A Handful of Mud
Soil is life. Can we preserve it for future generations
Paul Brand

The Epistemology of the Supermarket
Caleb Stegall

Real Southern Living
Matthew Peed

Bad Seed
Why did so many American churches embrace eugenics?
By Philip Jenkins

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

The Dick Staub Interview: Brennan Manning on Ruthless Trust
Many Christians are still afraid to let God love them as they truly are, says the former priest, sober alcoholic, and author.

Shelling the Salvation Army
"If William Booth's church could handle sticks and stones in the 1880s, it should withstand the recent barrage of hateful words"
Elesha Coffman

Web's Latest Craze is The Prayer of Reata
"Yes, the Pope really is Catholic, and other stories from media sources around the world."
Ted Olsen

Memorable Memoirs
"Whether telling us about the Spirit in the South or the crumbling atheism of a Chinese immigrant, these books provide windows into others' lives."
John Wilson

Editorials: Dismantling the Salvation Army
In maintaining integrity, Salvationists got the Boy Scout treatment
Christianity Today Editorial

Naked Truths
"Critics weigh in on what makes nudity in film wrong, right, and R-rated"
Jeffrey Overstreet

Shelling the Salvation Army
"If William Booth's church could handle sticks and stones in the 1880s, it should withstand the recent barrage of hateful words"
Elesha Coffman

The Positive Prophet
Tony Campolo is a ferocious critic of Christians left and right. Why do people still flock to hear him?
Ted Olsen

Plus: Tony Talks Too Much
"Campolo has sworn to cut back many times, but still couldn't say no to speaking engagements"
Ted Olsen

Plus: Candidate Campolo
'The idea of winning was ridiculous.'
Ted Olsen

Christianity Today News Briefs
Booting the Salvation Army, falling giving, and suing for rights.
By CT staff

Silencing Rights Talk
Law would shut down many faith-based groups.
By Sue Sprenkle

Weblog: Democrat Says He Was Fired From Catholic Charities Over Abortion
Plus: Another blow to the partial-birth abortion ban, church attacks in India and Cyprus, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Coverage of About Schmidt Casts Shadow on Child Sponsorship
Oscar-nominated film is causing positive and negative ripples in the press and in relief agencies
Todd Hertz

For Everything There Is a Season
Nostalgia for nature's seasons in a climate-controlled world.
by Cindy Crosby

Talk of the Town
Questions for postmodern Christians
Julia Vitullo-Martin

Making a Difference, and Other Illusions
Christy Lambertson

Compassionate in War, Christian in Vision
The man behind the Geneva Conventions knew the heights of success and the depths of failure
By David Neff

Slaughter of the Innocents, 2004
The Netherlands celebrates Christmas by reenacting Herod.
By Frederica Mathewes-Green

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

Blockbuster Evangelism
"Millions have been converted after seeing films about Jesus, and Hindu radicals are responding with violence"
Joshua Newton

Hindu Leaders Crack Down on Conversions
Potential converts must ask permission
Joshua Newton and ENI

"India: Despised Dalits quit Hinduism, find new dignity in Christ."
'Untouchables' find new dignity in Christian faith
Manpreet Singh

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

Persecution Is a Holy Word
Exaggerating our problems demeans the sacrifice of overseas believers
A Christianity Today editorial

Why Don't They Listen?
John Stott on the most pernicious obstacles to effective world evangelism
Gary Barnes

'I Never Thought I'd See Anything Like that Again'
A famine worse than that of 1984 threatens Ethiopia
Timothy R. Callahan

Third World: Rumblings to the South
In Africa and elsewhere, third-world Christians are shaking society.
Derek Peterson

The Visit
An almost clichéd form of Christian service to the elderly remains one of the most vital.
By Virginia Stem Owens

Who Cares About Care?
Jean Bethke Elshtain

Vic's War
50 years after a regrettable bombing raid, a vet ends his silence--because a pastor knew what to ask, and when.
David Hansen

Wooing the Faithful
President Bush needs evangelicals more than ever, but it's unclear how badly they want him for another four years.
By Tony Carnes

AWOL Again on the Faith-Based Initiative
The Senate has passed on another chance to safeguard equal opportunity.
By Stanley Carlson-Thies

