Cover Story
Cover Story
Why Defining Gossip Matters in the Church’s Response to Abuse
Have we tamed the tongue too much? Christians work to recover a biblical understanding of harmful hearsay vs. healthy criticism.
Features
The Unearthed Conscience of Black Fundamentalism
A hard racial line divided conservative white and Black Protestants 100 years ago. It didn’t have to be that way.
‘Be Clean’: Jesus and the World of Ritual Impurity
These biblical commands rightly remind us about the significance of our bodies.
How We Got to the Equality Act
The LGBT movement was shaped by the animosity of populist evangelical rhetoric and tactics.
Testimony
The Woodstock Generation Swallowed Me Up and Spit Me Out
One summer in a hippie commune soured me on the ’60s counterculture. God met me in my disillusionment.
Reading God’s Word like a Poem, Not an Instruction Manual
The Bible teaches us, says Matthew Mullins, but its method of teaching always entails more than information and guidance.
More from this Issue
Our May/June Issue: Discerning Good Gossip from Bad
Our sweeping censure of talking behind backs isn’t biblical.
Reply All
Responses to our March issue.
News
News
Diversity Advocates at Evangelical Colleges: ‘In Some Ways, You’re Seen as a Heretic’
Racial transformation is hard even when Christian schools are committed to change.
News
Pastors Take to the Streets to Combat NYC Gun Violence
Responding with their feet, ministers bring ‘the simplest form of the gospel’ to tense situations.
News
How Seven Soldiers Carried One Bible into 11 Combat Tours
A gift from the Gideons was a good luck charm—and then something more.
News
Religious Discrimination Complaints Hit 10-Year Low
Workplace accommodation issues persist for Apostolic Pentecostals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims, and others.
Reviews
Excerpt
It’s Okay to Let Your Mind Wander During Prayer
Those distractions aren’t failures of focus, but opportunities to trust God with the deepest truths of our hearts.
Michael Lindsay: Our Lives Are Full of ‘Hinge Moments.’ Here’s How We Can Pray and Prepare.
The incoming Taylor University president outlines a faith-filled, Spirit-guided approach to life’s biggest transitions.
Review
Christians Can Learn from Muslims. But There Are Lines We Shouldn’t Cross.
One writer’s attempt to relate Islam to her faith yields some lessons along with some stumbles.
Review
Christians Should Be in the News Cycle, but Not of It
How believers can stay up on the day’s events without becoming prisoners of the moment.
New & Noteworthy Books
Compiled by Matt Reynolds.
Views
Sometimes You Have to Shake the Dust Off Your Feet
Walking out is a way of responding to institutional toxicity.
Log Off and Know that I Am God
With all our faith talk online, we’re in danger of losing sight of the Lord himself.
Editorial
Back Without a Bang: Returning to Church Won’t Be the Celebration We Once Imagined
Instead of a big party, reopenings bring mixed emotions and a call to everyday faithfulness.
Let the Little Children Come to ‘Big Church’
One lesson from COVID-19: Don’t underestimate the model set by worshiping alongside your kids.