The “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ad campaign, centered around the symbolic act of foot washing as a metaphor for love and acceptance, sparked controversy due to its portrayal of predominantly white, cisgender individuals as …
If you have grown up in the evangelical church or spent much time in it at all you have heard discussions about gossip. There is no doubt that gossip is condemned in scripture. But, I …
Following the former Fox News host’s attempt to probe the Russian president’s religious mindset, CT highlights the accumulated perspectives of local Christian leaders since the war began.
Tucker Carlson is reviving American interest in Ukraine.
Approaching two years since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the Slavic conflict has been eclipsed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in the forefront of US attention.
Many Americans, however sympathetic they remain, have tired of foreign wars in lieu of pressing domestic issues at home. Others, however, see continued US support for Ukraine as a low-cost check on Russian imperial ambitions.
Carlson, the controversial pundit, is presenting the views of Vladimir Putin.
While many American media outlets have requested an interview with the Russian president, Carlson was granted the interview as his perspective “is in no way pro-Russian, it is not pro-Ukrainian,” stated the Kremlin spokesman. “It is pro-American, but at least it contrasts with the position of the traditional Anglo-Saxon media.”
Carlson said it would allow viewers to see the “truth” obscured by Western reporting.
Christianity Today invited Ukrainian evangelical leaders to comment on any religious remarks conveyed. Seven stated they had no intention to watch what one called a “propagandist” in conversation with “the killer of my people.”
Putin gave them little to work with during the two-hour interview.
He described the coming of Christianity to Eastern Europe within a nearly uninterrupted half hour answer detailing Russian history, during which he called Ukraine an “artificial state.” Pressed how as a professing Christian he could order violence, Putin spoke only of Russia’s “moral values.” And probing the head of state’s personal faith, Carlson asked Putin if he saw God at work in the world.
“No, to be honest,” …Continue reading…
I write obituaries for a living. Well, only technically. It’s more honest to say that I edit obituaries as one of my job duties. In the free newspaper obituary business, there’s very little writing; it’s …
The biblical call to maintain “a good reputation with outsiders” is becoming a bigger challenge in the US as public perception of clergy falls to a record low.
Americans are having a harder time trusting anyone these days—including pastors.
The country’s perception of clergy hit a new low in recent Gallup polling, with fewer than a third of Americans rating clergy as highly honest and ethical.
People are more likely to believe in the moral standards held by nurses, police officers, and chiropractors than their religious leaders. Clergy are still more trusted than politicians, lawyers, and journalists.
The continued drop in pastors’ reputation—down from 40 percent to 32 percent over the past four years—corresponds with more skepticism toward professions (and institutions) across the board.
Americans are also less likely than ever to know a pastor, with fewer than half belonging to a church and a growing cohort who don’t identify with a faith at all.
“As American culture becomes increasingly pluralistic and post-Christian, we can’t assume that Americans in general default to a positive view of clergy,” said Nathan Finn, executive director of the Institute for Transformational Leadership at North Greenville University. “Ministers must work harder to gain public trust than was the case even a generation ago.”
Finn also pointed out how scandals like clergy sex abuse, growing political polarization, and evangelicals’ countercultural moral positions can contribute to the decline in credibility among clergy, “especially among those who have either had bad church experiences or whose worldview assumptions are already at odds with historic Christian beliefs.”
The most dramatic decline in clergy trust came around the crisis of sex abuse by Catholic priests in the early 2000s, when positive …Continue reading…
Originally published in The Conversation Many Americans – especially young adults – want to do work that feels meaningful. Creating meaning for oneself may be especially important as fewer workplaces provide good pay and benefits …
In Orlando, Florida, two pastors from Orlando Grace Church, Jim Davis and Michael Graham, were perplexed by the seemingly low evangelical presence and Bible engagement in their city despite it being home to major Christian …
The evolving nature of evangelical Christianity in the United States is marked by a shift from traditional religious practices to a broader cultural and political identity. This change is exemplified in the story of Karen …
The conventional wisdom that Trump supporters took him seriously, but not literally, was challenged on January 6, 2021, when hundreds of his supporters–literally–answered his call to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell!” His …
“If being hurt by church causes you to lose faith in God,” so the saying on a popular image macro goes, “then your faith was in people, not in God.” I’ve been seeing this sentiment …