“too handsome” and scantily clad Jesus

After Universal Music dropped its licensing deal, TikTok is silencing music from Hillsong, Kari Jobe, and other artists from its Christian labels. Worship covers of their songs could be next to go.

Evangelical feminist Letha Dawson Scanzoni has died at 88. She helped launch a women’s movement in the 1970s but lost influence when her support for LGBTQ affirmation confirmed fears about a “slippery slope.”

Jesus said the world will revile his followers. But we should be “weird” for truth, not conspiratorial nonsense about Taylor Swift.

Some Chinese Christians are bringing the story of Jesus onto the traditional red envelopes for Lunar New Year.

Behind the story

Lunar New Year officially begins on Saturday, but in many communities, festivities have already kicked off to celebrate the coming Year of the Dragon.

CT Asia editor Sean Cheng, who oversees Chinese content, asked Chinese church leaders about using the traditional red envelopes as an opportunity for evangelism. And he shared with us some reflections on his culture’s biggest holiday:

My favorite part of Chinese New Year celebrations is eating so many delicious foods. When I was a child in China, the big family banquet on the eve of Chinese New Year was the best meal of the year, and we kids got red packets, new clothes, and other gifts.

Now as an American Chinese, I enjoy our church’s Chinese New Year potluck (“pot-blessing”) dinner with brothers and sisters that make us feel so much belonging to the community and “big family.” My prayer for the New Year is that we seek more of God’s true blessings in Christ instead of materialistic prosperity.

In other news

Controversy over women in ministry and how to talk about it divided a conference on “Mere Anglicanism.”

Some British leaders are blaming the church for allowing Muslim immigrants to fake conversions to obtain “bogus asylum claims.” A similar controversy unfolded in 2021 after a convert went on to become a terrorist bomber.

The mayor of Seville, Spain, and the painter of its Holy Week poster are defending its depiction of a “too handsome” and scantily clad Jesus.