Iranian Christians join protests over the death of Mahsa Amini

During another polarizing election season, there are Christian candidates trying to stake a place in the middle—but calls for reasonableness and moderation aren’t winning races.

In the US, fewer younger Hispanics prefer to worship in Spanish. Pastors disagree on whether the church should do it anyway as a way to prioritize the language as part of their culture.

A cheating scandal is rocking the chess world, and young players around the world are watching. In a time when it’s easy to cheat, coaches want to build virtuous kids who love the game whether they win or lose.

Behind the story

From Emily Belz: Back in 2016, the World Chess Championship took place in a big warehouse space in New York City, and I covered it. The two players vying for the championship that year, Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin, played in a glass-enclosed room where spectators could quietly watch without the players being disturbed. But 50 feet from the serious glass room, kids were sprawled on the floor, playing game after game of chess. They seemed happier to find other kids to play chess with than to be a room away from the greatest chess player in the world.

I’m a chess fan so I’m biased, but I think it’s a great game for kids, teaching focus and critical thinking. With a board they can play anywhere, anytime, with any friends. The chess cheating scandal threatens to tarnish that joy of the game, but I thought it was also a chance to think about how Christian parents approach games and sports in general. I think God is pleased when a kid plays an excellent game of chess, and even more pleased when that kid does it with integrity and love for his or her opponent.

In other news

Iranian Christians join protests over the death of Mahsa Amini and against the current regime.

Michael Flynn’s “ReAwaken America” tour tells crowds of Christians that the country remains in a spiritual and political war.

The actor who plays Philip in The Chosen started attending church months before auditioning for the part thanks to an invite from Justin Bieber.