debate over female pastors

Federal prosecutors have dramatically increased the number of cases they are filing against pro-life protestors outside of abortion clinics.

Retreating to our own “arks” can be a coping mechanism for Christians, but we’re called to do more than retreat, writes Russell Moore.

Giving up control can be crucial for pastors’ spiritual health.

In his new book, philosopher Travis Dickinson suggests your belief in God may have more backing than you realize.

Behind the story

The three of us on the news team usually work on our reporting and this newsletter from three different places, but this week we were all together for a ministry-wide meeting near our Chicagoland headquarters. It was our first big gathering at Christianity Today in over two years. We celebrated the success of our recent week of giving; heard updates from other departments; and discussed plans for some changes coming to the magazine and the CT site (stay tuned!).

Throughout the meeting, we talked about the mission and vision of our ministry, about how we can best serve the global church in this current moment. Some of the reflections shared with us by our new editor in chief Russell Moore also appear in his column for this week, about the impulse to retreat in our own “arks” when the world is dark. “We should see ourselves not just on the front end of the flood, but on the back end of it too,” he said.

In other news

One in 10 Protestant pastors discourage Halloween celebrations.

After the debate over female pastors reemerged earlier this year, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary trustees passed a resolution reaffirming their position that the role of pastor is limited to men but also said the school should continue to train women to serve the church.

A European court says private companies may ban employees from wearing any religious objects, including small crosses.

How did a Baptist pastor end up owning hundreds of Edward Hopper paintings? It’s a mystery and ... maybe a scandal.