Popular Trinitarian beliefs not adding up, per the latest Lifeway study.

A sixth conference is looking at leaving the Mennonite Church USA, the progressive anabaptist denomination that formed in 2002

Florida considers a bill to allow church volunteers to serve as armed security. www.tallahassee.com/story/news/l...

From America's next poet laureate:

“As far as you yourself are concerned, love.” — Augustine, sermon on 1 John

Lecrae's prayer for the church:

Bible reading this morning like "tag yourself"

How Charlie Kirk became Charlie Kirk: www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/died...

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average hourly wage for American clergy is $30.64. For comparison, marriage and family therapists earn $33.04 and roofers earn $26.85.

Fascinating look at the woman named as one of three recipients of Paul's letter to Philemon margmowczko.com/apphia/

Good mail day

In the @christianitytoday.com daily newsletter, a thought on how cool it is to see people moved by awe

Got to write about the second person to ever complete the Appalachian Trail for @christianitytoday.com, Gene Espy. “I got what I intended out of the Appalachian Trail,” he once said. “I got to see God’s work in nature.” www.christianitytoday.com/2025/09/died...

Gen Z churchgoers average 23 services per year. Millennials: 22 Gen X: 19 Boomers: 17 Elders: 17

Spiffy new logo for the podcast

“Two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.”

Eighty percent of payday loans are rolled over because the borrower can’t repay them. Four out of five borrowers get at least 11 payday loans in a row.

The school shooting in Minnesota was the 30th mass shooting in the US in the month of August, according to the records kept by the Gun Violence Archive.

Some millennial Christians are starting to inherit wealth. According to this study, they plan to steward the money differently than their parents.

The new head of the World Evangelical Alliance to @christianitytoday.com:

The new head of the World Evangelical Alliance, talking to @christianitytoday.com:

I wrote for @christianitytoday.bsky.social about the good, the better, and the Instagrammable of short-term missions trips: www.christianitytoday.com/2025/08/hone...

My latest obit for @christianitytoday.com comes with songs www.christianitytoday.com/2025/08/chuc...

Psychologists had 43 adults wear Fitbits while attending church and while watching a service online. The findings: there is a difference.

I've convinced myself to start an email newsletter as a place to write about media, Christian history, and prayer. Interested? You can sign up here: sillimandaniel.substack.com/subscribe

Slow church apnews.com/article/swed...

After the AI repent and believe

Appalachia things

I have now worked at Christianity Today for six years and have become the tallest person there. Unrelated, I think.

What Bible smuggling looks like now

_Murderland_ didn’t deliver on its promise to draw a link between pollution and serial killers, but is a moving memoir about growing up with an abuse father and realizing the world is a vast conspiracy of disregard for human life.

This book is … wild

Big if true

Doug Wilson's denomination has a lot of influence, measured some ways, but about the same number of congregations as the seventh-day Church of God.

Two-thirds of US churches donate supplies to local schools each year.

A word

Local Christian college put air conditioning in one of the dorms. A gift to incoming students. And also the alumni who can brag even more about how much harder it was for them, in their day.

If you really want to make things complicated, get two seminary boards each claiming to be the legitimate board

Fingers crossed they find a big wood horse

A charismatic church in Anaheim, California has members. And it has members. Only the latter are allowed to sue over a sudden break from the Vineyard USA, according to a court ruling handed down last week.

Some exciting religious bios coming from @eerdmansbooks.bsky.social

Does American Catholicism have a Nazi problem? www.ncronline.org/news/trad-ca...

“The secret is this, the want of the Spirit is the grand cause of division among Christians; consequently the Spirit restored will be the grand cause of union. Let us, dear brethren, try this plan.” —Baton Stone

Is there a future for Christian unity? Myles Werntz, director of a Baptist studies center at a Church of Christ school, says yes ... if we can recognize the Holy Spirit. "Our question should not be whether the Spirit is working but how"

More than half of Americans say the cost of groceries is a major source of stress in their lives.

I’m happy to let the cat out of the bag, but it’s kind of up to the cat.

Curious art of the day Egbert van Heemskerck, Lutero's Coming to Hell, 17th c.

Oh no

In Ukraine, Baptist minister Sergey Vivchar is getting his youth group to memorize Psalm 58 and 62 so they can recite the words during Russian drone attacks.