In agonizing pain with pancreatitis, my grandfather kept getting awakened by the “Happy Birthday” song. At first I thought it was delirium until I heard it myself. Turns out, the maternity ward down the hall would play it over the intercom when a baby was born. I asked my grandfather if he wanted me
missions
This year, we’re celebrating the intersection of the United States’ 250th anniversary and CT’s 70th anniversary. And we’re thinking about the intersection of being faithful Christians and involved citizens. Our July/August issue featured several essays about how evangelicals have...
poverty
Cruelty is in the headlines, but 2026 has also been a good year in the history of compassionate Christianity. We’re recognizing that with our annual CT Compassion Awards. This year has South, East, Midwest, West, and international winners. The section begins with PAWKids in Atlan...
missions
The story of the American Housing Corporation partly begins at church. As a young couple, Bobby Fijan and his wife lived in Philadelphia, where they were members of Tenth Presbyterian Church. When they began having kids, the Fijans had to decide: Would they move out to the suburb...
missions
Reflection is a powerful gift. It provides us the space to simultaneously look back on what has been and look forward to what will be. As I reflect on 2026, there is no question that God has been steadily at work. One year ago, we embarked on a new journey that has both changed a...
missions
When Philip Major arrived ten years ago at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Syracuse, New York, the once-thriving congregation—more than 1,500 on a Sunday in its heyday—was down to about 40 members, many of whom seemed to be aging as quickly as the building, a 200-year-old gothic r...
missions
Donald Trump is about to enter uncharted territory. During his first six years in the White House, Trump tested the institutional and personal limits of the presidency. He cajoled Republicans in Congress into supporting his priorities while simultaneously alienating and emboldeni...
missions
You may have noticed increasing chatter about polyamory: romantic and sexual relationships with more than one person at a time. Research from 2021 found that roughly 1 in 6 Americans say they have a “desire to engage in polyamory,” while 1 in 10 claim to have already done so. Def...
missions
Giving begins with God because everything comes from God. As James writes, “Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (1:17, RSV throughout). Paul asks the Corinthians,...
missions
Two years ago, while working on an article about the 75th anniversary of “How Great Thou Art,” I interviewed worship artist Matt Redman, who’d cowritten a new verse for the hymn. Why, I wondered, has this song had so much staying power? “The best songs are both a chapel and a cla...
persecution
Several young Christians have received support after being rejected for their faith. In northern Mozambique, which is majority-Muslim and has been the epicenter of an Islamist insurgency since 2017, young people who place their faith in Christ risk rejection from their families a...
persecution
ChinaAid reports that Pastor Wang Yi may be suffering from advanced liver cancer. Wang, the founder and senior pastor of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, has been imprisoned since December 2018. He was sentenced in December 2019 on charges of “inciti...
persecution
In July 2026, Taliban police arrested three Christians for “promoting Christianity and engaging in alleged missionary activities.” Afghanistan is one of the most restrictive and dangerous countries in the world for Christians to live in and witness for Christ. Afghan ...
