likely to have members of Gen Z who do.In a recent Ipsos Global Advisor survey of nearly 20,000 adults from across 26 countries, the researchers]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/where-boomer-faith-in-god-is-low-gen-z-belief-is-up/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/where-boomer-faith-in-god-is-low-gen-z-belief-is-up/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Extremists Are Destroying Indian Christians’ Homes and Shattering Their Lives]]></title><description><![CDATA[For nearly two decades, mob violence has driven believers from their communities and upended their sense of security.Since the beginning of May, ethnic and religious violence in Manipur, a state in northeast India, has resulted in the deaths of at least 142 people, the destruction of over 300 churches and hundreds of villages, and one of the largest violence-driven internal displacements in recent Indian history. A fact-finding team that visited earlier this month reported that the clashes were]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/extremists-are-destroying-indian-christians-homes-and-shattering-their-lives/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/extremists-are-destroying-indian-christians-homes-and-shattering-their-lives/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bishop’s Elevation May End Kenyan Methodist Turmoil]]></title><description><![CDATA[Isaiah Deye is elected to replace Joseph Ntombura, who was accused of mishandling church funds.The Methodist Church in Kenya elected a new presiding bishop on July 20, three months after the last one was forced from leadership.Isaiah Deye, 61, was elected with 76 percent of the vote at the 58th Annual Conference of the Church in Nairobi, raising hopes that recent turmoil and threats of schism will come to an end.&ldquo;I am greatly humbled and yet highly honored to be elected as the Presiding Bi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bishops-elevation-may-end-kenyan-methodist-turmoil/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/bishops-elevation-may-end-kenyan-methodist-turmoil/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Phylicia Masonheimer Became Every Woman’s Theologian]]></title><description><![CDATA[She went viral blogging about beauty and yoga pants. Now she&rsquo;s teaching theology.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-phylicia-masonheimer-became-every-womans-theologian/</link><pubDate>Mon, 24 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-phylicia-masonheimer-became-every-womans-theologian/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelical Colleges Will Continue to Pursue Diversity Without Affirmative Action]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Supreme Court ruling against race-based admissions won&rsquo;t change much for Christian liberal arts schools.The US Supreme Court ruled against race-based college admissions last month, raising questions about the future of diversity efforts in higher education. But leaders at many evangelical colleges don&rsquo;t expect the decision to hinder their efforts to promote diversity.&ldquo;For most Christian institutions, I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s going to be a significant change in our re]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-colleges-will-continue-to-pursue-diversity-without-affirmative-action/</link><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jul 2023 17:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelical-colleges-will-continue-to-pursue-diversity-without-affirmative-action/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pro-Life Dispute Leaves Program for HIV/AIDS Patients in Peril]]></title><description><![CDATA[A negative score from groups accusing PEPFAR of supporting abortion threatens the program&rsquo;s five-year renewal.The President&rsquo;s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, or PEPFAR, has been a uniquely successful bipartisan effort, saving 25 million lives globally from HIV/AIDS since it was put into place 20 years ago. Congress and the White House have reauthorized it every five years, under different parties. It has been credited with sparing entire countries from demise.Now it is in danger of s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pro-life-dispute-leaves-program-for-hivaids-patients-in-peril/</link><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jul 2023 17:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pro-life-dispute-leaves-program-for-hivaids-patients-in-peril/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shrewd as Serpents, Innocent as Doves]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Russia-Ukraine conflict, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and country singer Jason Aldean&rsquo;s latest controversial hit.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shrewd-as-serpents-innocent-as-doves/</link><pubDate>Fri, 21 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shrewd-as-serpents-innocent-as-doves/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Legal Advocates Eye Next Big Victory for Religious Liberty]]></title><description><![CDATA[After a string of victories at the Supreme Court, focus turns to one major precedent that could be overturned.It is an auspicious time for advocates of religious liberty in the United States. Consider what they have accomplished at the Supreme Court over the past year: They defended the right of Americans to express their faith while on the clock for a public school district (Kennedy v. Bremerton School District), affirmed the right of religious schools to use government vouchers (Carson v. Maki]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/legal-advocates-eye-next-big-victory-for-religious-liberty/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/legal-advocates-eye-next-big-victory-for-religious-liberty/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happens When Both Sides Secularize]]></title><description><![CDATA[The antidote to cultural Christianity on the Left and Right is true Anglicanism and Pentecostalism.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.In my new book (releasing Tuesday!), I mention a conversation I had years ago with an older man in ministry whom I respected. We had seen a string of what&rsquo;s euphemistically called &ldquo;moral failures&rdquo; with pastors in our church tradition. I made some comment about their having &ldquo;lost their ministries.&rd]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-happens-when-both-sides-secularize/</link><pubDate>Thu, 20 Jul 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-happens-when-both-sides-secularize/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘The Chosen’ Will Film Through Hollywood Strike with Indie Show Exemption]]></title><description><![CDATA[The crowdfunded show received approval writers&rsquo; and actors&rsquo; unions to wrap on Season 4.The wildly popular series based on the life of Jesus Christ has crossed what its creator dubbed a &ldquo;Red Sea Moment&rdquo; after a labor strike threatened to halt the filming for Season 4 of The Chosen.On Friday (July 14), director and co-writer Dallas Jenkins sent an email telling viewers The Chosen hadn&rsquo;t yet received an exemption to continue filming during the strike by the Screen Acto]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-chosen-will-film-through-hollywood-strike-with-indie-show-exemption/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Jul 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-chosen-will-film-through-hollywood-strike-with-indie-show-exemption/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Mercy Triumphs over Judgment]]></title><description><![CDATA[As Christians, our righteous anger at sin must never surpass our compassion for sinners.In the Square of Saint Petersburg, a young Fyodor Dostoevsky stood shivering in the snow alongside fellow convicts, arrested for belonging to a literary circle considered treasonous.A priest carrying a cross led the convicts in a procession, arranging them in lines while their sentence was read&mdash;death by firing squad. But at the last second, a horseman arrived with a prearranged message from the tsar: In]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-mercy-triumphs-over-judgment/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Jul 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/why-mercy-triumphs-over-judgment/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Digital Hymnal Meets Its Demise]]></title><description><![CDATA[Once hailed as the future of Baptist church music, lifewayworship.com is shutting down.Lifeway is closing the book on an online hymnal that was supposed to be the digital future of Baptist music.The online resource lifewayworship.com, which provides church choirs and worship teams access to more than 3,000 songs as well as instrumental arrangements, sheet music, and chord charts, will shut down at the end of September.Lifeway, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), announce]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-digital-hymnal-meets-its-demise/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Jul 2023 18:31:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-digital-hymnal-meets-its-demise/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Canada Incarcerated Her Japanese Neighbors, So She Moved with Them]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sunday school teacher Margaret Ridgway's wartime ministry had a significant impact on the next generation of missionaries and pastors.On a warm spring day in 1942, Margaret Ridgway believed she heard God telling her to leave her home in Vancouver, Canada, and move to a Japanese internment camp.Ridgway was on her knees in the kitchen, praying before an open Bible, when the prophet Haggai&rsquo;s words leaped off the page: &ldquo;Go up to the mountain &hellip; build the house; and I will take plea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/canada-incarcerated-her-japanese-neighbors-so-she-moved-with-them/</link><pubDate>Wed, 19 Jul 2023 18:28:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/canada-incarcerated-her-japanese-neighbors-so-she-moved-with-them/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Early Americans Read the Bible in a Way That Nearly Destroyed America]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark Noll surveys the effects of an &ldquo;independence-first&rdquo; approach to Scripture.Thomas Paine threw gasoline-soaked ink on the fiery spirit of American independence by publishing his pamphlet Common Sense six months before the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Upon independence from King George III, Paine promised, &ldquo;The birthday of a new world is at hand.&rdquo;This new world would be born free from a king. Citing the Gospel of Matthew, the Book of Judges, and 1 Samuel 8 (wher]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/early-americans-read-the-bible-in-a-way-that-nearly-destroyed-america/</link><pubDate>Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/early-americans-read-the-bible-in-a-way-that-nearly-destroyed-america/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ancient Chinese Sacrificial Rituals Resemble Those of the Israelites. Does This Matter?]]></title><description><![CDATA[What Jesus&rsquo; death means for how I make sense of my culture&rsquo;s traditional religious practices.If you ever visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing&mdash;ancient China&rsquo;s largest center for high-level rituals&mdash;you might be struck by its lack of Buddhist and Taoist idols. The design of the Chinese place of worship displays some of the characteristics of the ancient Chinese tradition of ritual sacrifice to heaven, which seem to bear many similarities to the rituals for worshiping]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ancient-chinese-sacrificial-rituals-resemble-those-of-the-israelites-does-this-matter/</link><pubDate>Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ancient-chinese-sacrificial-rituals-resemble-those-of-the-israelites-does-this-matter/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[6 Reasons Bedside Baptist and Church of the Holy Comforter Are So Popular]]></title><description><![CDATA[Survey examines how weather, sports, and sleep affect if and when churchgoers go to church.Jesus said the gates of hell will not prevail against His church, but sleet and hail will keep many churchgoers out of the pew on a Sunday. In fact, some may even skip to get a little extra sleep or watch their favorite team.A Lifeway Research study of U.S. adults who attend a religious service at a Protestant or non-denominational church at least monthly finds several reasons some will miss church at leas]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/6-reasons-bedside-baptist-and-church-of-the-holy-comforter-are-so-popular/</link><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/6-reasons-bedside-baptist-and-church-of-the-holy-comforter-are-so-popular/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christians in Northwest India Want a Political Party to Speak for Them]]></title><description><![CDATA[Other believers warn that&rsquo;s the wrong response to Hindu nationalism.They wanted a party of their own.In a Pentecostal church in a village in northwestern India, a well-known pastor announced earlier this year that the time had come. Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims all have their respective political parties, and now Christians would too.As the number of Christians has grown in Punjab, a northern Indian state bordering Pakistan, they&rsquo;ve faced increased scrutiny, criticism, and false accusa]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-in-northwest-india-want-a-political-party-to-speak-for-them/</link><pubDate>Mon, 17 Jul 2023 15:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-in-northwest-india-want-a-political-party-to-speak-for-them/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Breath Prayers Helped Me ‘Pray Continually’]]></title><description><![CDATA[As a busy mom, I had to find new spiritual disciplines to connect with God.I used to be a &ldquo;prayer warrior.