Cover Story
Cover Story
Pop Francis: Why Everyone Loves the Pope
From secular journalists to charismatic Christians, millions are taken with the Jesuit from Argentina.
Features
Relief in Wartime Chaos
Fleeing violence, nearly 1.3 million Syrians and Iraqis are now living in Jordan. How local and global leaders are meeting their needs.
Have Yourself a Merry Kitschy Christmas
What weird Nativity sets get right about the story of Jesus.
God’s Defense Attorney
Millionaire lawyer Mark Lanier moonlights as a Sunday school teacher.
Michael Lindsay on Covenant and Conflict at Gordon College
The college’s president says the issues on campus go deeper than ‘homosexual practice.’
More from this Issue
The Glowing Pope
Why even ‘nones’ like my brother are taking notice.
Reply All
Readers respond to the October issue via letters, tweets, and blogs.
News
News
Quitting While Ahead
Why some United Methodist evangelicals suggest a split, even though their side is winning.
News
Gleanings: December 2014
Important developments in the church and the world (as they appeared in our December issue).
Reviews
The Most Important Thing About the Holy Spirit
J. D. Greear remembers what gets missed in secondary debates.
The Alternative Music Label That Shaped Evangelical Culture
Tooth & Nail Records let Christian teenagers be both safe and subversive.
Review
The Unremarkable Call to Love Our Gay Neighbors
Glenn Stanton shows how friendship and biblical fidelity belong together.
Review
Using (and Abusing) Hell as a Political Motivation
How the threat of eternal punishment stirred moral and spiritual urgency in early America.
New & Noteworthy Books
Compiled by Matt Reynolds
Wilson’s Bookmarks
From the editor of Books & Culture.
Excerpt
Jesus and ‘Jingle Bell Rock’
For my family, there’s no dividing line between “American Christmas” and “Christian Christmas.”
Views
What Forgotten Christmas Tradition Should Churches Revive?
Rooting our celebration of Christ’s birth more deeply in our lives.
Why Personal Devotions Aren’t Enough
The Bible was made to be read in church first.
The Man Who Humanized War
He still shapes our wartime ideals 150 years later.
Editorial
The Weight of Ferguson, ISIS, and Boko Haram
How we bear, sometimes joyfully, the burdens of 2014.
Additional Articles
News
What Was the Best News of 2014?
Observers weigh in on the year’s events that will most shape evangelical life, thought, or mission.