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|Imagine yourself at any church service you wish. Imagine the music, the preaching, the reading of Scripture. Hear the voices of others next to you in welcome or in questions or in laughter. Feel yourself bumping against strangers and friends. Observe the movements of others in this scene as they jostle, listen, squirm. Listen to the message proclaimed; watch the administration of the bread and the cup.Now, some questions: Where […]

Turkish police officers stand guard in a cordoned-off area outside the Santa Maria church, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. Two masked assailants attacked a church in Istanbul during Sunday services, killing one person, Turkish officials said. (Credit: Emrah Gurel/AP.)ROME – In the wake of a shooting at a Catholic Church in an Istanbul neighborhood Sunday that left one person dead, responsibility for which has been claimed by ISIS, […]

Americans are having a harder time trusting anyone these days—including pastors.The country’s perception of clergy hit a new low in recent Gallup polling, with fewer than a third of Americans rating clergy as highly honest and ethical.People are more likely to believe in the moral standards held by nurses, police officers, and chiropractors than their religious leaders. Clergy are still more trusted than politicians, lawyers, and journalists.The continued drop in […]

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Select PagePosted by Zachary Mettler | Jan 19, 2024 | OpinionIt’s a common refrain among some Christians to deny that Christianity is a religion.You may have heard the phrase, “It’s not a Religion. It’s a Relationship.” Some well-meaning Christians assert, “You don’t need to learn about religion, you need to learn about Jesus Christ.” Messages to this effect are even printed on Christian t-shirts.Those who affirm this idea generally place […]

Home to the world’s fastest-growing church, with up to an estimated 1 million Christians, Iran has many underground fellowships that had previously worshiped in the Farsi language. But according to a 1991 survey of new mothers in Iran, only 46 percent reported Farsi as their mother tongue.Minority Gilaki, Mazandarani, and other citizens can now read the New Testament in their own language, thanks to the publication of 12 new Bible […]

The world is a confusing place right now. We believe that faithful proclamation of the gospel is what our hostile and disoriented world needs. Do you believe that too? Help TGC bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work.In 1998, when my college classmates were dancing on tables, puking on the beach, and picking up STIs, I went to Salt […]

On a recent trip to Egypt, the chefs at our hotel put out a remarkable buffet of culinary delights presented with both excellent taste and exquisite aesthetics.One of our group members served onto his plate a beautiful spread: a cucumber disc topped with a triangle of cheese, a baby tomato, and a swirl of what looked like a dessert mousse. Sitting back at our table, he took a bite, and […]

Almost 5,000 Christians were killed for their faith last year. Almost 4,000 were abducted.Nearly 15,000 churches were attacked or closed.And more than 295,000 Christians were forcibly displaced from their homes because of their faith.Sub-Saharan Africa—the epicenter of global Christianity—remains the epicenter of violence against followers of Jesus, according to the 2024 World Watch List (WWL). The latest annual accounting from Open Doors ranks the top 50 countries where it is […]