&rdquo;When I was single and had no kids, I would enjoy praying for long periods of time. Each morning, I would turn on worship music, sing, and meditate on God&rsquo;s Word. Then I&rsquo;d spend time interceding for my friends, my family, my neighbors, and for our lost world. I even went on a solo prayer retreat for three days once.These spiritual habits were instilled in me by the Ko]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-breath-prayers-helped-me-pray-continually/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-breath-prayers-helped-me-pray-continually/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Robot ‘Church Fathers’ Might Curate New Canons]]></title><description><![CDATA[Generative AI and the rise of &lsquo;Bible GPTs&rsquo; could radically shape our engagement with Scripture.The pace of adoption for artificial intelligence is unprecedented.By the end of January, ChatGPT&mdash;an AI chatbot that generates brand original content when prompted&mdash;had logged 100 million visitors to its site. Before that, it reached 1 million users in the first five days after its release in late November. By comparison, Instagram took 2.5 months to reach 1 million users, and Fac]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/robot-church-fathers-might-curate-new-canons/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/robot-church-fathers-might-curate-new-canons/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lessons on Living Locally]]></title><description><![CDATA[More Americans are staying put. But how can we live with intention?Our church&rsquo;s lament service took place in March; we had moved to Cincinnati the previous summer. I didn&rsquo;t attend the service with my own sadness in mind&mdash;but it found me, in the dark and somber silence consecrated for those who showed up. The grief of our recent uprooting caught up with me in the pew that late winter night. Leaving home, even voluntarily, incurs a litany of losses.I might have believed the COVID-]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lessons-on-living-locally/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/lessons-on-living-locally/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Not Just a River in Egypt]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Biden family messes, and creative expression and affirmative action go to court.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/not-just-a-river-in-egypt/</link><pubDate>Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/not-just-a-river-in-egypt/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Evangelicals Rejoice at the Church of England’s Fossil Fuel Divestment]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Unless Jesus returns we face a catastrophic future.&rdquo;Sometimes, late at night, when her kids have gone to bed and Eleanor Getson is doing the dishes, she is hit with an almost crippling fear.&ldquo;Glaciers melting. Islands of plastic in the Pacific Ocean. Forest fires wiping out millennia of history,&rdquo; said Getson, a 40-year-old evangelical living in Bradford, England, with her husband and two boys. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t stop scrolling through stories about climate change. &hell]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-rejoice-at-the-church-of-englands-fossil-fuel-divestment/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jul 2023 21:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/evangelicals-rejoice-at-the-church-of-englands-fossil-fuel-divestment/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Buddhist Nun Walked into an Anglican Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[How God pursued me even when I was certain I&rsquo;d already found truth.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-buddhist-nun-walked-into-an-anglican-church/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jul 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-buddhist-nun-walked-into-an-anglican-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rainn Wilson’s Spiritual Revolution Gets Spirituality Partly Right and Jesus Mostly Wrong]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;The Office&rdquo; star offers a welcome critique of privatized faith. His other ideas are harder to swallow.I promised myself only one The Office reference in a review of Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, written by Rainn Wilson, the actor who portrays Dwight Schrute on the show. So here goes: In season five , Dwight and his longtime girlfriend, Angela, the most religious person on the show, break up. Dwight is crushed and confides to a coworker, &ldquo;She introduced me to s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rainn-wilsons-spiritual-revolution-gets-spirituality-partly-right-and-jesus-mostly-wrong/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jul 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/rainn-wilsons-spiritual-revolution-gets-spirituality-partly-right-and-jesus-mostly-wrong/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can People Change? ‘Ted Lasso’ Revived an Ancient Debate.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Like the TV show&rsquo;s characters, Pelagius and Augustine wrestled with this core human question.In a time when societal consensus, let alone advancement, seems painfully unattainable, the quirky television comedy Ted Lasso has struck a chord&mdash;as evidenced by its previous four Emmy awards and third nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series.This soccer-themed runaway hit, featuring an unwitting Kansas football coach turned British soccer manager, premiered on Apple TV+ in August 2020 in the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-people-change-ted-lasso-revived-an-ancient-debate/</link><pubDate>Thu, 13 Jul 2023 05:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-people-change-ted-lasso-revived-an-ancient-debate/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Bible Story That Explains Australia: Jezebel and Ahab’s Violent Vineyard]]></title><description><![CDATA[The biblical story of Naboth's vineyard teaches non-indigenous Christians like me how God views the injustice that made Melbourne.As an increasing number of Australians realize, our nation was founded on the legal lie that the continent was terra nullius, &ldquo;nobody&rsquo;s land.&rdquo; The truth is that Aboriginal people had been living on the lands now called Australia for at least 65,000 years by the time the first Europeans arrived. However, since British law said no one was here, most se]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bible-story-that-explains-australia-jezebel-and-ahabs-violent-vineyard/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jul 2023 21:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-bible-story-that-explains-australia-jezebel-and-ahabs-violent-vineyard/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Anti-Trafficking Experts Think of the Hit Movie ‘Sound of Freedom’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ministries and former law enforcement have some caveats to add to the film about Operation Underground Railroad&rsquo;s Tim Ballard.In a field crowded with franchises like Indiana Jones, the unexpected box office success of the summer is a movie about child sex trafficking, Sound of Freedom. Based on the story of Operation Underground Railroad&rsquo;s Tim Ballard, the small-budget film has earned $45 million since its July 4 release.The movie tells the story of Ballard (Jim Caviezel, who played]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-anti-trafficking-experts-think-of-the-hit-movie-sound-of-freedom/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jul 2023 19:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-anti-trafficking-experts-think-of-the-hit-movie-sound-of-freedom/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Churches Continue to Sing Hillsong and Bethel Despite Controversies]]></title><description><![CDATA[Study: Worship leaders say they don&rsquo;t care what music tops the charts, but trust peer recommendations and what they have heard at conferences.For the past decade, a handful of megachurches have dominated worship music, churning out hits such as &ldquo;Goodness of God,&rdquo; &ldquo;What a Beautiful Name,&rdquo; &ldquo;King of Kings&rdquo; and &ldquo;Graves Into Gardens.&rdquo;And though churches like Australia-based Hillsong and Bethel Church in California have met with scandal and controv]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/churches-continue-to-sing-hillsong-and-bethel-despite-controversies/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jul 2023 17:18:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/churches-continue-to-sing-hillsong-and-bethel-despite-controversies/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Your Questions on Apologetics, Politics, and Johnny Cash]]></title><description><![CDATA[Russell and producer Ashley Hales respond to listeners.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-questions-on-apologetics-politics-and-johnny-cash/</link><pubDate>Wed, 12 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/your-questions-on-apologetics-politics-and-johnny-cash/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quran Burning in Sweden Singes Muslim-World Christians]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rejecting the act of an atheist &ldquo;Christian&rdquo; refugee, church leaders escape the ire of protests in Iraq and Pakistan.Following the burning of the Quran in Sweden last month, Christians in the Muslim world have been vocal in their condemnation.But some expressions of disapproval may have been forced upon them.&ldquo;Christian religious figures &hellip; [must] state their positions regarding this explicit crime,&rdquo; stated the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq. &ldquo;Their sile]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/quran-burning-in-sweden-singes-muslim-world-christians/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/quran-burning-in-sweden-singes-muslim-world-christians/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[SBC Study Raises Concerns about Lack of Worship Leaders]]></title><description><![CDATA[Decline in children&rsquo;s music ministries bodes ill for future, scholar says.Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) music ministries seemed like they were thriving in 1938. The instruments in churches across the denomination were valued at more than $10 million (the equivalent of nearly $217 million today). Fanny Crosby was the most popular songwriter. And vocal quartets, especially male quartets, were in great demand.But as the Sunday School Board of the SBC surveyed more than 1,000 churches that]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-study-raises-concerns-about-lack-of-worship-leaders/</link><pubDate>Tue, 11 Jul 2023 18:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sbc-study-raises-concerns-about-lack-of-worship-leaders/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Black Churches Concerned About Expulsion from SBC]]></title><description><![CDATA[Letter from the denomination&rsquo;s National African American Fellowship says vote on Saddleback and Fern Creek could &ldquo;disproportionately impact&rdquo; minority congregations.Earlier this year, Southern Baptists expelled five churches from the nation&rsquo;s largest Protestant denomination for having women as pastors.Now, the leader of a fellowship of African American Southern Baptist pastors wonders if their churches will be next.In a letter last week, the president of the Southern Bapti]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/black-churches-concerned-about-expulsion-from-sbc/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jul 2023 19:20:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/black-churches-concerned-about-expulsion-from-sbc/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nondenominational Churches Are Growing and Multiplying in DC]]></title><description><![CDATA[The city some dismiss as &ldquo;The Swamp&rdquo; is fertile ground for evangelicals.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nondenominational-churches-are-growing-and-multiplying-in-dc/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nondenominational-churches-are-growing-and-multiplying-in-dc/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[He Built a University, Sheltered Fleeing People, and Worked for Peace in Congo. Then He Was Arrested.]]></title><description><![CDATA[The government detained Lazare Sebitereko Rukundwa in June and is holding him without charges.The Congolese government is holding a Christian leader in prison and not releasing any information about where he is or what he&rsquo;s charged with. Lazare Sebitereko Rukundwa does not have access to medication, and the Red Cross has not been allowed to see him, according to several people close to the situation.Rukundwa&rsquo;s arrest came after a United Nations report stated he led a campaign encoura]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/he-built-a-university-sheltered-fleeing-people-and-worked-for-peace-in-congo-then-he-was-arrested/</link><pubDate>Mon, 10 Jul 2023 17:55:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/he-built-a-university-sheltered-fleeing-people-and-worked-for-peace-in-congo-then-he-was-arrested/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Medical Missionary Leaves After 50 Faithful Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rebekah Naylor, 79, is stepping down from International Mission Board.The first time she retired, in 2002, Dr. Rebekah Naylor, a longtime missionary surgeon, came home to Texas after 35 years in India to care for her mother, who was ailing.Along with doing that, she joined the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, where she taught surgery for eight years. She later became a consultant for Southern Baptist global relief and development work, taught at Southwest]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/medical-missionary-leaves-after-50-faithful-years/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jul 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/medical-missionary-leaves-after-50-faithful-years/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Colorado Springs’s New Christian Mayor Wants to ‘Disrupt’ Politics with Unity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nigerian American Christian Yemi Mobolade went from pastor and community organizer to city leadership.Yemi Mobolade moved to Colorado Springs to start a church. Thirteen years later, he became the city&rsquo;s mayor.Even though his position isn&rsquo;t a pastoral one, his faith is central to his platform, as well as his experience in local ministries, nonprofits, businesses, and economic development. Mobolade ran a campaign on hope and optimism, taking his core values from Micah 6:8: &ldquo;Do j]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/colorado-springss-new-christian-mayor-wants-to-disrupt-politics-with-unity/</link><pubDate>Fri, 07 Jul 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/colorado-springss-new-christian-mayor-wants-to-disrupt-politics-with-unity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Don’t Want My Son to Inherit the Sins of His Mother]]></title><description><![CDATA[My worries for my child&rsquo;s physical health shouldn&rsquo;t surpass my concern for his spiritual well-being.The past few years have seen groundbreaking advances in biotechnology&mdash;particularly in the areas of human cell therapy and gene editing.In March, experts gathered for the third global conference to discuss the ethical dilemmas involved in their work&mdash;less than five years after a Chinese geneticist announced he had performed &ldquo;gene surgery&rdquo; to prevent a set of twins]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-dont-want-my-son-to-inherit-the-sins-of-his-mother/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-dont-want-my-son-to-inherit-the-sins-of-his-mother/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pakistani Christian Teens Could Face Death Penalty Under Stricter Blasphemy Laws]]></title><description><![CDATA[Decades ago, converts thought the country would be a refuge from the caste system. Today, they risk criminal charges and remain largely relegated to sanitation jobs.<br />
