Even if aliens exist, Christianity would be just fine

Today’s Briefing

Even if aliens exist, Christianity would be just fine, writes Russell Moore.

At his State of the Union marking the country’s 250th year, President Donald Trump honored Olympic athletes and veterans but mostly celebrated himself, writes Bonnie Kristian.

Trump took credit for a religious revival in his speech, but experts aren’t so sure there is one, reports Harvest Prude.

Actor Robert Duvall, who died last week, treated evangelicals with critical empathy.

A Christian nonprofit in California is helping people overcome homelessness. Marvin Olasky argues its solution is more than additional housing.

Behind the Story

From editorial project manager Mia Staub: I went to a press screening last night for an upcoming film review I am working on. I finished the book from which the film was adapted about an hour before heading out the door without any clear sense of the angle I would take to this "non-Christian" film.

Our editors sometimes ask me what movies I want to review. I am not often compelled to watch "Christian" movies (like David or The King of Kings), so I defer those reviews to people more familiar with the genre. My cup of tea is movies that involve Christian themes.

I like to be surprised by movies that make me think deeper about my own faith. I remember sitting in the theater watching Elio and reflecting on my own experiences of grief and on what it means to grieve as a child. I was thoroughly engaged in Women Talking for its reckonings with sin and for how relevant that was for so many conversations in the news. Or today’s article by Aaron Griffith reflecting on how Robert Duvall engaged evangelicals in the 1997 film The Apostle is another example of art that is more generally faith-themed. Art is a nontraditional way to communicate; some things just can’t be explained with words. That is why I love movies: They give me the opportunity to interact with my faith in new and unexpected ways. In Other News Kid Rock hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian music chart after his Turning Point USA halftime show.  Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Vice President JD Vance apologized to him for saying Catholic bishops expressing concern about the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown were motivated by money. One academic recently explored the oldest surviving New Testament fragments, which are kept inside a library at the University of Oxford. Today in Christian History February 26, 1536: Swiss Protestants sign the First Helvetic Confession, the first uniform confession of faith for all German-speaking Switzerland and an important Reformation document.