Seen Through
Christ of Sinai and the splendor of Byzantium at the Met.
by Emily Jorjorian Lowe

When Marriage Brings Suffering
The meaning of marital covenants in bleak seasons.
By David P. Gushee

Rainbow Coalitions
African American, Hispanic pastors lead the charge against gay marriage.
Tony Carnes

When Marriage Brings Suffering
The meaning of marital covenants in bleak seasons.
By David P. Gushee

The Books in My Office
by John Wilson

New & Noteworthy: Christian Living
Recent and important releases that will shape evangelical thought

Go Figure
What role did abortion play in the congressional race?
Ted Olsen

The Book Report: A Lonely Day in the Neighborhood
The breakdown of community is not just a hunch of social commentators, but a sociological fact with severe consequences.
By Robert Wuthnow

Frederica Mathewes-Green: My Spice Girl Moment
by Frederica Mathewes-Green

Afraid of Heaven
We do not yearn to be near God because we do not find sin utterly repugnant or goodness rapturously attractive.
Kenneth Kantzer

Heaven: Not Just an Eternal Day Off
As if anticipating the question, Will life on the new earth be boring? the Bible points to much activity there.
Anthony Hoekema

Heaven Can't Wait
I have seen the electrifying results of what can happen when the reality comes alive
Philip Yancey

How to Overcome Overload
H. Dale Burke

Capture
Kevin A. Miller

Ministry on Steroids
Jim Mellado

Expect Joy!
Edwards found the Christian life sweet and said so often.
Douglas A. Sweeney

Reflections: Classic & Contemporary Excerpts

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER
Paul D. Robbins

Good for the Soul
Frederica Mathewes-Green

A Wretch Like Me
George Verwer

Colson: Cleanliness Is Next to Crimelessness
When I visit prisons where floors are shiny, morale is noticeably higher.
by CHARLES COLSON & Nancy Pearcey

Ministry at the Makeshift Memorial
After a kidnapped child was found dead, how could I help at the impromptu wailing wall?
Connie Regener

How to Survive Grief
An honest reflection on the death of an infant daughter
Wendy Murray Zoba

Whatever Happened to Repentance?
We've come to think our faith is about comfort. It's not
Frederica Mathewes-Green

An Alternative Africa
The world of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
By Susan VanZanten Gallagher

Death Wishes
Circuit Court supports state's primary role in assisted suicide.
By Marshall Allen

Where Stormie Finds Her Power
Stormie Omartian is a bestselling author precisely because she doesn't have a picture-perfect life
By Tim Stafford

Discerning God's Will
"Quotations to stir the heart and mind from Van Gogh, Dante, Thomas Merton, and others"
Richard A. Kauffman

Holy Sex
How it ravishes our souls
Philip Yancey

Reflections: Classic & Contemporary Excerpts

How to Disappear
The restless art of Weldon Kees, pursued for mortal stakes.
by Caroline Langston

Books & Culture Corner: Letter from Spain
A former resident returns to find that it is still stony ground for the Gospel
Jeff M. Sellers

The Back Page: A Clan of One's Own
Hacking through the jungle of identity politics
Charles Colson

Methodists Divided on Split
Church leaders react to talk about division.

Methodists Back Away from Breakup
Evangelicals shelve call for 'amicable separation.'
By Kathleen Rutledge in Pittsburgh

How to Disappear
The restless art of Weldon Kees, pursued for mortal stakes.
by Caroline Langston

Where the Trouble Lies
Scott Cairns

How to Survive Grief
An honest reflection on the death of an infant daughter
Wendy Murray Zoba

My Worst Year in Ministry
by Frank Payne

Books & Culture Corner: Books at Warp Speed
We continue our annual roundup of noteworthy books
John Wilson

Facing the Failure

The Ecstatic Heresy
Seeking a superficial unity, some denominational leaders opt for feelings over facts.
By Robert Sanders

Nice Yet Naughty
A no-nonsense book of female sex addiction is finally here.
Agnieszka Tennant