Two Christian Pakistani teenagers, one 18 and another 14, were arrested in their homes in Lahore in May 2023 on charges of blasphemy after a policeman claimed he heard them being disrespectful of the Prophet Muhammad.Among Muslim-majority countries, Pakistan has the strictest blasphemy laws. People jailed under these laws risk a sen]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pakistani-christian-teens-could-face-death-penalty-under-stricter-blasphemy-laws/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:47:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pakistani-christian-teens-could-face-death-penalty-under-stricter-blasphemy-laws/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Archaeology Affirmed the Historic Stature of a Biblical King]]></title><description><![CDATA[Once, the House of David seemed like a folk tale. Now, the rocks testify to its historic significance.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-archaeology-affirmed-the-historic-stature-of-a-biblical-king/</link><pubDate>Thu, 06 Jul 2023 15:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-archaeology-affirmed-the-historic-stature-of-a-biblical-king/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Shepherd Boy Who Wasn’t]]></title><description><![CDATA[We like imagining that a young, hopeless David killed Goliath. We need the fuller story.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-shepherd-boy-who-wasnt/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-shepherd-boy-who-wasnt/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Young Christian Who Took Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson to Court]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hanna Wilt testified to God&rsquo;s presence in a terminal diagnosis while pursuing a case against the pharmaceutical giant over its baby powder.When Hanna Wilt was 22, she was diagnosed with abdominal mesothelioma, a rare cancer usually linked to asbestos exposure. Doctors gave her six months to live.Her young life became consumed with horrific symptoms and brutal cancer treatments. This cancer fills the abdomen, starving the patient. But she lived several years beyond her prognosis.In that ext]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-young-christian-who-took-johnson-ampamp-johnson-to-court/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2023 17:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-young-christian-who-took-johnson-ampamp-johnson-to-court/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How Bodies Believe with David Taylor]]></title><description><![CDATA[The professor, priest, and author speaks to the role of the body in worship.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-bodies-believe-with-david-taylor/</link><pubDate>Wed, 05 Jul 2023 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-bodies-believe-with-david-taylor/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Philippians Is Full of Pithy Sayings. The Chinese Bible Tells Me So.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Phrases like &ldquo;rejoice in the Lord&rdquo; and &ldquo;to live is Christ&rdquo; in Mandarin reveal the wisdom of Paul&rsquo;s exhortations.As I was growing up in Malaysia, my parents would send me to Mandarin lessons after school. Despite their best efforts, I was particularly resistant to learning Chinese. Consequently, most Mandarin lessons went in one ear and out the other, particularly the ones about chengyu (&#25104;&#35821;).The four-character idioms called chengyu are a popular way in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/philippians-is-full-of-pithy-sayings-the-chinese-bible-tells-me-so/</link><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jul 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/philippians-is-full-of-pithy-sayings-the-chinese-bible-tells-me-so/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Steven Furtick’s Elevation Church Leaves the SBC]]></title><description><![CDATA[The megachurch, known for its popular Elevation Music, has voluntarily withdrawn two weeks after the recent Southern Baptist annual meeting.<br />
Elevation Church, a North Carolina megachurch known for its popular music and charismatic pastor, has left the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).In a letter sent to the SBC&rsquo;s Executive Committee in Nashville and to the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, Charlotte-based Elevation Church said it was &ldquo;withdrawing its affiliation with the S]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/steven-furticks-elevation-church-leaves-the-sbc/</link><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jul 2023 17:34:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/steven-furticks-elevation-church-leaves-the-sbc/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After 140 Years, Alliance University Will Close]]></title><description><![CDATA[Formerly Nyack College, the school was in bad financial shape for several years. The loss of accreditation earlier this week forced a reckoning.Alliance University, a 140-year-old Christian &amp; Missionary Alliance (CMA) school in New York City, will close on August 31 after years of financial struggles.Known for much of its history as Nyack College, Alliance is the latest casualty in the financial crisis in Christian higher education . At least 18 Christian colleges have closed since the pande]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-140-years-alliance-university-will-close/</link><pubDate>Sat, 01 Jul 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-140-years-alliance-university-will-close/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Supreme Court Sides With Christian Who Won’t Make Gay Wedding Sites]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ruling: Colorado can&rsquo;t &ldquo;force all manner of artists, speechwriters, and others whose services involve speech to speak what they do not believe.&rdquo;<br />
The US Supreme Court delivered a First Amendment victory Friday to a Christian designer who objects to creating custom websites for same-sex weddings.The high court ruled in a 6&ndash;3 opinion the state of Colorado would violate the free-speech rights of Lorie Smith by requiring her to design a website for a ceremony that conflicts wi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/supreme-court-sides-with-christian-who-wont-make-gay-wedding-sites/</link><pubDate>Sat, 01 Jul 2023 06:17:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/supreme-court-sides-with-christian-who-wont-make-gay-wedding-sites/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Some Southern Baptist Women Worry About a ‘Narrowing’ Complementarianism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Recent debates have left them discouraged and uncertain about what&rsquo;s next for female leaders.<br />
On the ten-hour drive home from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meeting in New Orleans, Leah Finn had questions.Finn felt like she should know enough to understand the changes that 12,000 Southern Baptists approved at their gathering in mid-June. She had been following the proposals for months, she knew the rules of parliamentary procedure, and her husband, Nathan Finn, serves as a tr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-southern-baptist-women-worry-about-a-narrowing-complementarianism/</link><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/some-southern-baptist-women-worry-about-a-narrowing-complementarianism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[One on One with Harrison Scott Key]]></title><description><![CDATA[The award-winning author talks about his marriage, his latest book, and the hope of comedy.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-on-one-with-harrison-scott-key/</link><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/one-on-one-with-harrison-scott-key/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Today’s Arab Women Theologians Have Plenty of Past Exemplars]]></title><description><![CDATA[From desert mothers to modern scholars, the Middle East has long featured females leading from the margins&mdash;and sometimes near the center of patriarchal power.The Middle East today is at a kairos moment in time. As women across the region fight for their rights and freedoms, the tectonic shift is felt also in Christian academia. What was once a trickle of female theologians has developed into a growing number of developing leaders, enabling and emboldening other women to rise in leadership.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/todays-arab-women-theologians-have-plenty-of-past-exemplars/</link><pubDate>Fri, 30 Jun 2023 10:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/todays-arab-women-theologians-have-plenty-of-past-exemplars/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Word Made Fresh: Taglish Bible Translation Brings Streets of Manila into Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[After 16 years and plenty of controversy, the Philippine Bible Society completes its Pinoy Version.When the Philippines Bible Society (PBS) first released the New Testament translated into Taglish&mdash;a mix of Tagalog and English used by urban dwellers in the Philippines&mdash;five years ago, Filipino Christians were in an uproar on social media. Many decried it as irreverent or blasphemous to translate the Word of God into a colloquial language more commonly seen on the Internet or heard at t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-word-made-fresh-taglish-bible-translation-brings-streets-of-manila-into-church/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-word-made-fresh-taglish-bible-translation-brings-streets-of-manila-into-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Reiji Oyama, Bible Translator Who Repented for Japan’s Wartime Sins]]></title><description><![CDATA[The humble pastor made the Word easy to understand for modern Japanese and sought to heal the "bitter enmity" with Korea.Reiji Oyama, the translator of the Modern Japanese Bible and one of the founders of the Japan Evangelical Association, died on May 16 at the age of 96 in Tokyo.He started translating the Bible in 1960, beginning with the letter to Philemon and moving on to publishing the entire New Testament in Japanese in 1978. In Japanese, it was known as Gendaijin no Seisho or &ldquo;Bible]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-reiji-oyama-bible-translator-who-repented-for-japans-wartime-sins/</link><pubDate>Thu, 29 Jun 2023 17:43:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-reiji-oyama-bible-translator-who-repented-for-japans-wartime-sins/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Colonialism Brought Evangelicalism to the Philippines. Churches Are Now Untangling the Two.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Five Filipino Christian leaders weigh in on the American church&rsquo;s influence on worship, culture, and politics.The Philippines boasts of being the only Christian nation in Asia. Filipino Catholics make up 80 percent of the population while evangelicals make up another 3 percent.The country&rsquo;s large Christian population today is the result of 300 years of Spanish rule, which brought Catholicism to the Philippine archipelago. Then the United States colonized the Philippines for about 50]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/colonialism-brought-evangelicalism-to-the-philippines-churches-are-now-untangling-the-two/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 Jun 2023 21:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/colonialism-brought-evangelicalism-to-the-philippines-churches-are-now-untangling-the-two/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Russell’s Desert Island Bookshelf]]></title><description><![CDATA[Russell Moore and producer Ashley Hales discuss titles that last a lifetime.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/russells-desert-island-bookshelf/</link><pubDate>Wed, 28 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/russells-desert-island-bookshelf/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[4 New Releases from Indie Worship Artists]]></title><description><![CDATA[From joyful big-band tunes to aching psalms, from Dallas to down under, local musicians bring depth and diversity to our praise.<br />
While big-name megachurch outlets produce the bulk of music sung on Sunday mornings, independent musicians across churches, denominations, and musical styles are writing their own songs for their community to sing together&mdash;and maybe ours one day too.Four recent releases by independent artists&mdash;Gather, Pray, and Eat by Hey Barnabas! and Sunday Morning Songs;]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/4-new-releases-from-indie-worship-artists/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/4-new-releases-from-indie-worship-artists/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[For Worship Bands, Auto-Tune Covers a Multitude of Sins]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the livestreaming era, church sound booths are upping their game.According to the Prophet Isaiah, grass withers, flowers fade, but God&rsquo;s word endures.In the age of social media, so do the mistakes of church musicians.Play the wrong chord, forget the words to a song or sing an off note, and a worship leader or singer may find themselves featured in Facebook videos or Instagram accounts like &ldquo;Worship Fails&rdquo; for years.As a result, said Marc Jolicoeur, worship and creative pasto]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-worship-bands-auto-tune-covers-a-multitude-of-sins/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/for-worship-bands-auto-tune-covers-a-multitude-of-sins/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Church, My Choice]]></title><description><![CDATA[How the modern concept of self-creation turns Christian community into personal identity.The recent death of pastor-theologian Tim Keller sparked nostalgia for my young, restless days as part of the Young, Restless, and Reformed (YRR) movement he helped lead.As someone raised in Christian fundamentalism, it offered me a kind of holy rebellion where free grace, contemporary music, and cultural engagement came packaged with God&rsquo;s glory and power. But two decades on, I find myself less Young,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-church-my-choice/</link><pubDate>Tue, 27 Jun 2023 17:18:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/my-church-my-choice/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Biden Administration Drops HHS ‘Transgender Mandate’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelicals in medicine won&rsquo;t be subjected to the contested federal requirement that faced years of legal backlash.<br />
