Christianity Today articles from July 2010

Christianity Today archives from July 2010

Keep the conversation going.(Lausanne Movement)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For the past 10 months, Christianity Today and its readers have engaged in "The Global Conversation"--a discussion of issues that face the church around the world, led on our pages by observers from Ghana to Singapore...

Adoption is everywhere: even God is into it.(INSIDE CT)(Column)
July 1, 2010... IN DECEMBER, Christianity Today editor at large Collin Hansen (who examines the spirituality of your hometown on page 34) put evangelicals' growing attention to adoption as number six on his "Top Ten Theology Stories of 2009" for our website. It...

Spotlight: reforming health-care reform.(BRIEFING: REPORTING & DISPATCHES FROM THE CHURCH WORLDWIDE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... Three months after President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, it remains a political "big... deal"--the focus of high-profile lawsuits and nearly every midterm election campaign. But observers say the bill...

Ensuring limits: how states are keeping abortion out of the new insurance plans.(BRIEFING: REPORTING & DISPATCHES FROM THE CHURCH WORLDWIDE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... Restricted private insurance for abortion after the bill's passage. Passed restrictions in legislature now awaiting governors' signature. Introduced restriction legislation. Had already restricted insurance coverage for abortion.

51%.(BRIEFING: REPORTING & DISPATCHES FROM THE CHURCH WORLDWIDE)
July 1, 2010... 51% Americans who think private insurance plans should not cover abortion. Fox News/Opinion Dynamics and CNN/Opinion Research Corporation

56%.(BRIEFING: REPORTING & DISPATCHES FROM THE CHURCH WORLDWIDE)
July 1, 2010... 56% Americans who think federally subsidized plans should not cover abortion. CBS News

Does insurance matter?(BRIEFING: REPORTING & DISPATCHES FROM THE CHURCH WORLDWIDE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... How much: $413 Average cost for a first-trimester abortion. $1,300 Average cost for an abortion at 20 weeks. How women paid for their abortions: Private insurance 12% Nonprofit group 13% Medicaid * 20% Out of...

Another front.(BRIEFING: REPORTING & DISPATCHES FROM THE CHURCH WORLDWIDE)(an exemption from the health care reform)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... The health-care reform bill's mandate to purchase health insurance included an exemption for non-insurance Christian "health care sharing ministries" (like Medi-Share, Samaritan Ministries, and Christian Healthcare Ministries) as well as for...

Gleanings: important developments in the church and the world.
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (1) Nepal wavers on religious identity NEPAL Nepal's national religion is under renewed debate as the country of 29 million faces a deadline to pass a new constitution cementing its transition from monarchy to...

Unemployment.(GO FIGURE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... 1.2% Unemployment rate among U.S. clergy. 9.9% National unemployment rate (in April 2010). 5,000 Clergy looking for jobs in 2009. 2,000 Clergy looking for jobs in 2005. The wall Street journal

Faith-based.(GO FIGURE)
July 1, 2010... 6+ Staff on the Democratic National Committee's faith outreach team in 2008. 1 Staff (part-time) today. The Washington Post

Quotation marks.(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... "Just because a Christian says something and fails does not mean their words are wrong.... But it hurts the cause." Mark Souder, who resigned from the House of Representatives after admitting to an affair with a female staffer with whom he...

Evangelism vs. missions? Southern Baptists contemplate unleashing the IMB at home.(OUTREACH)(International Mission Board)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For 164 years, the International Mission Board (IMB) of the Southern Baptist Convention has focused on taking the gospel overseas. But in May, the 16 million-member denomination's Great Commission Resurgence Task...

Church-state.(GO FIGURE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... 46% Americans who say the Supreme Court has been too hostile toward religion. 13% Americans who say the Supreme Court has been too friendly toward it. Rasmussen Reports

Sheep stealing studied: Presbyterians weigh guidelines for reformists.(DENOMINATIONS)
July 1, 2010... A year long Presbyterian Church (USA) investigation found no evidence to support accusations that the conservative Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) actively solicited PC(USA) congregations. However, the April report expressed concerns over...

Ben Homan.(Appointed)
July 1, 2010... As president of John Stott Ministries. Homan is president and CEO of Food for the Hungry and former development officer for Covenant Seminary, St. Louis.

