Evangelical fiction writers

Evangelical fiction writers have finally embraced gritty narratives, but will readers find their books?

Betting on the Super Bowl this weekend is expected to surge. While pastors generally oppose the practice, new research shows they aren’t doing much about it.

Learning about ancient Egypt helps us read the Old Testament better.

Justin Giboney writes about the “selfish ambition” coming from both sides of the US immigration debate.

Brian Zahnd, a pastor who lost many congregants 20 years ago over his theology of nonviolence, has a new book on the cruciform life.

Behind the story

From CT reporter Emily Belz: This week I tried to report a story on churches addressing sports betting around the Super Bowl, and I failed because there wasn’t much to report. I reached out to one organization I heard was working on the issue, and its representative asked whether I might want to do a story on human trafficking instead. I asked a large Christian counseling school if one of its faculty could talk about gambling addiction, and it said it didn’t have anyone who could speak on the topic. I asked a large church in Las Vegas, where the game is being held, and it also didn’t have resources. When I reported on this issue back in 2022, many of the Christian advocates against gambling were retired.

The story I couldn’t write because of lack of sources shows how disengaged the church is on this issue, which is what the research we published today from Lifeway shows. Last year I interviewed a man who is recovering from a gambling addiction who said a church-based Celebrate Recovery program saved his life. But those programs are rare. This is an issue we’ll try to continue to find ways to cover, and please contact me if you know of stories in this topic to write about, at ebelz@christianitytoday.com.

In other news

Another woman has come forward with allegations against IHOPKC founder Mike Bickle, saying that he sexually abused her as a teenager. CT previously covered other allegations against Bickle.

The authoritarian leader of a self-declared “socialist revolution” in Venezuela is wooing evangelical support with money for churches.

Jackie Hill Perry and other narrators of new audio editions of the English Standard Version weren’t prepared for how involved the reading process would be. (One narrator is Robert Smith Jr., the preaching professor recently profiled by CT.)

An Ohio grandmother started volunteering at her church’s Awana program at age 99, and she’s still helping teach at 107.