The Biden administration will not appeal an Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision from December 2022 that blocked the so-called transgender mandate.The mandate was an attempt by the Biden administration to define sex to include &ldquo;gender identity&rdquo; for the purposes of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations. Critics say the rule would have required doctors, c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/biden-administration-drops-hhs-transgender-mandate/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jun 2023 18:58:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/biden-administration-drops-hhs-transgender-mandate/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[No More Pentecost Monday? French-Speaking Evangelicals Debate Defense of Christian Holidays.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Proposal to secularize the civic calendar prompts controversy.Debates about the place of Christianity in public life regularly resurface in Europe. Recently, after the Pentecost Monday holiday, the mayor of Grenoble, France, sparked controversy when he argued French society has evolved beyond religious days off. Pointing to the large number of secular people who don&rsquo;t follow the church calendar and Muslims who celebrate different religious days, &Eacute;ric Piolle proposed removing Christi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-more-pentecost-monday-french-speaking-evangelicals-debate-defense-of-christian-holidays/</link><pubDate>Mon, 26 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-more-pentecost-monday-french-speaking-evangelicals-debate-defense-of-christian-holidays/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How We Stay in Church Matters as Much as Why]]></title><description><![CDATA[Spiritual abuse survivors who join a new congregation still need to heal from their hurt.People are leaving the church today for numerous reasons&mdash;from spiritual or sexual abuse by leaders, church division, legalism, or hyper-politicization. A recent Barna survey found that two of the top sources of doubt for most believers are negative past experiences with a religious institution and the hypocrisy of religious people.But not all who&rsquo;ve had a bad experience with a faith community cho]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-we-stay-in-church-matters-as-much-as-why/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-we-stay-in-church-matters-as-much-as-why/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Blind Band Revives Traditional Worship in Lebanon’s Churches]]></title><description><![CDATA[Group seeks to open the eyes of Arab hearts through oriental quarter-note melodies.The captivating music emanates from a humble room in a quiet suburb of Beirut. Music made uniquely &ldquo;oriental&rdquo; by its use of quarter notes, the sounds created by the musicians practicing inside are different from ones a Western ear would be used to.Well suited to stringed instruments such as the oud and violin, the melody is surprising to hear emanate from an organ and piano. With the mere roll of a dia]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/blind-band-revives-traditional-worship-in-lebanons-churches/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/blind-band-revives-traditional-worship-in-lebanons-churches/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Youth Bring their Questions on Transgender Identity to Church]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gen Z evangelicals are forcing a discussion on LGBT hospitality.With transgender identity continuing to rise in the US, evangelical pastors are challenged to think through how they might welcome a trans person attending their church. For many conservative pastors, this scenario may still be a hypothetical. But odds are, for the youth in their congregation, the question of how to relate to their transgender peers is already a reality.Nearly 20 percent of those who identify as transgender in the U]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/youth-bring-their-questions-on-transgender-identity-to-church/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/youth-bring-their-questions-on-transgender-identity-to-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Transgender Teens, Pronouns, and Preferred Names: Youth Pastors Grapple with New Questions]]></title><description><![CDATA[In evangelical churches, Gen Z is forcing a discussion on LGBT hospitality.With transgender identity continuing to rise in the US, evangelical pastors are challenged to think through how they might welcome a trans person attending their church. For many conservative pastors, this scenario may still be a hypothetical. But odds are, for the youth in their congregation, the question of how to relate to their transgender peers is already a reality.Nearly 20 percent of those who identify as transgend]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/transgender-teens-pronouns-and-preferred-names-youth-pastors-grapple-with-new-questions/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/transgender-teens-pronouns-and-preferred-names-youth-pastors-grapple-with-new-questions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[There Is an ‘I’ in ‘Testify’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Self-centered testimonies have been abused. But not sharing our story can be equally selfish.I miss the word I.Some have sworn off saying &ldquo;I&rdquo; because we&rsquo;ve abused it. Instead of listening, we&rsquo;ve spoken for others as if our personal experience is universal. The word I can be shamed and scrutinized: Who are you to center yourself? and What makes your personal anecdotes relevant or reliable? In other circles, Christians overreacted to the extreme of a hyper-individualistic f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/there-is-an-i-in-testify/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 16:02:20 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/there-is-an-i-in-testify/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Let There Be Lite: Offline Bible App Launches in Africa, Asia]]></title><description><![CDATA[Millions have downloaded YouVersion&rsquo;s new &ldquo;lite&rdquo; app, designed for mobile users without access to broadband internet.<br />
Bible apps have brought a trove of resources to anyone with a smartphone&mdash;and an internet connection.But after hearing feedback from Christians in places where people can&rsquo;t access or afford high-speed broadband, the team behind YouVersion&rsquo;s Bible app recently launched an app that doesn&rsquo;t need a connection.Designed for users in sub-Saharan]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-there-be-lite-offline-bible-app-launches-in-africa-asia/</link><pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/let-there-be-lite-offline-bible-app-launches-in-africa-asia/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Train Up a Child: Ukraine’s Christian Schools Model Wartime Education]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelical-led movement offers family atmosphere and biblical values increasingly attractive to the beleaguered nation.As air raid sirens blared down the hallways, Tetiana Garkun hurried her middle school students outside the My Horizons Christian School campus into the designated bomb shelter.Located in Khmelnytsky, 200 miles southwest of Kyiv, Ukraine&rsquo;s capital, the school&rsquo;s children moved in orderly fashion&mdash;a sign of how accustomed they&rsquo;ve become to Russian missiles t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/train-up-a-child-ukraines-christian-schools-model-wartime-education/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/train-up-a-child-ukraines-christian-schools-model-wartime-education/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hundreds of Nigerian Christians Killed in Recent Attacks]]></title><description><![CDATA[Officials blame fighters targeting &ldquo;ethnoreligious minorities as well as houses of worship and religious ceremonies.&rdquo;At least 450 Christians have died in a series of attacks on Christian villages in three northcentral Nigerian states since May, according to reports from governmental and nongovernmental religious freedom advocates.Christian death tolls include at least 300 in several attacks in Plateau state spanning May 15&ndash;17, according to reports from Morning Star News and Chr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hundreds-of-nigerian-christians-killed-in-recent-attacks/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2023 19:13:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/hundreds-of-nigerian-christians-killed-in-recent-attacks/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can Christians Do Yoga? Indian Believers Weigh In]]></title><description><![CDATA[Surveying the spectrum of Christian views on the traditionally Hindu practice, from wellness to spiritual caution.Today&rsquo;s observance of the International Day of Yoga, proclaimed by the United Nations since 2015 and led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India during his visit this week to New York, underscores yoga&rsquo;s global popularity.Although not a religion, the ancient Eastern practice is mentioned in the sacred scriptures of Hinduism such as the Bhagavad Gita. A Sanskrit word mean]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-christians-do-yoga-indian-believers-weigh-in/</link><pubDate>Thu, 22 Jun 2023 03:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/can-christians-do-yoga-indian-believers-weigh-in/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ukrainian Refugees Find Christian Welcome&amp;mdash;in Russia]]></title><description><![CDATA[Offering food and shelter, Russian evangelicals are caring for the Donbas&rsquo;s displaced. But in the face of Ukrainian frustration, dare they offer pastors for its empty pulpits?Disoriented and disheveled, the elderly Ukrainian woman stayed put in her seat. After several hours in a Temporary Accommodation Center (TAC) in Taganrog, Russia, 70 miles east of her month-long basement shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine, officials encouraged her to get on the bus&mdash;to somewhere else.Earlier that day,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ukrainian-refugees-find-christian-welcomeampmdashin-russia/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jun 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ukrainian-refugees-find-christian-welcomeampmdashin-russia/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Et Tu, Ahithophel? The Cautionary Tale of King David’s Adviser]]></title><description><![CDATA[When trusted counselors go bad, churches pay a heavy price.Evangelical churches do not have an official or formally recognized pope. But there are individuals in churches whose counsel is received as if it is from God himself, even if they do not hold top leadership positions.In King David&rsquo;s life, this influential individual was Ahithophel, his trusted counselor. When David&rsquo;s son, Absalom, planned a treacherous rebellion against his father, Ahithophel entered the picture as a minor c]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/et-tu-ahithophel-the-cautionary-tale-of-king-davids-adviser/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jun 2023 18:03:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/et-tu-ahithophel-the-cautionary-tale-of-king-davids-adviser/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[50 Atheists Found Christ. This Researcher Found Out Why.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jana Harmon paints a detailed picture of the reasons skeptics come to faith.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/50-atheists-found-christ-this-researcher-found-out-why/</link><pubDate>Wed, 21 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/50-atheists-found-christ-this-researcher-found-out-why/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Imagine Dragons More Biblically]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Chinese boat festival reminds us that Revelation&rsquo;s serpent transcends Western and Eastern cultural concepts, say Asian biblical scholars.Most times, you hear the dragon boats before you see them.Jumanji-style drum beats fill the air, pounding out a steady rhythm as a 20-strong crew paddles in sync on long, sleek boats in a bid to outrace one another. But the intensity of these competitions aren&rsquo;t the only eye-catching feature during the Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place on]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/imagine-dragons-more-biblically/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jun 2023 20:02:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/imagine-dragons-more-biblically/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Where Pro-Choice Groups Chose Vandalism]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pregnancy centers were attacked in 24 states in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision on abortion rights.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/where-pro-choice-groups-chose-vandalism/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/where-pro-choice-groups-chose-vandalism/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Making Disciples Means Working for Justice]]></title><description><![CDATA[Scripture is clear that both go hand in hand.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/making-disciples-means-working-for-justice/</link><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/making-disciples-means-working-for-justice/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[I Loved Studying Math. I Needed God to Show Me Why.]]></title><description><![CDATA[At a moment of crisis, my drive to excel seemed increasingly pointless.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-loved-studying-math-i-needed-god-to-show-me-why/</link><pubDate>Sun, 18 Jun 2023 15:41:32 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/i-loved-studying-math-i-needed-god-to-show-me-why/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elisabeth Elliot Was a Flawed Figure God Used in Extraordinary Ways]]></title><description><![CDATA[No less than her martyred husband, she could be inspiring and frustrating all at once.