Now, Allmond is the executive editor of Christianity Today. She and Steve talk about how airport behavior often reveals deeper feelings and what it takes to manage a crisis. They talk about the recent CT redesign, new content in the magazine, and Allmond’s hopes for CT’s future. Allmond shares her thoughts on the church at its best, experiences of feeling fully loved, and taking time to hear from the Lord.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

• “We Can’t Worry Our Way to Peace”
• November/December 2024 issue of Christianity Today
• “CT Design, Redesign, and Re-redesign, from 1956 to Today”
• “Qualms and Proverbs” (CT advice column)

“Being Human with Steve Cuss” is a production of Christianity Today
Executive Produced by Erik Petrik and Mike Cosper
Produced and Edited by Matt Stevens
Associate Producers: McKenzie Hill, Raed Gilliam, and Abby Perry
Theme song by Dan Phelps
Original Music by Andy Gullahorn
Mix Engineer: Kevin Morris
Graphic Design: Amy Jones

The post Airport Anxiety and Purposeful Publishing with Joy Allmond appeared first on Christianity Today.

September 19, 2024

South Korea’s Missions Success Won’t Be Its Future

These Christians Have Not Given Up on North Korea

The Man Who Made Global Methodism Possible

‘Wesley Is Fire Now’ and Evangelicals Are Being Strangely Warmed

‘The Bear’ Is a Master Class in Contagious Anxiety

Seminary Professor Accused of Secret Second Marriage

Accountability group says Vince Bantu, an expert in ancient African Christianity, is justifying adultery with an argument for polygamy. Bantu denies their claims.

Mobilizers See Millions of Future Missionaries in Overseas Filipino Workers

While Filipino Christians are reaching the diaspora, cross-cultural evangelism efforts face challenges.

Sports Betting Has Become Too Prevalent for Christians to Ignore

Online gambling isn’t necessarily sinful, but it’s certainly not a careful use of the wealth God has given us.

Shielded from Truth at Our Own Expense

The Bible consistently tells us we must examine ourselves and accept correction, but our culture is forgetting the art of fair critique.

The post The Weekend – 09-21-24 – Non-Members appeared first on Christianity Today.

September 19, 2024

South Korea’s Missions Success Won’t Be Its Future

These Christians Have Not Given Up on North Korea

The Man Who Made Global Methodism Possible

‘Wesley Is Fire Now’ and Evangelicals Are Being Strangely Warmed

‘The Bear’ Is a Master Class in Contagious Anxiety

Seminary Professor Accused of Secret Second Marriage

Accountability group says Vince Bantu, an expert in ancient African Christianity, is justifying adultery with an argument for polygamy. Bantu denies their claims.

Mobilizers See Millions of Future Missionaries in Overseas Filipino Workers

While Filipino Christians are reaching the diaspora, cross-cultural evangelism efforts face challenges.

Sports Betting Has Become Too Prevalent for Christians to Ignore

Online gambling isn’t necessarily sinful, but it’s certainly not a careful use of the wealth God has given us.

Shielded from Truth at Our Own Expense

The Bible consistently tells us we must examine ourselves and accept correction, but our culture is forgetting the art of fair critique.

The post The Weekend – 09-21-24 – Members appeared first on Christianity Today.

November 25, 2024

PAID CONTENT FROM COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Raise Compassionate Kids in a Self-Centered World

Compassion International helps Christian parents build bridges between their children and God’s global family. Learn more about raising kids who care for the least of these. When Jesus taught us…

Read more

The Work of Love Is Always Before Us 

For many Americans, the results of our recent election inspired some measure of despair, fear, and anger. Sometimes these reactions come out online as threats to cut off relationships with…

I’m Estranged from My Parents. I Still Love Them.

