May 6th, 2024

Christianity Today

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Exclusive articles:

Churches May Be Liable for Boy Scouts’ Abuse Suits

There is worsening friction between the Boy Scouts of America and the major religious groups that help it run thousands of scout units.

Praying for Haiti After Another Devastating Earthquake

Christian leaders in Haiti share what is different for believers between 2010 and now, after another deadly earthquake.

What Christian Aid Workers Want You to Know About Afghanistan

The church was at work in Afghanistan long before America’s “forever war” began—and will remain at work there now that the war has ended.

‘They Cannot Burn Jesus Out of Me’: Mozambique Pastors Serve Survivors of Violent Insurgency

Despite the risks in Mozambique, Christians are flocking to camps and targeted villages to provide resources and spiritual care.

How the Critical Race Theory Debate Distracts from God’s Justice

In the conflict over racial issues and critical race theory, the position to “just preach the gospel” misses the gospel.

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Trolls Band Together in Theaters November 17th

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Are State Laws the Solution to Kids’ Access to Porn?

As data continues to show the harms of viewing porn, particularly for children, support for stricter legal limits on pornographers has grown.

The Burial: A Glimpse Into the Life of William Gary

The Burial: Based on a True Events About Inspired by true...

Pandemic Restrictions Had No Lasting Effect on Churches, Study Finds

Even in states where regulations were severe, most congregations moved on quickly. Jeff Schoch was ready to be done with COVID-19 health safety regulations. Like most ministers in the US, the pastor of Crossroads Bible Church in San Jose, California, did his best to comply with the many pandemic rules imposed by state and local governments. But as soon as they were lifted, he wanted to put them all behind him. He quickly tore down the state-mandated signs about social distancing, hand washing, and masks. “I got rid of every visual reminder in the church,” Schoch told CT. “I was anxious, personally, to make that a memory.” Across the country, Protestant congregations are dealing with the long-term impacts of the pandemic. A new, extensive study by Arbor Research Group and ChurchSalary, a ministry of Christianity Today, found that a lot of pastors are still in crisis. Some furloughed staff members haven’t gone back to work. And even when attendance numbers have rebounded, there are still people missing from many congregations. Christian leaders will likely be grappling with the fallout from COVID-19 for years to come. But, surprisingly, state-level pandemic restrictions had no measurable, lasting impact on American churches. Even in places like San Jose—where the county government imposed some of the strictest rules in the country, the restrictions changed frequently, and authorities aggressively went after churches they said failed to comply—pastors like Schoch were able to just move on. The data doesn’t show any adverse effects from the government regulations. Eric Shieh, a research consultant for Arbor Research, said that surprised him. “You would think that the restrictions made things tougher for churches. They didn’t meet as much, and so you’d ...Continue reading...
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