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/elisabeth-elliot-was-a-flawed-figure-god-used-in-extraordinary-ways/</link><pubDate>Sun, 18 Jun 2023 15:41:32 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/elisabeth-elliot-was-a-flawed-figure-god-used-in-extraordinary-ways/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[In Search of Non-Toxic Male Sexuality]]></title><description><![CDATA[Can we recover a healthy, Christ-honoring vision for masculinity?]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-search-of-non-toxic-male-sexuality/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 22:58:22 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/in-search-of-non-toxic-male-sexuality/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[C.S. Lewis Warned Us About Close Encounters of the Evangelical Kind]]></title><description><![CDATA[If UFOs are real, exercise some humility before sharing the gospel.A Las Vegas family called 911 in April to report a disturbance in their backyard. The city has its share of crime so that couldn&rsquo;t have surprised the emergency dispatcher too much, but then the man on the phone said, &ldquo;They&rsquo;re not human.&rdquo;The beings, he said, were 8 feet or maybe 9 or 10 feet tall, with big, shiny eyes.&ldquo;They look like aliens to us. Big eyes. They have big eyes. Like, I can&rsquo;t expl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/cs-lewis-warned-us-about-close-encounters-of-the-evangelical-kind/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/cs-lewis-warned-us-about-close-encounters-of-the-evangelical-kind/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[On a Wing and a Prayer: Mike Pence Hitches Presidential Hopes on Fellow Evangelicals]]></title><description><![CDATA[However, convincing faithful voters to choose him over Trump or DeSantis will not be easy.Around Mike Pence&rsquo;s 40th birthday, his wife Karen booked a trip to a ranch near the Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado. Pence was mulling over a second run for Congress after a failed bid years earlier. As the Pences sat atop a bluff in the park, they noticed two red-tailed hawks riding a hot-air current, rising higher and higher.&ldquo;We should step off this cliff and make ourselves available to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/on-a-wing-and-a-prayer-mike-pence-hitches-presidential-hopes-on-fellow-evangelicals/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/on-a-wing-and-a-prayer-mike-pence-hitches-presidential-hopes-on-fellow-evangelicals/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[No Secrets for Old Men]]></title><description><![CDATA[Trump is indicted, the SBC elects a reformer, and Juneteenth offers hope for freedom then and now.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-secrets-for-old-men/</link><pubDate>Fri, 16 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/no-secrets-for-old-men/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Supreme Court Upholds Law on Native Adoptions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Native American Christians, involved in both their tribes and in child placement situations, know the complexity of these cases better than most.Native American tribes will retain priority for placement in the adoption of Native American children after a US Supreme Court ruling on Thursday.The high court rejected all challenges to the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) in a 7&ndash;2 ruling by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented.An evangelical coup]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/supreme-court-upholds-law-on-native-adoptions/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 21:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/supreme-court-upholds-law-on-native-adoptions/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[On Building ‘Deeply Christian’ Racial Justice Movements]]></title><description><![CDATA[The NYC founders of Pray March Act want church-led activism to outlive news cycles and divisive politics.James Roberson III scaled a ladder in downtown Brooklyn on June 2, 2020, with a megaphone in his hand, as protestors converged below him. He had expected a few hundred; thousands showed up.One week earlier, Roberson&mdash;a married father of three and pastor of Bridge Church NYC&mdash;had watched the infamous video of George Floyd dying. He couldn&rsquo;t believe the &ldquo;total disregard fo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/on-building-deeply-christian-racial-justice-movements/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/on-building-deeply-christian-racial-justice-movements/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Court Hears Closing Arguments in Brian Houston Case]]></title><description><![CDATA[Was the Hillsong founder covering up sexual abuse or trying to care for a survivor?Update: The court will rule on Brian Houston&rsquo;s guilt on August 16.Sydney court magistrate Gareth Christofi has been presented with two very different portraits of Hillsong megachurch founder Brian Houston.According to the Crown prosecutor, making his final argument in court on Thursday, Houston is a liar. He did everything he could to conceal his father&rsquo;s sexual abuse and protect his own reputation and]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/court-hears-closing-arguments-in-brian-houston-case/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 19:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/court-hears-closing-arguments-in-brian-houston-case/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[God Called Him to Thailand 60 Years Ago. He Still Hasn’t Left.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Missionary Henry Breidenthal taught generations of Thai pastors as a doctor, Bible college founder, and evangelist.On a warm Sunday morning in March, about a dozen Thai Christians sit quietly in Grace New Life Church in Chiang Mai and wait for the service to begin. As the worship leader warms up on his guitar and the pastor makes last-minute adjustments to his slides, a frail 91-year-old Caucasian man with bifocals shuffles to a chair and sits down.The worship leader stands and asks maw (Thai fo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-called-him-to-thailand-60-years-ago-he-still-hasnt-left/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:30:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-called-him-to-thailand-60-years-ago-he-still-hasnt-left/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As Methodist Exits Hit 5,800, Some Churches Find Paths Blocked]]></title><description><![CDATA[(UPDATED) The costs and complications of UMC disaffiliation are leaving many congregations stuck.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-methodist-exits-hit-5800-some-churches-find-paths-blocked/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-methodist-exits-hit-5800-some-churches-find-paths-blocked/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Does It Profit a Christian to Protect an Institution but Lose Their Soul?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our ambition should take a back seat to our conscience.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-does-it-profit-a-christian-to-protect-an-institution-but-lose-their-soul/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 07:50:32 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-does-it-profit-a-christian-to-protect-an-institution-but-lose-their-soul/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[As Methodist Exits Hit 5,500, Some Churches Find Paths Blocked]]></title><description><![CDATA[The costs and complications of UMC disaffiliation are leaving many congregations stuck.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-methodist-exits-hit-5500-some-churches-find-paths-blocked/</link><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 07:50:32 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/as-methodist-exits-hit-5500-some-churches-find-paths-blocked/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptists Committed to Abuse Reform. What Happened?]]></title><description><![CDATA[With the female-pastor debate getting the most attention, the slow work to address abuse plods on.<br />
The issue that once dominated Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) annual meetings&mdash;sexual abuse in churches&mdash;almost receded into the background at this year&rsquo;s gathering, which was overrun by debates around women serving as pastors.Only a year after they voted to move forward with initial steps to address abuse in the wake of a major investigation, the SBC&rsquo;s reforms have been slo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-committed-to-abuse-reform-what-happened/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-committed-to-abuse-reform-what-happened/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trump’s Indictment Demands a Distinctly Christian Response]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s easy to celebrate or critique based on partisanship, but Christians can model a better way.Donald Trump has always been a bit of a history maker.In 2016, he was the first person elected US president without prior government or military service. His three Supreme Court appointments in four years were the most in half a century. He was the third president to be impeached, and the first to be impeached twice. And this month, Trump became the first president to be indicted on federal crim]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trumps-indictment-demands-a-distinctly-christian-response/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jun 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/trumps-indictment-demands-a-distinctly-christian-response/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[‘Conscious Uncoupling’ from Church Is the New Temptation]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dones and &ldquo;umms&rdquo; are leaving the sanctuary or loitering outside the door. But when have they actually left?I have a friend who faded away from church during his undergraduate years. First, his church involvement became sporadic. Then he stopped attending events that featured worship or fostered Christian community. For a while, he continued to claim he was a Christian. A year later, he dropped the label.Some may think he&rsquo;s still a Christian because he once &ldquo;got saved&rdqu]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/conscious-uncoupling-from-church-is-the-new-temptation/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jun 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/conscious-uncoupling-from-church-is-the-new-temptation/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southern Baptists Reject Rick Warren’s Saddleback Appeal]]></title><description><![CDATA[The move to disfellowship churches with female pastors in top positions has spurred a larger debate.Nobody expected Rick Warren&rsquo;s appeal to be successful&mdash;not even Rick Warren. But he still stood up in front of 13,000 Southern Baptists gathered in New Orleans to make his case.&ldquo;No one is asking any Southern Baptist to change their theology! I&rsquo;m not asking you to agree with my church,&rdquo; he insisted, reading from a printout at a microphone on the floor of the convention]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-reject-rick-warrens-saddleback-appeal/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southern-baptists-reject-rick-warrens-saddleback-appeal/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Presbyterian Church in America Has an Abuse Crisis Too]]></title><description><![CDATA[Women thought the PCA, with its robust system of governance, might provide some accountability. They found that was not the case.With a robust governing structure and a 400-page Book of Church Order (BCO) that requires strict standards for those in church leadership, the Presbyterian Church in America should be a denomination that&rsquo;s good at handling abuse.&ldquo;I told friends I picked the PCA because I know I have somewhere to go if something goes wrong,&rdquo; Kristen Hann, a former dire]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-presbyterian-church-in-america-has-an-abuse-crisis-too/</link><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jun 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-presbyterian-church-in-america-has-an-abuse-crisis-too/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Baptism by Flood: Kherson Christians Persevere After Ukraine Dam’s Destruction]]></title><description><![CDATA[Occupied, liberated, and now underwater, Kherson remains on the frontline of fighting&mdash;and faith, a local seminary president explains.For eight months, the Ukrainian city of Kherson endured Russian occupation.Now&mdash;along with at least seven churches&mdash;it is underwater.Experts estimate that the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam, 44 miles upstream, released an amount of water equal to the Great Salt Lake. A new wave of evacuations is underway in southern Ukraine, with 25,000 people in]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/baptism-by-flood-kherson-christians-persevere-after-ukraine-dams-destruction/</link><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jun 2023 00:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/baptism-by-flood-kherson-christians-persevere-after-ukraine-dams-destruction/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Liberty Whistleblower Continues to Defend Fraud Claims]]></title><description><![CDATA[A former dean alleges over $1 million in staff kickbacks and payouts as his case against the university goes to court.Four months after Liberty University filed a motion to dismiss a whistleblower&rsquo;s lawsuit, the former dean suing the school amended his complaint with more detail about the alleged fraud he reported to authorities. He alleges that the school offered payouts to third parties and concealed the use of university funding for business expenses.According to the suit, John Markley]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/liberty-whistleblower-continues-to-defend-fraud-claims/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/liberty-whistleblower-continues-to-defend-fraud-claims/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ghana’s Christians Divided Over Proposed Monument to National Unity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Economic woes halt progress on President Nana Akufo-Addo&rsquo;s planned cathedral as criticism turns increasingly religious.The national cathedral was supposed to unite Ghana. Instead, the unfinished project and its ballooning costs have divided the country and become, for some, a symbol of failed policies and presidential vanity.President Nana Akufo-Addo pledged to build the cathedral before he became president in 2016. He proposed a structure designed by a world-renowned architect, with a 5,0]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ghanas-christians-divided-over-proposed-monument-to-national-unity/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/ghanas-christians-divided-over-proposed-monument-to-national-unity/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Christian Life Is Wishful Thinking]]></title><description><![CDATA[What we want for ourselves becomes what we offer to others.It was a typical Friday night at the Wilkin house. A spontaneous dinner had collected a growing number of neighbors and friends. As the kitchen swelled with people and chatter, I leaned over to each of my kids and whispered the code they were probably expecting: &ldquo;FHB.