Weblog: Feds Granted More than $1 Billion to Religious Charities in 2003
Plus: The Joash tablet may not be a fake after all, Christians attacked in India and Egypt, our continuing (and exhausting) roundup of stories about gay marriage and The Passion, and other articles from online sources around the world.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Q & A: Clive Calver
President of World Relief, the church-based development arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, on humanitarian trends in the wake of 9/11.
David Neff

Border Crackdown
Government seeks to stamp out North Korea refugee problem
By Timothy R. Callahan in Washington, with CT staff reports

'I Never Thought I'd See Anything Like that Again'
A famine worse than that of 1984 threatens Ethiopia
Timothy R. Callahan

Books & Culture Corner: A Cry for Help
Sudanese Christians gather in Houston and ask for U.S. support
David C. Owens

Opinion Roundup: Are Evangelicals the 'New Internationalists?'
Evangelical leaders say New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof is mostly right, but late
Todd Hertz

Afghanistan: Afghans May Starve
Relief agencies mount efforts as Christian radio begins Dari broadcasts
Sheryl Henderson Blunt

"Books & Culture's Books of the Week: Faith, Hope, and Charity in North Carolina"
New novels by Michael Morris—whose first novel, A Place Called Wiregrass, was a word-of-mouth hit—and Jan Karon, who continues her beloved Mitford saga
Betty Smartt Carter

Inside CT: Latest Books by CT Staff
On issues from foster care to the future of missions. Christianity Today staff have been writing for more than the magazine
David Neff,

Empty Nesters Undertake Second Parenthood
By Christine J. Gardner in Glen Ellyn.

Weblog: The Virgin Birth? Come on!
Millard Fuller steps down as Habitat CEO after sexual harassment allegation, worries the movement will lose focus. Also, an adult stem-cell media conspiracy?
Compiled by Rob Moll

Letters

How to Build Homes Without Putting Up Walls
"Habitat for Humanity strives to keep its Christian identity—a tricky task, when everybody wants to join."
Tim Stafford

An After-Christmas Gift
"A homeless man, an angel, and a reminder about our final home"
Lee Knapp

About-Face on Charities
Communist leaders invite even Christians to help the poor
Tony Carnes

Trouble in the Garden
Historic Chicago homeless shelter is under siege by City Hall
Bob Smietana

Terror on Top of the World
Maoist threats shut down development work.
By Anil Stephen

Churches Respond After the California Fires
The disaster provides ministry opportunities that would have been otherwise impossible
Rob Moll

Lutherans Criticize El Salvador's Earthquake Aid
Church organization says aid is disproportionately granted to victims for political reasons.
Chris Herlinger

About-Face on Charities
Communist leaders invite even Christians to help the poor
Tony Carnes

Bringing Order from Chaos
"Churches help with refugees, hunger, and the lasting trauma brought on by war"
Richard Nyberg

Do Drink the Water
"Disillusioned missionary, 'Spirit-inspired' invention transform church's ministry in the Dominican Republic."
Dean Nelson

Rebuilding Afghanistan U
How Christian scholars are using their heads to change people's hearts at universities worldwide-including the one Osama bin Laden used to roam
Agnieszka Tennant

Bridging the Digital Divide
How one Toronto mission is bringing computer literacy to inner-city kids
Denyse O'Leary

The Back Page | Charles Colson: Reversing Biblical Memory Loss
The language of faith doesn't have to become a foreign tongue
Charles Colson

The Dick Staub Interview: Vishal Mangalwadi
The author and lecturer talks about how the Bible shaped India, Western democracy, and his life

The Dick Staub Interview: Mary Poplin Calls Claremont Her Calcutta
"After seeking God through telepathic spoon bending exercises, this professor found God, and with the help of Mother Teresa, her calling"

Weblog: Why the CARE Act Still Hasn't Reached Bush's Desk
": D.C. pastor fights off deacons, police to stay in pulpit amid allegations, Boykin apologizes, and other stories from online sources around the world"
Ted Olsen and Rob Moll

Christian History Corner: John Paul II's Canonization Cannon
Why and how this pope has made over 470 saints
Steven Gertz

Faith Amid the Muck
Christians struggle with island's latest disaster.
By Ken Walker