Robert Dugan Jr.(Died)
July 1, 2010... Past director of government affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, on May 4 in Albuquerque. He was 78.

Francis Chan.(Leaving)
July 1, 2010... As senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California, in order to pursue new opportunities.

Mixed blessings: love offerings prove taxing.(CHURCH LIFE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... Are "love offerings" to preachers always taxable income? That question, which has bedeviled churches for decades, made headlines once again in the May tax-evasion conviction of Charlotte, North Carolina, pastor Anthony Jinwright and his wife,...

Worrisome words: new rhetoric draws concern.(RELIGIOUS FREEDOM)
July 1, 2010... Freedom of worship" has recently replaced the phrase "freedom of religion" in public pronouncements from the Obama administration. Experts are concerned that the new rhetoric may signal a policy change. "Freedom of worship" first appeared in...

Abortion.(GO FIGURE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... 3 Consecutive Gallup polls that found more Americans calling themselves pro-life than pro-choice, leading the polling group to call it the "new normal." 50% Americans who say that abortion is morally wrong, down from 56% in 2009. ...

Should churches increase their operating budgets in 2011?(UNDER DISCUSSION: Topics in the current debate.)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... YES NO "All of us should be on a journey of faith... ever increasing our commitment to resources for God's kingdom. Increase your budget, but do so aware of the challenges and pain that may exist in your congregation, and certainly without...

A hand up: faith-based model teaches rural poor how to use trade to rise out of poverty.(MISSIONS)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The day Canadian missionary Don Kantel released 400 chicks into a poultry enclosure in Mieze, a village of 20,000 in northern Mozambique, all the village's children gathered to watch, wondering what would happen next....

Abba changes everything; why every Christian is called to rescue orphans.(Cover story)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE CREEPIEST SOUND I have ever heard was nothing at all. My wife, Maria, and I stood in the hallway of an orphanage somewhere in the former Soviet Union. on the first of two trips required for our petition to adopt....

Coming alongside parents: churches are getting real about adoption's challenges--and helping families after the child arrives.
July 1, 2010... IN 1962, my parents picked up a 3-month-old boy from a Minneapolis children's home. Instead of a shower or welcoming committee, they came home to silence and sideways looks. They were adopting at a time when the decision was considered a...

Whole earth evangelism: creation care is part and parcel of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.(THE GLOBAL CONVERSATION)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the 1960s, the ecology movement was launched with a fundamental insight: Everything is part of a system. If you alter one thing, it will affect something else--for good or ill. For example, we discovered back then...

Focus on the females: James Dobson explains his ideas for raising daughters, and life after Focus.(THE CT INTERVIEW)(Interview)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BETWEEN "SEXTING," cyber bullying, and bikinis with padded tops for 7-year-olds, James Dobson thinks mainstream culture doesn't offer girls a pretty picture. Dobson's Bringing Up Girls (Tyndale) is the sequel to...

Love where you live: urban, suburban, and rural churches respond to new challenges in a less mobile era.(THEOLOGY)(Column)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE FRONT PORCH is back. A growing number of buyers are asking for designs that include the iconic hometown amenity, according to Chicago Tribune interviews with building contractors. Front porches provide families and...

An evangelist with chutzpah: at first reluctant street preacher, Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus, came to relish insults and controversy.(TRIBUTE)(Obituary)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CANCER DIDN'T KICK ME and I didn't kick the bucket"--a blog entry, September 10, 2009. Moishe Rosen died May 19 in San Francisco of prostate cancer at age 78, leaving behind a wife, two daughters, a controversial...

As an African and a missionary, I know firsthand the great ills some missionaries have brought along the way.(VIEWPOINTS: OPINIONS AND PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES FACING THE CHURCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... As an African and a missionary, I know firsthand the great ills some missionaries have brought along the way. I pray that readers with deep-seated scars will find healing. Stan Okoro Umlahia, Nigeria

What got the most comments in May's CT.(TOP 3)
July 1, 2010... 22% The Village Green: Intelligent Design Karl Giberson, Stephen C. Meyer, and Marcus Ross 19% A Candle in the Darkness Wess Stafford 14% A Family Affair Joseph H. Hellerman

Readers' take on The Village Green: Intelligent Design.(YAY OR NAY)
July 1, 2010... [thumbs up] 71% [thumbs down] 29%

[Cartoon].(VIEWPOINTS: OPINIONS AND PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES FACING THE CHURCH)(Cartoon)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Borderline ethics.(ONLINE POLL)(survey on Arizona's new immigration law)(Survey)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... What is your response to Arizona's new immigration law? 10% It is unconstitutional. 17% It will likely encourage racial and ethnic profiling. 8% It will encourage government invasion of privacy. 42% It only enforces existing laws...