&rdquo;Family hold back. Maybe you know this strategy, too. Surveying the food relative to the guests, it became apparent that we needed a nonmiraculous solution for o]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-christian-life-is-wishful-thinking/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-christian-life-is-wishful-thinking/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Left Behind at the Ballot Box]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our view of the end times should affect our politics. But how?For decades, the dominant evangelical perspective on the end times has been a premillennial, dispensationalist eschatology. As shown in the Left Behind series, this view says the end is nigh and the world&mdash;politics included&mdash;will grow increasingly wicked and catastrophic until the end comes. Therefore, as Jesus tells his disciples, we should &ldquo;keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come&rdquo; (M]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/left-behind-at-the-ballot-box/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/left-behind-at-the-ballot-box/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Is God Pleased by Our Worship?]]></title><description><![CDATA[For Amos, it depends on whether the God we worship demands justice.In this Close Reading series, biblical scholars reflect on a passage in their area of expertise that has been formational in their own discipleship and continues to speak to them today.My mother was Guatemalan, and she went to great lengths to make sure that our family spoke Spanish and celebrated holidays with a Guatemalan flavor. I spent most of my summers as a boy in Guatemala, spending time with family and getting to know tha]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-god-pleased-by-our-worship/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/is-god-pleased-by-our-worship/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How One Family’s Faith Survived Three Generations in the Pulpit]]></title><description><![CDATA[With a front-row seat to their parents&rsquo; failures and burnout, a long line of pastor&rsquo;s kids still went into ministry. Why?]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-one-familys-faith-survived-three-generations-in-the-pulpit/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-one-familys-faith-survived-three-generations-in-the-pulpit/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Generations After Slavery, Georgia Neighbors Find Freedom and Repair in Christ]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the farming community of Dirt Town Valley, family friends grapple with a difficult truth: One ancestor was enslaved by another.Friends and neighbors Stacie Marshall and Melvin and Betty Mosley chat over coffee in Marshall&rsquo;s farmhouse kitchen in Dirt Town Valley, Georgia. Windows frame cattle pastures in every direction as they catch up on family weddings and local farming news. A mass of cheerful daffodils rests on the table between them.On the surface, this encounter seems like any oth]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/generations-after-slavery-georgia-neighbors-find-freedom-and-repair-in-christ/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jun 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/generations-after-slavery-georgia-neighbors-find-freedom-and-repair-in-christ/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Shiny Miserable Family: How Bill Gothard’s Ministry Missed the Sin Inside]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Duggar documentary shows how the fundamentalist movement got parenting and children wrong.Families can be pernicious places for children.Theologian Adrian Thatcher notes this in his book Theology and Families, which I read over a decade ago. Thatcher&rsquo;s words were a steady refrain in my mind as I watched the new Amazon Prime docuseries Shiny Happy People.American evangelicals have devoted an extraordinary amount of time, energy, and resources toward the goal of shoring up and strengthen]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shiny-miserable-family-how-bill-gothards-ministry-missed-the-sin-inside/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/shiny-miserable-family-how-bill-gothards-ministry-missed-the-sin-inside/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Southwestern Seminary Blames $140M Deficit on Overspending]]></title><description><![CDATA[Over 20 years and two presidencies, the school went millions beyond its budget while enrollment continued to decline.A new report from trustees at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, details two decades of fiscal mismanagement, including a $140 million operating deficit.According to an overview of the seminary&rsquo;s finances released Wednesday, Southwestern ran an average deficit of $6.67 million per year from 2002 to 2022. During that time, the number of full-time]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southwestern-seminary-blames-140m-deficit-on-overspending/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:58:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/southwestern-seminary-blames-140m-deficit-on-overspending/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[After Online Debates, Southern Baptists Get Down to Business]]></title><description><![CDATA[Top issues at the annual meeting in New Orleans include Saddleback, female pastors, abuse reform, and entity finances.<br />
Long before the 10,000-plus messengers show up in a massive conference hall each June, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has already begun debating the issues at stake at its annual meeting.Southern Baptists have come to expect the online back-and-forth in the weeks leading up to the gathering, with pastors and leaders taking sides, strategizing, and detailing arguments arou]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-online-debates-southern-baptists-get-down-to-business/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:23:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/after-online-debates-southern-baptists-get-down-to-business/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Finding Joy When the Fig Tree Does Not Bud]]></title><description><![CDATA[The prophet Habakkuk counsels us to trust in God&rsquo;s promises despite our circumstances.President George Washington envisioned a nation in which every person would sit under his own vine and fig tree with no one to make them afraid (Mic. 4:4). He dreamed of a people blessed by safety, prosperity, peace, and virtue.Yet all too often, we claim God&rsquo;s gracious promises as rights instead of blessings. What happens when &ldquo;the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines&rd]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/finding-joy-when-the-fig-tree-does-not-bud/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/finding-joy-when-the-fig-tree-does-not-bud/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Exit Music (For A Church)]]></title><description><![CDATA[Shiny Happy People, Pat Robertson&rsquo;s legacy, and why people are losing their religion.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/exit-music-for-a-church/</link><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/exit-music-for-a-church/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[PCA’s 50th Anniversary Comes During a Season of Grief]]></title><description><![CDATA[Presbyterians expect less fight and more fatigue as they gather following the Covenant shooting and the deaths of Harry Reeder and Tim Keller.In his first sermon since the death of his daughter and five others at The Covenant School in Nashville, Chad Scruggs, senior pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, referenced Isaiah 40 to describe how his family is coping: &ldquo;We aren&rsquo;t yet soaring on wings like eagles. We aren&rsquo;t yet running without being weary. We&rsquo;re simply trying t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pcas-50th-anniversary-comes-during-a-season-of-grief/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2023 18:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pcas-50th-anniversary-comes-during-a-season-of-grief/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Age Thinking Lured Me into Danger. Jesus Brought Relief.]]></title><description><![CDATA[He made himself real at a moment of intense spiritual fear.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-age-thinking-lured-me-into-danger-jesus-brought-relief/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/new-age-thinking-lured-me-into-danger-jesus-brought-relief/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Pat Robertson, Broadcast Pioneer Who Brought Christian TV to the Mainstream]]></title><description><![CDATA[With CBN, &ldquo;The 700 Club,&rdquo; Regent, the Christian Coalition, and a run for president, he changed evangelicals&rsquo; place in public life.<br />
Across six decades in front of the camera, Pat Robertson brought his Pentecostal sensibilities and conservative politics into millions of living rooms as the pioneer of Christian television and the leader of the Christian Coalition.The outspoken broadcaster died Thursday at age 93 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, home to his Christian Broadcasting Netwo]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-pat-robertson-broadcast-pioneer-who-brought-christian-tv-to-the-mainstream/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:15:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-pat-robertson-broadcast-pioneer-who-brought-christian-tv-to-the-mainstream/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pastors: Lead Not Your Church into Fear of AI]]></title><description><![CDATA[We can use generative apps for ministry and make our congregations aware of its dangers.As a pastor, most of my emails deal with the usual ministry matters: schedules for Bible study, comments about worship services, or misplaced Tupperware at a recent potluck. But lately, I&rsquo;ve had several church leaders asking me questions about artificial intelligence (AI).Some have requested resources on how to leverage its capabilities and avoid its dangers. Others have asked me for advice on how they]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-lead-not-your-church-into-fear-of-ai/</link><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jun 2023 10:59:22 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/pastors-lead-not-your-church-into-fear-of-ai/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[We Believe in the Power of the Gospel, Not the Gospel of Power]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Duggar documentary reminds Christians that we are the generation not of Joshua but of Jesus.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.The Amazon Prime docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets explores the reality-television homeschooling family and the system that shaped them&mdash;Bill Gothard&rsquo;s Institute in Basic Life Principles&mdash;along with the fundamentalist mindset behind it.Much of what it discusses felt nauseatingly familiar giv]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-believe-in-the-power-of-the-gospel-not-the-gospel-of-power/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2023 22:03:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/we-believe-in-the-power-of-the-gospel-not-the-gospel-of-power/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Oklahoma Approves First Church-Run Charter School in US]]></title><description><![CDATA[Supporters see it as win for religious freedom and school choice, while opponents are gearing up to challenge its constitutionality.<br />