Temptations in Disaster
A ministry leader in Sri Lanka advises his colleagues on spiritual disciplines during a crisis.
By Ajith Fernando in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Weblog: RNC Tells Voters that Liberals Will Ban Bible
Plus: Alan Wolfe on Democratic secularists, horoscopes vs. the Bible, Prohibition's problems, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Operation Human Rights
How evangelicals got outside their comfort zone to help the oppressed overseas.
By David Neff

The Nightmare of North Korea
One man's story of brutality, courage, love, and freedom.
By Kang Hyeok

Good News for the Lost, Imprisoned, Abducted, and Enslaved
Lawyers and investigators at the International Justice Mission have learned that sharing the gospel means going into the heart of darkness.
Wendy Murray Zoba

Mr. Jabez Goes to Africa
Bruce Wilkinson expands his borders to include racial reconciliation and HIV/AIDS
Timothy C. Morgan

Killing a Pandemic
The church may be best equipped to deal HIV/AIDS a crippling blow
Christianity Today editorial

Widow of September 11 Hero Starts Foundation
Todd M. Beamer fund established to care for children who lost parents on United Flight 93
LaTonya Taylor

Cracks in the Tower
A closer look at the Christian college boom.
Allen Guelzo

Being Here
Why we should sink our roots in the places we call home
Charles Colson with Anne Morse

'I Never Thought I'd See Anything Like that Again'
A famine worse than that of 1984 threatens Ethiopia
Timothy R. Callahan

Salt-and-Pepper Politics
Choosing between candidates whose consciences are too clean.
By Andy Crouch

Churches, Charity, and Civil Society
The debate over faith-based social services.
By Joseph Loconte

Fat!
The science of obesity.
By Elissa Elliott

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

Religious Leaders Frustrated that Poverty Goes Unnoticed in Election
The least of these are the least discussed this campaign season.
By Kevin Eckstrom, Religion News Service

Silencing Rights Talk
Law would shut down many faith-based groups.
By Sue Sprenkle

The Secret Shelter
A sliver of hope for Christian women who suffer beatings, rape, and forced conversions to Islam.
by Deann Alford

Weblog: Rounding Up the Few Christian Voices on the Iraq Prison Scandal
Sojourners says Rumsfeld should go, World says he should stay, and Christian Peacemaker Teams says there's a bigger story untold.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Weblog: State of Emergency Declared in Nigeria
Plus: Billy Graham suffers serious pelvic fracture, Hezbollah uses The Passion, Sudan blocks aid, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

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

Operation Human Rights
How evangelicals got outside their comfort zone to help the oppressed overseas.
By David Neff

Quake Opens Door to Gospel
How Christians are trying to ease tensions in the Islamic Republic.
By John W. Kennedy

Attacks on 'Soft Targets' in Iraq Hampering Humanitarian Groups
The Oct. 27 suicide bombing that targeted the International Committee of the Red Cross struck a blow to all humanitarian organizations in Iraq
Michelle Gabriel

Churches Respond After the California Fires
The disaster provides ministry opportunities that would have been otherwise impossible
Rob Moll

Christianity Today News Briefs
Booting the Salvation Army, falling giving, and suing for rights.
By CT staff

Weblog: Separation of Church and Store
Plus: Bulldozing a church, murdering an atheist, Britain's designer babies, and apparently today is Election Day.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Weblog: Lesbian Methodist Minister Defrocked
Plus: Denver keeps Christmas, pro-life Democrats push for comeback, Adventist leaders die in plane crash, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Iraq's Good Samaritans
"This past summer, pundits predicted that Iraqis would resent Franklin Graham's ministry. What really happened when the workers showed up?"
Kevin Begos

Weblog: Season's Beatings
"Samaritan's Purse slandered again, A&W's anti-Scripture orders, and other stories from online sources around the world"
Ted Olsen

Uncivil War
Missionary tells of horrors in strife-torn Congo
Africa Inland Mission's Chris Hamilton

Download

Thanksgiving at Fair Acres
A meal with my mother and other nursing-home residents opened a small crack in their stony detachment, and gave a brief glimpse of the kingdom of heaven.
By Virginia Stem Owens

What Your Retirement Planner Doesn't Tell You
Save in order to give your life away, not to retire comfortably.
By Lynn Miller

Compassionate Evangelicalism
How a document conceived 30 years ago has prompted us to care more about 'the least of these.
Joel A. Carpenter