Worth reapeating: things overheard at CT online.(VIEWPOINTS: OPINIONS AND PERSPECTIVES ON ISSUES FACING THE CHURCH)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... "Can't we show love without advocating anarchy and law breaking?" Julie Anne, on Christians' response to Arizona's immigration law that would allow police to ask about a person's legal status while enforcing another law. Speaking Out:...

Bearing true witness why we are tempted to embellish conversion stories.(WHERE WE STAND: CT'S VIEWS ON KEY ISSUES)
July 1, 2010... HE HAS A GREAT STORY," Christian blogger Jason Smathers told The Tennessean about Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary president Ergun Caner. "I wished he'd tell that story and stop where the facts end." Smathers is one of several bloggers...

Biotech's hidden dilemma: what should be done with frozen embryos left over at fertility clinics?(THE VILLAGE GREEN: Leading Christians on pressing questions.)
July 1, 2010... ADOPT THEM Ron Stoddart is the director of Nightlight Christian Adoptions, a nonprofit that facilitates embryonic adoption. When couples choose in-vitro fertilization to create embryos to help build their families, the unused embryos are...

Vainly naming the name: cussing isn't our only problem--though that's bad enough.(THROWING INKWELLS)(Column)
July 1, 2010... BEFORE MY FRIEND'S DAD became a Lutheran pastor, he was a rough and tumble seaman who, well, swore like a sailor. He was even reprimanded once by a Navy superior for using excessive foul language. So when The Pacific, HBO'S new series about...

Stride toward peace: risking love in a land of violence.(PAST IMPERFECT)
July 1, 2010... ONE OF THE MOST important books I read as a young adult was Martin Luther King Jr.'s Stride Toward Freedom. The book introduced me to nonviolent resistance-the commitment to change social evils while rejecting the temptation to use violence. ...

Real presence: what can happen when a thoroughly secular woman eats a piece of bread.
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We don't think of the Eucharist as a vehicle for conversion. We have forgotten the history of our own founding. Among the first Christians, the Eucharistic meal was an act of fellowship that often attracted...

My top 5 books on orphan care.(Recommended readings)
July 1, 2010... ADOPTED FOR LIFE The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches RUSSELL D. MOORE (CROSSWAY) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With deep theological moorings, Moore builds an inspiring case for why adoption carries special priority...

Screwtape for new Atheists: The Loser Letters pokes serious fun at a mostly humorless movement.(The Loser Letters: A Comic Tale of Life, Death, and Atheism)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... Catholic writer Mary Eberstadt's new novel, The Loser Letters: A Comic Tale of Life, Death, and Atheism (Ignatius Press) ****, begins by noting the laurels and attention heaped on authors such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher...

The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn't Exist.(BITS & PIECES: Excerpts from recent books)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... The Christian Atheist Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn't Exist CRAIG GROESCHEL (ZONDERVAN, 256 PAGES) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Charles Blondin was a world-renowned tightrope artist and acrobat. On June 30, 1859, before a...

Pearl Buck In China: Journey to The Good Earth.(WILSON'S BOOKMARKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... PEARL BUCK IN CHINA Journey to The Good Earth HILARY SPURLING (SIMON & SCHUSTER) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hilary Spurling is one of the best living biographers, and in Pearl Buck she has a splendid subject: daughter of missionaries...

The Flight Of The Intellectuals.(WILSON'S BOOKMARKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... THE FLIGHT OF THE INTELLECTUALS PAUL BERMAN (MELVILLE HOUSE) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This trenchantly argued book expands Berman's extraordinary New Republic article (itself close to the size of a short book) on the failure of Western...