US courts have long wrestled with the extent to which government funding can be used at private religious schools. And on June 5, 2023, Oklahoma&rsquo;s five-person Statewide Virtual Charter School Board pushed this much-debated question into new territory by approving plans for a religious charter school&mdash;the first in the nation.Under the proposed charter, St]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/oklahoma-approves-first-church-run-charter-school-in-us/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2023 17:55:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/oklahoma-approves-first-church-run-charter-school-in-us/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Most US Pastors Use Armed Congregants as Church Security]]></title><description><![CDATA[With shootings on the rise, more churches are dropping no-firearms policies and turning to gun-carriers in their flock, survey finds.Most churches have some type of security measures in place during worship services. Pastors point to intentional plans and armed church members more than other measures, but compared to three years ago, fewer say they have plans and more say they have gun-carrying congregants.Numerous fatal shootings have occurred at churches in recent years. In March, an armed ass]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/most-us-pastors-use-armed-congregants-as-church-security/</link><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jun 2023 17:23:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/most-us-pastors-use-armed-congregants-as-church-security/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: ‘The Hiding Place’ and ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’ Coauthor Elizabeth Sherrill]]></title><description><![CDATA[&ldquo;She knew how to tell a story with power.&rdquo;Few evangelicals know Elizabeth Sherrill&rsquo;s name. But because of her, they know David Wilkerson, Brother Andrew, Corrie ten Boom, and dozens of other modern men and women who overcame by faith. Working closely with her husband John, she reported, wrote, and edited some of the most compelling, popular, and widely influential accounts of contemporary Christians on bookshelves today.Sherrill had &ldquo;an uncanny knack for always touching t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-the-hiding-place-and-the-cross-and-the-switchblade-coauthor-elizabeth-sherrill/</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jun 2023 21:45:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-the-hiding-place-and-the-cross-and-the-switchblade-coauthor-elizabeth-sherrill/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[John Onwuchekwa Joins CT Team as Director of Leadership Resources]]></title><description><![CDATA[Atlanta-based preacher, author, and entrepreneur will expand the ways CT serves pastors and church leaders.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/john-onwuchekwa-joins-ct-team-as-director-of-leadership-resources/</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jun 2023 20:23:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/john-onwuchekwa-joins-ct-team-as-director-of-leadership-resources/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Seafarer Ministries See Spiritual Needs in Rough Economic Waters]]></title><description><![CDATA[Merchant marines are still struggling, body and soul, after COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions.Gary Roosma can attest to the challenges of organizing a worship service onboard a cargo ship.It&rsquo;s a complicated process, reaching out to the rotating cast of captains aboard the ships in the Port of Vancouver, for a congregation of sailors who may or may not even want to gather.But experience has taught him it&rsquo;s a worthwhile effort.He remembers one officer who accosted him with a questi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/seafarer-ministries-see-spiritual-needs-in-rough-economic-waters/</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jun 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/seafarer-ministries-see-spiritual-needs-in-rough-economic-waters/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nominate a Book for the 2024 Christianity Today Book Awards]]></title><description><![CDATA[Instructions for publishers.Dear Publisher,Each year, Christianity Today honors a set of outstanding books encompassing a variety of subjects and genres. The CT Book Awards will be announced in December at christianitytoday.com. They also will be featured prominently in the January/February 2024 issue of CT and promoted in several CT newsletters. (In addition, publishers will have the opportunity to participate in a marketing promotion organized by CT&rsquo;s marketing team, complete with site b]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nominate-a-book-for-the-2024-christianity-today-book-awards/</link><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/nominate-a-book-for-the-2024-christianity-today-book-awards/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Welcome, Visitors! Here’s Our Church’s Take on Sex.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hospitality demands that some things be clear from the start.As Canadians living in Austin, Texas, my wife and I have a sign on our front door that reads, &ldquo;Please take off your shoes.&rdquo; The Northern experience of slush, grit, and mud, as well as a few years spent living in Japan, made us committed to the goodness of shoeless indoor living. (Slippers and indoor shoes allowed.)We hung the sign several years into our time in Austin. After more than a few awkward greetings&mdash;an effusi]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/welcome-visitors-heres-our-churchs-take-on-sex/</link><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/welcome-visitors-heres-our-churchs-take-on-sex/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian and Missionary Alliance Will Ordain Women]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ministers may now use the title &ldquo;pastor&rdquo; regardless of gender.The Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) has decided to ordain women and allow them to carry the title of &ldquo;pastor.&rdquo; More than 60 percent of the denomination&rsquo;s delegates approved the two changes at the Alliance&rsquo;s general council in Spokane, Washington, last week, after four years of official discussion and debate.John Stumbo, president of the Alliance, supported the changes but also urged the gath]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-and-missionary-alliance-will-ordain-women/</link><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jun 2023 17:40:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christian-and-missionary-alliance-will-ordain-women/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Miracles, Self-Reliance, False Teaching: COVID-19’s Impact on Cambodian Churches]]></title><description><![CDATA[Cut off from the world, Cambodian churches emerged with new opportunities and challenges.When the world locked down in early 2020, orders to Cambodia&rsquo;s thriving garment factories dropped, shutting down factories and leaving more than 50,000 people jobless. The Cambodian government&rsquo;s quick action kept COVID-19 at bay that year, yet the economic impact was devastating for many.A COVID-19 outbreak in February 2021 led to several months-long lockdowns, where freedom of movement was limit]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/miracles-self-reliance-false-teaching-covid-19s-impact-on-cambodian-churches/</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jun 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/miracles-self-reliance-false-teaching-covid-19s-impact-on-cambodian-churches/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Happens When Christians and Muslims Translate Scripture Side by Side]]></title><description><![CDATA[Evangelicals in Chad are celebrating unexpected partnerships&mdash;and new converts&mdash;from recent projects in minority languages.The Bible translation ministry unfoldingWord has engaged churches across countries and cultures, but a recent project in Chad brought a new dynamic to their work: The majority of the translators were Muslim.&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t take credit for having thought this up or made this strategy,&rdquo; said Eric Steggerda, field operations manager for unfoldingWord, whic]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-happens-when-christians-and-muslims-translate-scripture-side-by-side/</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jun 2023 17:12:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/what-happens-when-christians-and-muslims-translate-scripture-side-by-side/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Theological Education Can’t Catch Up to Global Church Growth]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unless seminaries leave the ivory tower for local leaders in the public square. Like these ones have.I recently received a handwritten letter from a pastor in India.His name is Roy, but I didn&rsquo;t know this gentleman, and we had never corresponded. Somehow he contacted me and told me about the two congregations he leads in Andhra Pradesh and of his great desire to study the Bible.His ending struck me: &ldquo;I have no money.&rdquo;Roy is not alone. Countless pastoral leaders worldwide are ea]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/theological-education-cant-catch-up-to-global-church-growth/</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/theological-education-cant-catch-up-to-global-church-growth/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Spiritual Battle of Teen Screen Time]]></title><description><![CDATA[Kids&rsquo; addictions to their phones isn&rsquo;t a legislative issue. It&rsquo;s a discipleship one.As summer fast approaches, likely so will increased screen time as school lets out. But new data and a bipartisan consensus that phones are bad for kids may give parents pause.A growing body of research, though certainly not indisputable, has pointed out that smartphones with unfettered access to the internet and social media have serious negative effects for younger users, particularly teenage]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-spiritual-battle-of-teen-screen-time/</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jun 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/the-spiritual-battle-of-teen-screen-time/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Ballot]]></title><description><![CDATA[GOP presidential candidates offer weak hope and a new anti-LBGTQ law shakes up Uganda.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/youre-gonna-need-a-bigger-ballot/</link><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/youre-gonna-need-a-bigger-ballot/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Died: Paul Eshleman, Who Brought ‘Jesus’ Film to the Ends of the Earth]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Campus Crusade evangelism strategist wanted everyone in the world to hear the good news that God loved them.Paul Eshleman, an evangelism strategist who organized one of the largest outreach efforts of the 20th century so that everyone in the world could hear at least once that God loved them, died on May 24 at age 80.Eshleman was the director of the Jesus Film Project, producing the 1979 feature for Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru) in partnership with Warner Bros. and overseeing its trans]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-paul-eshleman-who-brought-jesus-film-to-the-ends-of-the-earth/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/died-paul-eshleman-who-brought-jesus-film-to-the-ends-of-the-earth/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Manipur Christians: ‘The Violence Has Shattered Us’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many from India&rsquo;s tribal Kuki community have fled their homes. Amid ongoing violence, returning isn&rsquo;t an option.Lun Tombing was hiding in the bushes with her husband and three- and six-year-old daughters several weeks ago when they saw a mob burn down their home, car, and church.Tombing and her family had heard reports of mob violence in and around Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, the eastern Indian state where they live, and fled to their church. More than 50 Christians hid in t]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/manipur-christians-the-violence-has-shattered-us/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/manipur-christians-the-violence-has-shattered-us/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[It’s Time to Forgive Each Other Our Pandemic Sins]]></title><description><![CDATA[As the COVID-19 emergency ends, the church can lead the world into a spirit of amnesty.This week, an Axios poll found that 62 percent of Americans believe the pandemic is over&mdash;weeks after the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19 is no longer a &ldquo;public health emergency of international concern.&rdquo;More than three years after the virus first swept the globe and governments around the world shut down businesses, schools, and public venues, we can finally say the pandemic]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-time-to-forgive-each-other-our-pandemic-sins/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/its-time-to-forgive-each-other-our-pandemic-sins/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Don’t Pretend the Ugandan Homosexuality Law Is Christian]]></title><description><![CDATA[Not everything that&rsquo;s a sin is a crime&mdash;let alone one punishable by death.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.In this day of social media mobs and troll-fueled extremism, it&rsquo;s not unusual for a politician to be digitally attacked for being too weak and &ldquo;not really one of us&rdquo;&mdash;on a seemingly infinite number of topics.Even so, one might be surprised to see Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)&mdash;not known for repudiating the far extr]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-pretend-the-ugandan-homosexuality-law-is-christian/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/dont-pretend-the-ugandan-homosexuality-law-is-christian/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cyrus, Pharaoh, or Xerxes: Nigerian Christians Seek Parallels for New President They Opposed]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bola Tinubu spurned tradition to pick a fellow Muslim as his running mate. Believers wonder if he will champion greater Islamization, be the figure able to resist it, or listen to his evangelical wife.Bola Tinubu, the 16th president of Nigeria, has &ldquo;absolute&rdquo; faith in God.&ldquo;I know that his hand shall provide the needed moral strength and clarity of purpose,&rdquo; he stated during his inaugural speech on Monday, &ldquo;when we seem to have reached the limits of our human capacit]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/cyrus-pharaoh-or-xerxes-nigerian-christians-seek-parallels-for-new-president-they-opposed/</link><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2023 18:36:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/cyrus-pharaoh-or-xerxes-nigerian-christians-seek-parallels-for-new-president-they-opposed/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Asian Girl Name]]></title><description><![CDATA[How did a name the Puritans made popular take off in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese immigrant circles?As a freshman at Biola University, Grace Brannon (n&eacute;e Kim), 28, encountered many Korean and Korean American women with the same first name. When several of them became part of the same friend group, they started to call themselves Grace 1, Grace 2, and Grace 3.&ldquo;This was like an inside joke among our friend group. It was funny,&rdquo; Brannon said. &ldquo;They knew a lot of other Grac]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amazing-grace-how-sweet-the-asian-girl-name/</link><pubDate>Wed, 31 May 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/amazing-grace-how-sweet-the-asian-girl-name/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jordan’s Churches Approve Law on Equal Inheritance for Christian Women]]></title><description><![CDATA[Draft law agreed to by 11 major denominations now needs approval by parliament.