The Jewish holiday of Purim, based on the Bible’s book of Esther, commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from genocide at the direction of the Persian official Haman. [Read about Esther in the Encyclopedia of The Bible on Bible Gateway] According to the Cultural… Read More »Purim and the Bible
“Shahbaz is dead.” I received the shocking news 10 years ago this week, as I stared out my kitchen window into a cold March morning. Shahbaz Bhatti was known worldwide as a courageous Christian voice for religious freedom in Pakistan. And I knew him as… Read More »‘I’m Following the Cross’: Why Shahbaz Bhatti Died Defending Asia Bibi
The season of Lent provides a rich time of confession and prayer and is often accompanied by fasting from food or other indulgences. I didn’t grow up observing Lent, but as I’ve learned more about the church calendar, I’ve grown to appreciate the practices that… Read More »Little Easters Get Us Through a Long Lent
The And Campaign—the organization rallying urban Christians to “faithful civic engagement”—is on track to quadruple its size in the span of a year, with chapters launching in three Southern cities in 2020 and scheduled to launch in another 10 cities in the first half of… Read More »And Campaign to Add 13 New Chapters During Pandemic
Bible Gateway, the immediate scriptural resource first responders can use in times of disaster, is pleased to sponsor the second annual Spiritual First Aid Summit on March 11. This free live streaming online event is designed for anyone who has a desire to care well… Read More »Spiritual First Aid Summit: Journey from Grief to Hope
For Charles Spurgeon, the celebrated 19th-century preacher, depression was more than just circumstantial. When he spoke of it in his sermons and lectures, his examples, which were often rooted in his own experience, included a significant form of depression: the kind that comes without cause.… Read More »Charles Spurgeon Knew It Was Possible to Be Faithful and Depressed
As the nation passed 500,000 coronavirus deaths this week, government data revealed that the life expectancy for African American men dropped three years—triple the decline among Americans overall during the first half of 2020. In an effort to help reach minority communities that have been… Read More »Black Church Group Offers Its Best Shot at Closing Vaccine Gap
[Return daily during the coming week for updates] Support Bible Gateway—Find the Resources You Need At:⇨ FaithGateway Store⇨ Christianbook.comOrder Resources in Bulk At:⇨ ChurchSource▼ Reading the Bible Has Given Christians Hope During the Pandemic – Survey⇨ Christian Today⇨ Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, 15… Read More »Bible News Roundup – Week of February 21, 2021
Every day, at least once and sometimes more, Khalil el-Halabi logs on to Twitter and posts pictures, videos, and appeals on behalf of his son Mohammad. Tagging people he believes might come to his aid—human rights lawyers, politicians, and journalists—he calls for justice and mercy.… Read More »A World Vision Employee Is Still Awaiting Fair Trial in Israel
I pastor an American Baptist church in a small town in rural Illinois. When the current building was dedicated in 1968, there were more than 300 members. By the last 1990s, there were about a hundred. When I became the pastor in 2006, just 50.… Read More »Most ‘Nones’ Still Keep the Faith