Here Comes The Garbage Barge!(WILSON'S BOOKMARKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... HERE COMES THE GARBAGE BARGE! JONAH WINTER AND RED NOSE STUDIO (SCHWARTZ & WADE/RANDOM HOUSE) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Based on an actual incident, this rollicking cautionary tale recounts the bizarre voyage of a barge loaded with...

The authentic Bonhoeffer: Eric Metaxas explains how the German theologian lived a life worth examining.(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)(Interview)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Authenticity appears to be the virtue du jour for many Christians. But Dietrich Bonhoeffer wasn't just talking about authenticity; he was actually living it. The Lutheran pastor-theologian was eventually hanged for...

Christian Zionism in the dock: two documentaries take on the controversial theology.('Waiting for Armageddon' and 'With God on Our Side')(Movie review)
July 1, 2010... If two new documentary films are any indication, Christian Zionism is officially on notice. The film makers of Waiting for Armageddon (First Run Features) *** and With God on Our Side (Rooftop Productions) **** explore problems with believing...

A needed clamor.(The End of Poverty?)(Movie review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... Befitting its title, The End of Poverty? (Cinema Libre) **** begins with a question: In a world of so much wealth, why does so much poverty exist? In search of answers, this documentary traces the history of poverty, from the conquistadors'...

Two minutes with .... Sandra McCracken.(Interview)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... In a rare five-star review for Christianity Today, one of our critics wrote that Sandra McCracken's new album of hymns, In Feast or Fallow, "presents us with perhaps the most beautiful, poignant collection" since the turn of the century. CT...

Smokin' sacred steel: T-Bones Burnett brings out the best in Robert Randolph.(We Walk This Road)(Sound recording review)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] They are the ultimate odd couple: a renowned producer of Americana who, in recent years, has had only one speed (slooow), and a guitar virtuoso in the Sacred Steel tradition with a reputation for smoldering shows and...

Rescuing Ambition.(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... Rescuing Ambition DAVE HARVEY (CROSSWAY) ***** Dave Harvey of Sovereign Grace Ministries believes that ambition need not be suppressed but instead set free. In this pioneering book, he contrasts godly ambition with selfish ambition. Humans...

Hello, I Love You: Adventures in Adoptive Fatherhood.(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... HELLO, I LOVE YOU Adventures in Adoptive Fatherhood TED KLUCK (MOODY) ***** Ted and Kristin Kluck desperately wanted children and sensed the Lord calling them to adopt orphans. After a long and arduous process, they adopted two children...

In The Land Of Believers: An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church.(Brief article)(Book review)
July 1, 2010... IN THE LAND OF BELIEVERS An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church GINA WELCH (METROPOLITAN) ***** How does a young, Yale-educated atheist find out about evangelicals? Gina Welch decided to fake a...

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars: Rise & Shine.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... SIERRA LEONE'S REFUGEE ALL STARS RISE & SHINE (CUMBANCHA) ***** Formed while in refugee camps after fleeing civil war, the All Stars have been on a surreal journey that has included opening gigs for Aerosmith. Their transcendent...

Blitzen Trapper: Destroyer Of The Void.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... BLITZEN TRAPPER DESTROYER OF THE VOID **** Portland-based six-piece band Blitzen Trapper fuses alt-country and indie folk over a classic rock-and-roll core. Their multi-instrumental compositions alone are ambitious, and the songs' deeply...

The Mynabirds: What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... THE MYNABIRDS WHAT WE LOSE IN THE FIRE WE GAIN IN THE FLOOD (SADDLE CREEK) ***** The album title gives away the major themes of the Mynabirds' debut--the ache of loss and confidence in restoration. Songwriter Laura Burhenn's fierce grip...

Josh Ritter: So Runs The World Away.(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
July 1, 2010... JOSH RITTER SO RUNS THE WORLD AWAY (PYTHEAS) **** Josh Ritter's latest album springs from his song "The Curse," which tells the tale of a 19th-century anthropologist who falls in love with the mummy she unearths. The two characters...

Class action: Nicole Baker Fulgham champions educational equity.(WHO'S NEXT: PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW)(Interview)
July 1, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Growing up in Detroit, Nicole Baker Fulgham was fortunate to attend a magnet school where most graduates went on to college. The neighborhood school many of her friends attended had a 50 percent dropout rate, no AP...