Texas passed a landmark law in June 2025, supported by former Gov. Rick Perry, that allocates US$50 million to support research on ibogaine, one of the most powerful psychedelics, for treating opioid addiction and treatment-resistant PTSD.
US Visa Uncertainty Upends Plans of Chinese Christian Families
Zhu Desheng and Wang Pei, who live in a third-tier city in southern China, sacrificed a lot to ensure their son, Peter, received a Christian education.
The midwives of democracy are already at work
Nearly nine months into 2025, it seems there is no escaping the soul-crushing headlines of clawed‑back voting rights, mass deportation raids, families torn apart, the law enforcement takeover of D.C. and record-breaking heat waves resulting in fatalities all around the…
The Bible Is About Jesus—but Not Jesus Without His Bride
If the Bible is the most-published book in world history, books about the Bible sometimes feel like a close second. That’s not a bad thing. I’ve written a couple of them myself and may have more in me. Books about the Bible…
Active Clubs are white supremacy’s new, dangerous frontier
Small local organizations called Active Clubs have spread widely across the U.S. and internationally, using fitness as a cover for a much more alarming mission. These groups are a new and harder-to-detect form of white supremacist organizing that merges extremist ideology with fitness and…
Orthodox archbishop apologizes to anyone pained by his meeting with Putin
An Orthodox archbishop who exchanged friendly greetings and gifts with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska has apologized to “those who have experienced pain, suffering, or confusion because of my actions.”
Died: Chuck Girard, Who Shaped the Sound of the Jesus People
Chuck Girard wrote and sang and played from the time he was a kid—rhythm and blues, blue-eyed soul, doo-wop, pop, and even a top-ten radio hit about Honda motorcycles. When he experienced the love of Jesus at age 26, that…
The Culture War’s Quiet Front: Abortion Opinion in 2024
I can’t write a newsletter about religion and politics without including a semi-regular update on how the public feels about the topic of abortion. Looking back on the 2024 election, I think the Democrats believed it was going to be…
Judge strikes down Minnesota law banning religious tests for college credit program
Religious colleges that require students to sign a statement of faith cannot be excluded from a popular Minnesota program that lets high school students take college courses for credit, a federal judge has ruled, tossing a state law that she called an…
Pope Leo XIV Clears Up Confusion When It Comes To The Amazon
In a moment of both theological significance and pastoral clarity, Pope Leo XIV made his most consequential intervention yet on the church’s role in the Amazon.
A Path To a Healthy Black Evangelicalism
A few years ago, our son Jaden called my wife and me and said he wanted to be a pastor. When we got off the phone, I was excited and fearful. It warmed my heart to hear that my 20-year-old…
Migrants to Iowa strike different portraits where ‘American Gothic’ was created
It was in Cedar Rapids, surrounded by cornfields, where Iowa artist Grant Wood painted “American Gothic,” the iconic 1930 portrayal of a stern-looking woman and a man with a pitchfork in front of a white frame house.