The Dick Staub Interview: Gordon Smith Hears the Voice of Jesus
The author of The Voice of Jesus talks about listening to God with discernment

Resistance Movement
Looking beneath the surface of pop culture
Nathan Bierma

Where Do We Go from Here?
By Chris Hall and John Sanders

Time-and-Emotion Studies
A little historical perspective helps us get a grip on our emotions.
Trey Buchanan

Can We Talk?
A project sponsored by Gordon College's Center for Christian Studies offers models for constructive engagement across lines of division.
By John Wilson

Water from Home
Parched and hurting, I stood alone.
By Ted Traylor

Too Much to Ask?
Elizabeth Wirth

The Ecstatic Heresy
Seeking a superficial unity, some denominational leaders opt for feelings over facts.
By Robert Sanders

Hulking Rage
An epidemic of anger at the cineplex
Jeffrey Overstreet

Reflections: Classic & Contemporary Excerpts
Born November 29, 1898, Clive Staples Lewis in his lifetime gave us many writings that explicate the Christian faith and walk. This page of Reflections commemorates the centennial of his birth.

Wanting More in an Age of Plenty
Our wallets are fat, but our souls are empty
By David G. Myers

THE UNIQUE NETWORK OF A SMALL CHURCH
Learning to communicate in ways a congregation expects.
John Koessler

THE HIGH-TURNOVER SMALL CHURCH
Sometimes it feels like this isn't a congregation but a bus depot.
Earl Creps

Six Days Thou Shalt Labor, More or Less
Busyness and the Busines of Heaven
Karl E. Johnson

Wanting More in an Age of Plenty
Our wallets are fat, but our souls are empty
By David G. Myers

Letters

The Sport of Saints?
"Forget St. Pat's. It's time for March Madness, baby! (And yes, it's Christian.)"
Elesha Coffman

Matters of Opinion: The Perils of Harry Potter
Literary device or not, witchcraft is real—and dangerous.
Jacqui Komschlies

Your World: Every Day is Casual Friday
Anxiety hangs over a culture when adults act like children.
By Frederica Mathewes-Green | posted 7/18/00

Joy: Spiritual Health Made Visible
Earl Palmer

Mythical Proportions
America is not so generous, free, and innocent as it imagines itself.
Myths America Lives By, reviewed by Greg Taylor

Go Figure
How evangelicals view Islam and their own happiness
Ted Olsen

A Bubbly Invitation
Mike Mason's Champagne for the Soul is an ode to joy
Cindy Crosby

Weblog: Bethlehem Prepares for Dour Christmas
"Tons more on Christmas, the lies of Da Vinci, State Department's religious freedom report, Christian video games, and hundreds of stories from online sources around the world"
Rob Moll

The Other Terrorists
Philip Jenkins

Weblog: Another 'Gay Bishop' Hate Crime?
"Richard Land criticizes Roy Moore, sexy teen virtue, reflecting on Baylor's woes, and other stories from around the world"
Ted Olsen

The Back Page | Philip Yancey: Lessons from Rock Bottom
The church can learn about grace from the recovery movement.
By Philip Yancey | posted 7/11/00

Thriving with Limitations
A conversation with Joni Eareckson Tada

REFLECTIONS
Classic and contemporary excerpts

Why Serious Preachers Use Humor
Plus: Top 25 Worship Songs

My Emerging Guilt
With one hand still clutching the smoothie, I was pulled into the conga line. How did I get here, dancing, off beat and out of touch?
By Ron Benson

Ragamuffin
The patched-up life and unshabby message of Brennan Manning.
By Agnieszka Tennant

The Good Fight
4 spiritual disciplines to keep fights from scarring your soul.
By Mark Buchanan

Raising the Near Dead
An art restorer in search of a person restorer.
By A.G. Harmon

The Dick Staub Interview: Serving God Without God
The author of Running on Empty discusses his life in ministry with and without a walk with God.