The box was a fire I could not touch. It arrived at our house one summer evening, handed off to me by my in-laws. I stuck it in the garage,…

Evangelicals Divided as Sharia Courts Expand in the Philippines

The Philippine government’s recent decision to expand sharia law into majority-Christian regions has surprised local pastors and missionaries. In August, President Ferdinand (“Bongbong”) Marcos Jr. signed a law which created…

Something Is Not the Same

RFK and autism, missiles to Ukraine, and Tammy Faye. Find us on Youtube. The Bulletin welcomes Jill Escher to talk about autism in light of the RFK appointment as health…

The post CT Daily Briefing – 11-26-2024 – Members appeared first on Christianity Today.

November 25, 2024

PAID CONTENT FROM COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Raise Compassionate Kids in a Self-Centered World

Compassion International helps Christian parents build bridges between their children and God’s global family. Learn more about raising kids who care for the least of these. When Jesus taught us…

Read more

The Work of Love Is Always Before Us 

For many Americans, the results of our recent election inspired some measure of despair, fear, and anger. Sometimes these reactions come out online as threats to cut off relationships withu0026hellip;

I’m Estranged from My Parents. I Still Love Them.

The box was a fire I could not touch. It arrived at our house one summer evening, handed off to me by my in-laws. I stuck it in the garage,u0026hellip;

Evangelicals Divided as Sharia Courts Expand in the Philippines

The Philippine governmentu0026rsquo;s recent decision to expand sharia law into majority-Christian regions has surprised local pastors and missionaries. In August, President Ferdinand (u0026ldquo;Bongbongu0026rdquo;) Marcos Jr. signed a law which createdu0026hellip;

Something Is Not the Same

RFK and autism, missiles to Ukraine, and Tammy Faye. Find us on Youtube. The Bulletin welcomes Jill Escher to talk about autism in light of the RFK appointment as healthu0026hellip;

The post CT Daily Briefing – 11-26-2024 – NONMembers appeared first on Christianity Today.

Yet one aspect of moving that carries the tension of both joy and frustration is establishing community. That includes getting to know the neighbors and making friends, but I’m mostly referring to engaging with the local church and relearning how to do community there. Finding an ecclesial home is so critical to life for followers of Christ. Every body of believers has its own way of relating internally—among itself—as well as engaging with the community outside of the church.

In this May/June issue, CT writers and editors offer ways you, our readers, can engage with people both visible and hidden in plain sight. In the pages that follow, Ericka Andersen brings a feature on the state of women and alcoholism in the church. There are probably women in your own community who have drinking struggles but don’t know how to ask for help and likely feel shame at the prospect of doing so. And we hope this cover story from Jordan Monson and Mark Fairchild gives you a new angle from which to see the apostle Paul and read his letters—whether individually or in community.

We also hope you’re encouraged by these stories and others in the following pages—such as one woman’s account of navigating church conflict and a report that helps us think about how to engage Christians with ADHD in our own faith communities.

God’s plan for the world (A; there is no B) is to be accomplished through the church of Jesus Christ. We pray our work here through these stories can be used by him to continue building it.

Whether you’ve been in the same physical location or church community for decades or God has you in a new place (literally or figuratively), we hope our work invigorates you to go deeper—in the Scriptures and in your own spheres of community.

Joy Allmond is executive editor at CT.

The post Unpacking Community appeared first on Christianity Today.

In the church, this is the season of Advent. It’s superficially understood as a time to get ready for Christmas, but in truth it’s the season for contemplating the judgment of God. Advent is the season that, when properly understood, does not flinch from the darkness that stalks us all in this world. Advent begins in the dark and moves toward the light—but the season should not move too quickly or too glibly, lest we fail to acknowledge the depth of the darkness.

We are an Advent people, bearing the tension of joy and sorrow, of light and darkness. As you journey through this last issue of 2024, you’ll encounter stories and ideas that carry the gravity of our fallen world Rutledge describes.

We share an up-close reflection from Carrie McKean on family estrangement and how the church can care for people who find themselves estranged (p. 52). We report on how the gospel shines a light into the darkness of addiction, galvanizing the church to work among people who are in the grip of drug addiction, both domestically and abroad (pp. 30, 42). And we present the testimony of a man lured into the pornography industry but rescued from its captivity by the light of Christ (p. 16).