Curbing Big Brother
Christians urge Ashcroft to respect freedom in surveillance law.
Tony Carnes

Answering Critics of An Evangelical Celebration
Thomas C. Oden

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

Operation Human Rights
How evangelicals got outside their comfort zone to help the oppressed overseas.
By David Neff

Civil Unions: Would a Marriage by any Other Name Be the Same?
Some theologically conservative Christians support civil unions and remain opposed to same-sex marriage.
By Rob Moll

A Crumbling Institution
How social revolutions cracked the pillars of marriage.
By David P. Gushee

O Jailed Town of Bethlehem
How eerily still we see thee lie.
by Kevin Begos

Speaking Out: Why Gay Marriage Would Be Harmful
Institutionalizing homosexual marriage would be bad for marriage, bad for children, and bad for society.
By Robert Benne and Gerald McDermott

The Revolution Begins in the Pews
Trotsky and St. Benedict
Eugene McCarraher

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

Weblog: Korean in Iraq Was Killed For His Faith, Say Terrorists
Plus: What's next for the Federal Marriage Amendment, Canada's Bible ban, university relents on mandatory profanity, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Speaking Out: Why I Believe in Divorce
A disabled Florida woman's only hope to stay on life support is to divorce her husband who wants to pull the plug
Janet L. Folger

'I Never Thought I'd See Anything Like that Again'
A famine worse than that of 1984 threatens Ethiopia
Timothy R. Callahan

I Never Thought I'd See Anything Like that Again
A famine worse than that of 1984 threatens Ethiopia
Timothy R. Callahan

Weblog: State of Emergency Declared in Nigeria
Plus: Billy Graham suffers serious pelvic fracture, Hezbollah uses The Passion, Sudan blocks aid, and other stories from online sources around the world.
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Weblog: IRS Raids Home and Business of Creationist
Plus: Terror at a Pittsburgh church, England's gay priest gets a top position, and other stories from online sources around the world
Compiled by Ted Olsen

Accidental Revolutionary
How one woman fought for a just tax
Collin Hansen

"Top 10 News Stories, 2003"
"The events, people, and ideas of the past year that Christianity Today's news editors believe have shaped, or will significantly shape, evangelical life, thought, or mission"

Top 10 News Stories, 2003
The events, people, and ideas of the past year that Christianity Today's news editors believe have shaped, or will significantly shape, evangelical life, thought, or mission.

Weblog: The Messy Battle Over Federal Religious Freedom Law
"U.S. News really misses Jeff Sheler now, faith-based bill held up by Republicans, Roy Moore's ethics trial begins, and other stories from online sources around the world"
Ted Olsen

EDITORIAL: De-Demonizing the UN
While bloated and badly in need of reform, the UN fills a necessary role that Christians should support.
Robert A. Seiple

The UN's Antifamily Manifesto
The Beijing platform downplays the family, while exalting the autonomous individual.
Diane Knippers

NEWS: Warlords Await UN Withdrawal in Somalia
Stan Guthrie

New York's New Hope
From inner-city gardens, to fine-art exhibitions, to political activism, street-smart churches are changing the culture of America's largest and most dynamic city.
By Tony Carnes

Christian History Corner: From Beer to Bibles to VBS
How America got its favorite summer tradition
Steven Gertz

From the Editor
Marshall Shelley

Letters

Cracks in the Monolith?
Evangelical Protestants and the 2000 election.
Lyman A. Kellstedt, Corwin E. Smidt, James L. Guth, and John C. Green

Practicing Faith in the Inner City
Mark R. Gornik

CT Classic: Work over Welfare
Former Illinois Senator Paul Simon discusses his plan to put the poor to work
LaVonne Neff

Practicing Faith in the Inner City
Mark R. Gornik

The Word on the Street
Eugene Rivers on faith-based urban ministry, the black church, and the "sexual holocaust" in Africa.
interview by C. Stephen Evans and Gail Gunst Heffner

Saving Strangers
The journey of one Somali Bantu family in the largest group resettlement of African refugees in U.S. history.
Photo essay by Denise McGill

Q & A: Clive Calver
President of World Relief, the church-based development arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, on humanitarian trends in the wake of 9/11.
David Neff

Quake Opens Door to Gospel
How Christians are trying to ease tensions in the Islamic Republic.
By John W. Kennedy