A new global study has highlighted fresh developments affecting Christianity worldwide, with researchers pointing to demographic shifts, persecution and urbanisation as some of the key areas of focus for church leaders.
The findings come from the Status of Global Christianity 2026 report by the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity.
What Does the Decline in Americans’ Religious Engagement Mean for Churches?
Religious engagement in America is lower than it has been in living memory. But that isn’t a reason to panic. It’s a reason to work.
Charles Spurgeon: 8 Clear Convictions about Evangelism in the Local Church (Part 1)
Charles Spurgeon died in 1892, but his influence on churches is still pervasive today. Thom looks at one major aspect of Spurgeon's ministry: his emphasis on evangelism in the local church. He takes two episodes to share Spurgeon's eight convictions.
Also See: Charles Spurgeon: 8 Clear Convictions about Evangelism in the Local Church (Part 2)The Christian DNA of suspected White House Correspondents’ dinner shooter
President Donald Trump described the would-be assassin as anti-Christian. The evidence hints at a complex faith background.
Archbishop of Canterbury risks Donald Trump's wrath after praising Pope Leo's anti-war stance
The Archbishop of Canterbury risked the wrath of Donald Trump after praising Pope Leo for speaking out against injustice.
NAE urges church participation in Good Neighbor Day America
A nationally coordinated day of volunteerism next month is an opportunity for congregations to live into their callings to serve others at a time when issues of religion, government and society are hotly debated, said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
“Rather than engaging in these contentious debates about a national religion or Christian identity, let’s actually just be the church by getting engaged in transformational ways and in courageous ways that speak to the truth of who Jesus Christ is,” he said.
One way to do that is to join the coalition of faith communities and nonprofit organizations that have partnered with America250 to hold Good Neighbor Day America May 16. The NAE is an organizing partner of the project.
What Is Sin? Is Your Definition Missing the Mark?
Sin is a fundamental concept in Christianity. In English-language Bibles, words for sin appear over a thousand times. Salvation is frequently explained as the forgiveness of sins. Whether certain activities are sinful and how to avoid sin are common questions among Christians. Understanding sin is, therefore, a necessary part of understanding Christianity itself.
So what is sin?
The Back Forty and the Cure of Souls
Scripture is thick with agricultural connections, metaphors, and lessons. Around this time of year, something in my blood wakes with the sun, and I feel again the impulse to prepare the ground in addition to the soil of my heart for Christ’s resurrection. I am a son of the soil, a fifth-generation farmer. Farming formed my imagination long before the Church ordained me, and many of the lessons the land taught me have proven just as true in the cure of souls.
‘Proclaim Every Atom’: On Courage in the Pulpit
Last year, I had the privilege of participating in a preaching conference at Beeson Divinity School with the British theologian Alister McGrath, who gave three lectures on preaching. These were followed by responses from me and other scholars.
In building on one of McGrath’s lectures, I offered several takeaways, including this one: Know your people well enough to anticipate their objections.
I Don't Know
Ideally as the pastor you should be one of the better-educated people in your church. You have likely gone to college and then studied for three or four years to earn your MDiv. During that time you’ve probably read thousands upon thousands of pages of theological literature. For your sermon preparation you ideally read a great deal each week, and that’s not counting your leisure reading. For these and other reasons I suspect that people regularly come to you with their questions, and I suspect that you regularly dispense answers. This is a good thing. But never be afraid to use three words, “I don’t know.”
CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show
The Trump administration’s decision to drop the long-standing recommendation that newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth will likely lead to hundreds of additional infections among children, along with more cases of liver cancer, deaths and millions in added health care costs, according to studies published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
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