Darkness envelops relationships and systems and even all of creation, as Paul reminds us in Romans 8:22. You’ll also read of the pollution of a watershed running through one creek in West Michigan and the hope for its renewal in a first-person essay by Sara Kyoungah White (p. 74). You’ll read of artists wrestling with the challenge and burden of limitations (p. 62).

As we wrestle with the darkness, we have a sure and certain hope in the person of Christ. In an essay on the doctrine of providence, Brad East reminds us that “the axis of history turns on the resurrection of Jesus” (p. 82). While Advent begins in the dark, the darkness has not overcome the light (John 1:5).

When we were planning this issue, our editor in chief, Russell Moore, reminded me of some lines from “O Little Town of Bethlehem”:

Yet in that dark street shineth
The everlasting light
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.

As sons and daughters—image bearers—of the King, our aim through these pages is to shine that everlasting light in the dark streets where evil, hardship, and suffering travel among us. We do this because we were once walking in darkness and “have seen a great light” (Isa. 9:2).

Take heart, there is a second advent of our King. He’s coming soon. And when he does, he’ll eradicate addictions, mend brokenness in our families, restore the dignity of the oppressed, shatter the yokes that burden us, and make all things new.

Joy Allmond is executive editor at Christianity Today.

The post Advent Begins in the Dark appeared first on Christianity Today.

CT is also unwavering on biblical stances on things such as marriage being between one man and one woman and ordained by God (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4–6) and all life—from womb to tomb—being precious to our Creator (Ps. 139:13–16; Deut. 10:17–19).

Another life-giving component of kingdom work here at CT is the convening of believers who see secondary issues through different perspectives. We might hold opposing views on divisive topics within our own ranks, but we long to together contribute our gifts in ways we hope serve you, our community.

One of the areas of Christian thought in which we exercise diversity at CT is how we approach the roles of women in the church and the home. Among our staff, you will find faithful egalitarian brothers and sisters working alongside faithful complementarian brothers and sisters. I have been sharpened and invigorated in thought through our camaraderie and colaboring.

In this issue, we not only hear from egalitarian and complementarian leaders on cultivating a healthy way forward for those who share their respective philosophies, but we also explore a third way—one that is underdiscussed. I hope you will dig into it and gain a new appreciation for those who differ from you within the bounds of orthodoxy—whether it’s on this topic or another secondary issue. I know I have.

There is a high likelihood that some of you reading this issue find yourselves not at home on either end of the spectrum of views on this topic or perhaps another. CT’s founder, Billy Graham, envisioned a convening point for Christians who don’t belong in progressive settings or fundamentalist contexts but who long to link arms with other sojourners somewhere in between. I suspect that’s most of us, and that’s the spirit of the space we want to continue to cultivate. We’re so glad you’re here.

Joy Allmond is executive editor at CT.

The post The Kingdom Demands We Cross Tribal Lines appeared first on Christianity Today.

When my friend and colleague Mike Cosper said this to me barely a month after Hamas terrorists attacked Israeli civilians, I feared for his life. I prayed every day for his protection. But I’m glad he made the trip.

Cosper’s journey resulted in our cover story. He paints a vivid picture of the aftermath in the war-torn kibbutz of Kfar Aza. He goes beyond the physical evidence of destruction and addresses the question many of us might be asking: How did we even get here?

“Ideology is a story that offers a key to history,” he writes. “It frames a present crisis such that it points to an inevitable future. It also creates the overwhelming sense that the future is certain, and that its followers are agents of the progress of history. That sense of inevitability has a powerful—and terrible—effect on its subjects; they become capable of immeasurable cruelty.”

Cosper’s fervor for understanding and communicating truths about ideologies took root two decades ago during his academic work in social and political philosophy. A deep dive into the history of Nazi rule steeped in antisemitism captured his imagination and catalyzed his sense of alarm at how ideologies can affect interpersonal connections. He has traveled to Israel multiple times and has linked arms with Jewish-Christian relation groups.