Lonesome Blues
The consolations of frontier religion
Barry Hankins

The Dick Staub Interview: Sheila Walsh Says Stop
"The author, singer, and popular speaker talks about learning to put praise above performance"

Singular Hope
by Kimberly Hartke

Baptism + Fire
Suffering may build character, but ultimately it's not about us.
By Mark Galli

When Backward Is Forward
Christmas may be the best argument against genetic enhancement.
by Andy Crouch

The Legend of Bono Vox
Lessons learned in the church of U2.
By Scott Calhoun

The Virtue of Lust?
So says philosopher Simon Blackburn.
W. Jay Wood

"Film Forum: Critics Rocked by Jack Black, Gored by Tarantino"
Religious press critics attend The School of Rock, Kill Bill—Vol. 1, Out of Time, The Station Agent, and Wonderland. More reviews arrive for Luther, Secondhand Lions, and Matchstick Men. Plus: More Passion debate, farewells for Elia Kazan, a report from t
Jeffrey Overstreet

What the Rules Don’t Cover
Jared Mackey

Nightmares and Miracles
A good beginning to the long battle for human rights in North Korea.
A Christianity Today editorial

A Heartless Homeland
Why more North Koreans than ever are fleeing their country.
By Gregg Chenoweth & Tricia Miller

Codependent No More
When Pleasing Others Is Hurting You addresses the need to be needed.
Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

More Oxygen to the Flame
A conversation with Zig Ziglar and Ben Patterson.

Name It and Claim It
By Lewis Smedes

REFLECTIONS
Poisonous fruit

Cheated by the Affirming Church
Contrary to what some churches teach, it is homosexuality—and not its suppression—that enslaves people like me.
by Anonymous

When Marriage Brings Suffering
The meaning of marital covenants in bleak seasons.
By David P. Gushee

Dances with Medicine Men
Intimidating doctors, aging and confused parents, and the loss of personhood.
By Virginia Stem Owens

Backdraft Preaching
by Mark Buchanan

The Friendship Dilemma
Erwin R. McManus

The Art of Self Leadership
Your toughest management challenge is always yourself.
Bill Hybels

Film Forum: Finding Nemo Reels in Raves
Christian film critics praise Finding Nemo, debate the merits of The Italian Job, highlight the virtues of Bruce Almighty, and argue about whether The Matrix Reloaded is philosophically polluted.
Jeffrey Overstreet

Film Forum: Fish Tale Fin-tastic, but How Mighty Is Bruce ?
Religious film critics look at Finding Nemo, Bruce Almighty, The In-Laws, The Matrix Reloaded, Daddy Day Care, and The Dancer Upstairs
Jeffrey Overstreet

In Bruce Almighty, God Is as Close as Our Breath
Jim Carrey plays God with unholy flair in a movie that is Judeo-Christian to its bones
Anna Waterhouse

Reflections: Work and Vocation
"Quotations to stir heart and mind from Thomas Merton, Dorothy Sayers, and others"
Richard A. Kauffman

The Book Report: Making Room for God
Two routes to divine encounters.
by Mark Galli

Ash Wednesday and Fat Tuesday
Lynn Robinson

A Taste of Thomas
With systematic seriousness, the doctor answers a key question of faith: If God predestines, why should we pray?
Thomas Acquinas

Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards
Mark Noll Mark A. Noll is professor of history at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. He is an editor of Eerdman's Handbook of Christianity in America, and the author of Christians and the American Revolution.

FROM THE EDITOR
Terry C. Muck

The Dick Staub Interview: Serving God Without God
The author of Running on Empty discusses his life in ministry with and without a walk with God.

Christian History Corner: The Goodness of Good Friday
An unhappy celebration—isn't that an oxymoron?
Chris Armstrong

A Deadly Give and Take
Crusaders fought many terrible battles in the Middle East, but Muslims started - and won - the war.
Paul Crawford

One-and-One-Half Cheers for the Anglican Primates' Statement
An interview with theologian—and longtime Anglican—J.I. Packer
Mark Galli

Time-and-Emotion Studies
A little historical perspective helps us get a grip on our emotions.
Trey Buchanan

The Day I Brought a Skunk to Church
Gordon MacDonald