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jordans-churches-approve-law-on-equal-inheritance-for-christian-women/</link><pubDate>Wed, 31 May 2023 14:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/jordans-churches-approve-law-on-equal-inheritance-for-christian-women/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Vengeance Was Theirs: Armenia Honors Christian Assassins, Complicates Path to Peace]]></title><description><![CDATA[Pastors and professors reflect on the ethical dilemma of extrajudicial justice against Ottoman officials responsible for genocide, and on commemorating their killers today.Surveying the scene on a rainy day in Berlin, the Protestant gunman recognized his target. Living hidden under an assumed name in the Weimar Republic, the once-famous official exited his apartment, was shot in the neck, and fell in a pool of blood.For many, the 1921 killing vindicated the blood of thousands.Neither were German]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/vengeance-was-theirs-armenia-honors-christian-assassins-complicates-path-to-peace/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2023 21:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/vengeance-was-theirs-armenia-honors-christian-assassins-complicates-path-to-peace/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[How to Stay Hitched When Your Wife Ditches You]]></title><description><![CDATA[Harrison Scott Key&rsquo;s latest book gives a tragi-comic take on the Christian humility required to stay married.&ldquo;What happened was, my wife for a billion years&mdash;the mother of our three daughters, a woman who&rsquo;s spent just about every Sunday of her life in church&mdash;snuck off and found herself a boyfriend. &hellip; He has a decorative seashell collection and can&rsquo;t even grow a beard. I am not making this up.&rdquo;So begins Harrison Scott Key&rsquo;s third memoir How to]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-stay-hitched-when-your-wife-ditches-you/</link><pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2023 17:55:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/how-to-stay-hitched-when-your-wife-ditches-you/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Become a Shadow of Your Future Self]]></title><description><![CDATA[Manifesting isn&rsquo;t the answer. Consenting to holiness is.Recently, a psychologist at New York University wondered if young adults were not saving money for the future because they felt like they were putting it away for a stranger. So Hal Ersner-Hershfield conducted an experiment, giving some college students a real mirror and others virtual reality goggles where, with the help of special effects like those used in movies, they could see a future version of themselves at age 68 or 70.Those]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/become-a-shadow-of-your-future-self/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/become-a-shadow-of-your-future-self/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Worship Music Is Emotionally Manipulative. Do You Trust the Leader Plucking the Strings?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Spirit is at work, but so are the mechanisms around high-production sets.<br />
&ldquo;Bigger!&rdquo; said the voice in my in-ear monitor.I was on stage in a dark room, nearly blinded by spotlights. It was my first time leading worship at a big regional conference for college students, and one of the production managers in the sound booth prompted me to raise my hands higher, move more, clap more, jump, be more physically demonstrative.I had always known conference worship sets were orchestrated,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-music-is-emotionally-manipulative-do-you-trust-the-leader-plucking-the-strings/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/worship-music-is-emotionally-manipulative-do-you-trust-the-leader-plucking-the-strings/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[With Drug Overdoses on the Rise, Churches Need an All-Hands-on-Deck Attitude]]></title><description><![CDATA[Conservative and progressive Christians favor different approaches, and both have their place.What would the parable of the Good Samaritan look like today?In the United States, the man lying beside the road may well be dying from an overdose of fentanyl.Over the course of the pandemic, social isolation combined with a flood of super-potent synthetic fentanyl pushed overdose deaths in the US to unimaginable levels, from 70,000 in 2019 to 107,000 in 2021. Will we, like the Levite and priest in Luk]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/with-drug-overdoses-on-the-rise-churches-need-an-all-hands-on-deck-attitude/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/with-drug-overdoses-on-the-rise-churches-need-an-all-hands-on-deck-attitude/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Canadian Christians Launch Collective for Climate Action]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tearfund and A Rocha see the impact in humanitarian crises now and want to organize churches to help.When Matthew Schroeder thinks about the drought in Ethiopia&mdash;the worst in 50 years&mdash;he thinks of the starving animals and malnourished people.When he thinks about the solution, he thinks of the need to address climate change.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not a one-off thing. It&rsquo;s not a glitch,&rdquo; the director of Tearfund Canada told CT.The Christian relief organization has provided assist]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/canadian-christians-launch-collective-for-climate-action/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/canadian-christians-launch-collective-for-climate-action/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Tale of Two New York City Pastors]]></title><description><![CDATA[One formed me. The other entertained me.<br />
On a sunny March afternoon in 2014, I found myself jumping on the L train from Manhattan to Williamsburg to interview a young, urban pastor named Carl Lentz in his luxury waterfront apartment. A trendy evangelical magazine wanted me to profile him. With its nightclub venues and award-winning worship music, his Hillsong church was attracting thousands of diverse young people from around New York City.Lentz is now featured in an FX documentary, The Secrets]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-tale-of-two-new-york-city-pastors/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 17:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/a-tale-of-two-new-york-city-pastors/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[God Didn’t Have to Do Anything for Us]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&rsquo;s easy to forget that even the smallest gifts point to incredible divine abundance.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-didnt-have-to-do-anything-for-us/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/god-didnt-have-to-do-anything-for-us/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christians Are Asking ChatGPT About God. Is This Different From Googling?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Experts from around the world explain the consequences of the AI revolution for believers on and off the internet.Hundreds of millions of people have used ChatGPT since its arrival last November to plan vacation itineraries, help them code better, create pop-culture sonnet mashups, and learn the finer details of their beliefs.For years, Christians have Googled their theological questions to find articles written by humans answering questions about God and God's Word. Now, people can take these q]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-are-asking-chatgpt-about-god-is-this-different-from-googling/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 16:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/christians-are-asking-chatgpt-about-god-is-this-different-from-googling/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Remembering Tim Keller]]></title><description><![CDATA[The New York pastor&rsquo;s winsome witness taught us all how to seek the good of our cities.]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-tim-keller/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 May 2023 13:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/remembering-tim-keller/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sola Scripturas: Can Evangelicals Befriend the ‘Protestant Reformers of Islam’?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Interview with scholar of American Salafism finds commonalities&mdash;and potential for engagement&mdash;between the austere Islamic interpretive movement and the Christian community most wary of them.If one pictures &ldquo;radical Islam,&rdquo; chances are the image resembles Osama bin Laden, Boko Haram in Nigeria, or the ISIS fighters of Iraq and Syria. And the connotation is that they are out to kill&mdash;or at least to turn the world into an Islamic caliphate.They are known as Salafis: Musl]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sola-scripturas-can-evangelicals-befriend-the-protestant-reformers-of-islam/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 19:50:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/sola-scripturas-can-evangelicals-befriend-the-protestant-reformers-of-islam/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[US Slavic Churches Booming with Ukrainian War Refugees]]></title><description><![CDATA[One generation of Soviet refugees is welcoming another.Sergei Karpenko&rsquo;s Chicago church is now almost entirely made up of refugees from the Russian war against Ukraine.Many of them aren&rsquo;t from a church background, so the pastor of Bible Church of Ukraine-Chicago spends his mornings eating breakfast with the new arrivals and evenings hosting Bible studies in his apartment.&ldquo;It happens by the providence of God that I am here, and God sent new people from Ukraine,&rdquo; Karpenko,]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/us-slavic-churches-booming-with-ukrainian-war-refugees/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/us-slavic-churches-booming-with-ukrainian-war-refugees/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Russell Moore: I Already Miss Tim Keller’s Wise Voice]]></title><description><![CDATA[The late pastor theologian gave strong counsel to me and so many others in ministry.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore&rsquo;s newsletter. Subscribe here.&ldquo;Gandalf isn&rsquo;t supposed to die.&rdquo;That text appeared on my phone yesterday from a New York City pastor who worked closely with Tim Keller. It made me smile and cry at the same time. So many of us called Tim &ldquo;Gandalf,&rdquo; in part as a tribute to his frequent J. R. R. Tolkien references, but also because he fit the]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/russell-moore-i-already-miss-tim-kellers-wise-voice/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 17:25:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/russell-moore-i-already-miss-tim-kellers-wise-voice/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tim Keller Changed Church Planting, from City to City]]></title><description><![CDATA[From Beirut to Barcelona, pastors reflect on his influence.&ldquo;Christians are called to be an alternate city within every earthly city,&rdquo; Tim Keller wrote for CT in 2006. &ldquo;We must live in the city to serve all the peoples in it, not just our own tribe. We must lose our power to find our (true) power.&rdquo;Keller, who died on Friday, May 19, at age 72, launched nonprofit organization Redeemer City to City to train and develop leaders for gospel-led movements in urban settings. His]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tim-keller-changed-church-planting-from-city-to-city/</link><pubDate>Thu, 25 May 2023 02:35:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tim-keller-changed-church-planting-from-city-to-city/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tim Keller Wanted to Learn from the Global Church. Even Secularizing Europe.]]></title><description><![CDATA[What the Reformed pastor saw in the continent's Christians&mdash;and why it earned him the respect of its church planters.When Timothy Keller visited Rome in 2014, he addressed city pastors, gave an apologetic talk at the Italian Senate, and answered questions from students at Sapienza University of Rome, the largest university in Europe.As a pastor who had planted a church next to Sapienza, I was struck by seeing Keller minister in my own context. On that campus, my wife and I had distributed f]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tim-keller-wanted-to-learn-from-the-global-church-even-secularizing-europe/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 May 2023 22:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/tim-keller-wanted-to-learn-from-the-global-church-even-secularizing-europe/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Yes, You Can End an Abusive Marriage]]></title><description><![CDATA[How Christians can differentiate suffering in a destructive relationship from acting self-sacrificially in a godly partnership.About a decade ago, I attended the funeral of a woman of faith that my family and I had known for decades. This longtime friend had passed away after battling cancer, and the farewell was painful. She was the kind of person whose departure meant the world had lost some of its tenderness.At her funeral in our midwestern Brazil hometown, I heard people remark that &ldquo;s]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/yes-you-can-end-an-abusive-marriage/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 May 2023 20:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/yes-you-can-end-an-abusive-marriage/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[O for a Thousand Tongues of Fire]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Spirit&rsquo;s descent at Pentecost is a model for diverse and distributed leadership.The modern church in the West has a suspicious relationship with power. When it serves our interests or protects our privilege, we justify evil in many forms&mdash;from denying racism to protecting sexual predators.The problem is not new, nor is it distinctly Western, but modern projects like investigative journalism and social media have increasingly exposed it as our problem nonetheless. No denomination i]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/o-for-a-thousand-tongues-of-fire/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 May 2023 19:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/o-for-a-thousand-tongues-of-fire/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[They Sang ‘a Heavenly Song’ in a Dark Chinese Jail]]></title><description><![CDATA[Two Chinese Christian women ministered to their cellmates and prison guards with stories, prayers, and hymns.&ldquo;About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were all listening to them&rdquo; (Acts 16:25). This happened in a jail cell in Macedonia about 2,000 years ago.Many years later in a jail cell in northern China, two Christian friends, Yang Xiaohui and Chen Shang (both are pseudonyms for security reasons) sang their own worship songs from prison]]></description><link>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/they-sang-a-heavenly-song-in-a-dark-chinese-jail/</link><pubDate>Wed, 24 May 2023 18:00:00 +0200</pubDate><guid>https://www.newslocker.com/en-au/news/christianity/they-sang-a-heavenly-song-in-a-dark-chinese-jail/</guid></item></channel></rss>