Ashley Hales

Christian Discipleship Is Rooted in Truth, but Pulled by Beauty - Christianity Today Two recent books illuminate the importance of a robust theological imagination.

Why beauty matters:

"In this moment of cultural upheaval, we would do well to heed scholars like Wolfe and thoughtful pastors like Capps as they recover beauty’s necessity for lives and communities of deep, transformative faith." @aahales.bsky.social

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/06/judi...

A Word to a Discouraged Christian - Christianity Today From Russell Moore: The gospel is real. The stories are true. Christ is risen, and Jesus saves. Why would we walk away from that?

Hope as an act of defiance:

"If we refuse to ask what ideologies and theologies give birth to cruelty and authoritarianism and antinomianism and legalism, we shirk what we’re called to do."

-- @drmoore.bsky.social

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/02/disc...

One of the best things I've read in a long while: larrysanger.org/2025/02/how-...

The "KC" and "PHI" graphics are lower-rez than literally everything else onscreen.

I cannot unsee this.

It burns into my very being.

The Pot of Gold at America’s Western Edge I couldn’t help but think: ‘Why would anyone leave this fantastic place?’ even as we prepared to do so ourselves.

On the golden promise of California (and some lovely sentences) -- from The Free Press: www.thefp.com/p/california...

California Asks Insurers to Spare Wildfire Victims ‘the List’ The state’s regulator wants insurance carriers to pay full policy limits without requiring victims to itemize every object in their destroyed homes.

California’s top insurance regulator urged insurance carriers to pay policyholders the full amount of the belongings in their coverage without requiring them to itemize every object lost — an undertaking that has burdened thousands of residents whose homes were destroyed by wildfires last month.

Tech Broligarchs Want Jesus Out of the Way - Christianity Today From Russell Moore: When the Living Word speaks, the ambitions of every would-be “master of the universe” stand exposed.

Tech Broligarchs Want Jesus Out of the Way
www.christianitytoday.com/2025/02/tech...

The Bestseller that Made Church Cool—and Optional - Christianity Today Donald Miller's ‘Blue Like Jazz’ spoke for a generation, and left disillusioned evangelicals more dissatisfied.

Was "Blue Like Jazz" a good idea?

Rethinking Donald Miller's popular book. I'm with
@aahales.bsky.social @christianitytoday.com

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/01/blue...

The Bestseller that Made Church Cool—and Optional - Christianity Today Donald Miller's ‘Blue Like Jazz’ spoke for a generation, and left disillusioned evangelicals more dissatisfied.

Yes @aahales.bsky.social:

"We cannot simply critique church without seeking its peace and purity. We cannot tear down without also building up. We cannot sever spiritual growth from the manner and place in which Jesus says it takes place: the church."

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/01/blue...

Thanks so much for reading and sharing, David. I did like those few sentences. :)

The Devil Went Down to Arkansas - Christianity Today On the face of it, TLC’s The Duggar Family and Damien Echols, one of the infamous West Memphis Three, seem to have little in common. But what if we told you that both stories, which begin and end in A...

From the creators of the hit podcast “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” comes a new show, “Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” an exploration of the Satanic Panic that gripped America in the 1980s and ’90s.

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts:

Reading—and Eating—as Communion - Christianity Today Ashley Hales reminds us of the link between eating, gathering, and reading -- and includes a recipe.

Recipes, reading, and more! My first editorial note for print at @christianitytoday.com: www.christianitytoday.com/2025/01/read...

Read the latest issue of @christianitytoday.com. You'll love @drmoore.bsky.social's discussion of his book club, @markmeynell.bsky.social on Lewis + Ukraine, and @jenwilkin.bsky.social on aging + scripture. I wrote an article on Blue Like Jazz, + even provide a recipe in the opening Editorial Note!

LA Pastors Wait on a ‘Gentle Miracle’ While Their Communities Burn - Christianity Today Wildfire survivors say recovery from such huge loss is possible, but halting.

“It feels like we’re losing part of our city. The Palisades seems to just be gone,” said Alex Watlington, senior pastor of Pacific Crossroads Church in Santa Monica. “There’s not just damage; it’s just gone. Like it was never there.” @emilybelz.bsky.social

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/01/los-...

Before and after satellite images of Palisades Fire show devastation in L.A. Satellite images show entire houses reduced to rubble in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, and smoke plumes from the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Before-and-after satellite images released by commercial imaging firm Maxar Technologies show the extent of destruction caused by the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, which has reduced entire blocks of houses to rubble in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Here’s tomorrow’s front page of the @latimes. All our fire coverage is here, and the paywall has been lifted: www.latimes.com/california/l...

For SoCal friends,

Here is a list of resources for shelter, animal boarding, free items, and distribution hubs. These places can also use donations (e.g., food, water, masks, and blankets). Please consider donating if you can.

For more info, visit Instagram: mutualaidla

Praying for LA.

CT’s Most Memorable Print Pieces from 2024 - Christianity Today We hope these articles will delight you anew—whether you thumb through your stack of CT print magazines or revisit each online.

Our memorable print pieces from CT in 2024: www.christianitytoday.com/2024/12/memo...

Walk on Air Against Your Better Judgment What Seamus Heaney gave me

Absolutely fantastic article on Heaney from Caitlyn Flanagan at @theatlantic.com. ""When Seamus stood up and read the poem, “Baptism: for Ellen and Kate Flanagan,” I accepted everything—all of it, all at once: poetry, God, and myself." www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

Thrilled Marvin is joining the team (and I have to say, Russell, your comments section here is a million times better than that other site).

Marvin Olasky Joins Christianity Today as Executive Editor of News and Global - Christianity Today World-renowned journalist to come out of retirement for ‘one last rodeo.’

Christianity Today welcomes celebrated veteran journalist Marvin Olasky as executive editor of news and global.

Check out the full report for more interesting findings concerning the 2024 election including the number of folks who are confident Trump will peacefully leave office at the end of his term....

www.prri.org/research/ana...

Join us tonight at 8 pm ET!

Christianity Today editor-in-chief @drmoore.bsky.social and CT editors @aahales.bsky.social @bonniekristian.bsky.social are celebrating our annual Book Awards (including Book of the Year winner @gavinortlund.bsky.social).

Follow this link tonight: bit.ly/41nXwSe

It's tonight! You want to hear how Ortlund and East are thinking about culture, book-writing, and the role of the church. Join us!

I hope you'll join us tomorrow night with @gavinortlund.bsky.social and Brad East!

New study predicts that AI will steal almost a quarter of musicians’ income within the next 4 years (Source: CISAC).

The gaslighting is over. Artists now fully grasp the AI business model—which is to destroy their livelihood and replace human music with bot slop.

A Conversation with Peggy Noonan - Christianity Today “You have to read in order to develop your mind and develop your ability to think,” Peggy Noonan said. “It’s no good to say, ‘Oh, I can’t help that I was born in 1990 and everybody has a phone.’ Too b...

This week on The Russell Moore Show: Host @drmoore.bsky.social and Pulitzer Prize winner Peggy Noonan ponder who we are and what we may become.

And thinking about all the comments on the golden calf cover. That was child's play!