He went on to write a book on Esther—one of the Bible’s most direct depictions of ideology and antisemitism—and produce CT’s podcast The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill, which asks questions about Christian witness in the face of suffering and marginalized image bearers. This March cover story, along with Michael Winters’s photo essay, accompanies Cosper’s limited podcast series on The Bulletin, “Promised Land,” largely recorded in Israel and Gaza weeks after the breakout of the war. There, Cosper captured conversations about the conditions of Kfar Aza, the darkness of violence, a search for moral clarity, and a quest for signs of redemption and hope.

We are, after all, in the Easter season—when we remember the ultimate act of violence on the cross but rejoice that all will be made well through the Resurrection and that the ultimate agent of moral clarity sits at the right hand of God. My hope is that fellow image bearers of the Most High will catch a glimpse of his compassion for those who suffer and will be reminded that even though there is deep darkness, the light shines in that darkness and the darkness will not overcome it.

Joy Allmond is executive editor at Christianity Today.

The post We Can’t Turn a Blind Eye to Harmful Ideologies appeared first on Christianity Today.

Similar caveats apply to our work determining CT’s Book of the Year. Unlike our main awards categories, which enlist the judging acumen of pastors, theologians, apologists, and others with pertinent expertise, our book of the year choice reflects a rough consensus among myself and the staff editors whose comments appear below. No, we didn’t read every eligible Christian book. But we brainstormed a long list of promising candidates, gradually whittled it down, and committed to reading the most promising few in full.

Two volumes rose to the head of the class: Gavin Ortlund’s celebration of our Protestant heritage and Brad East’s affable instructions to callow Christians. In our view, both books pair intellectual depth with generous readability. They converse with cultural currents while staying tethered to enduring truths. Of course, neither offers an infallible word on Christian faith and life. But readers can expect resounding echoes of the Word that already has. —Matt Reynolds, senior books editor

Winner

What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church

Gavin Ortlund (Zondervan Reflective)

When God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, he promised that he would make “my words in your mouth a fire” (Jer. 5:14). Jeremiah saw his words—written out on a scroll—burned up by the hostile ruler. Undeterred, he wrote them all again. The Christianity Today Book of the Year and all of our book awards are not just about recommendations for our readers’ nightstands. They are also a word to those God has called to write—keep going. Words matter. Words shape us. Words can point us to the ultimate Word who gives life and light that no fire can put out. —Russell Moore, editor in chief

*NB: Russell Moore recused himself from the final decision for this award due to his friendship with authors involved.

Before jumping ship to another tradition, like Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy, evangelicals would do well to read Gavin Ortlund’s What it Means to be Protestant. In its careful attention to Scripture, history, and theology, coupled with its generous tone, Ortund shows how the commitment to the semper reformanda of the Protestant Reformers rings true to the Bible. It thus allows Protestants to look unflinchingly where we’ve got things wrong, repent, and change course. I’m hopeful this book will itself spark renewal and clarity amongst its Protestant readers.—Ashley Hales, editorial director for print

Award of Merit

Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry

Brad East (Eerdmans)

If I could wind the clock backward and put Letters to a Future Saint into the hands of my 18-year-old self—even having grown up in the church and in the home of faithful believers—I most certainly would. With its arresting, profound simplicity, East beckoned me—now a long-time saint—to revisit my First Love and rediscover the wonder of my relationship with Jesus. —Joy Allmond, executive director for resources and chief of staff for editorial

Letters to a Future Saint is an unoriginal book—in the best possible sense. It’s a friendly, workmanlike recapitulation of the basics of our faith, presented as 93 short letters to “the bored and the distracted, the skeptical and the curious, the young and the spiritually hungry.” Author Brad East, a regular contributor to CT, is characteristically lively and fluid in his writing here, introducing readers to Scripture, the Nicene Creed, and much more. This is a needed book in our uncatechized age, and I would be delighted if my own children read it a few years hence. —Bonnie Kristian, editorial director of ideas & books

(Read the rest of CT’s Book Awards here.)

The post Christianity Today’s Book of the Year appeared first on Christianity Today.