Earlier this year, videos of Fijian rugby players singing hymns from the Olympic Village in Paris began to circulate on social media. As their voices traveled through the commune, curious athletes took out their phones and shared the music and its messages with the rest of the world.
These enchanting expressions of faith prompted a CT story (you’ll find a link below) and also a reminder of the myriad ways the global body of Christ seeks to make him known. For some, it’s through opening a school for special-needs members in their community or helping spread a political vision and infrastructure to Christians in another country. For others, it’s teaching breathing exercises to traumatized refugees or trying to seek church unity with fellow believing citizens.
For all of us, however, these stories are opportunities to reflect on what it means to live out our faith. What does that look like in the Pacific?
“When I would walk through the village in the mornings or evenings, I would hear singing coming from the homes,” said Jerusha Matsen Neal, who spent three years on the Fijian island of Viti Levu. “You’d hear singing in four-part harmony, with children.”
Arab Israeli Christians Stay and Serve as Gaza War Riles Galilee
Jayson Casper
With tens of thousands displaced from the northern border with Lebanon, believers balance their Palestinian and Israeli identities in pursuit of peace with all.
Evangelical School Exemplifies Special Needs Education in Jordan
Jayson Casper
Director describes how Alliance school’s “Christian spirit” addresses social challenges to achieve academic inclusion of students with disabilities.
A New Blueprint for Chinese Churches: Beyond the Four Walls
Interview by Isabel Ong
In a rapidly urbanizing China, some houses of worship are taking inspiration from the Bible while rethinking local architectural tradition.
Let the Seas Rise and Feed the Poor
Elia Maggang
Helping marine biodiversity flourish is a means of participating in God’s work, says an Indonesian theologian.
Brazilian Evangelicals Bring Their Political Playbook to Portugal
Franco Iacomini
Immigrants from South America are a growing force in churches on the other side of the Atlantic. But their electoral initiative is viewed with reservations.
How Mennonites Learned to Thrive in Latin America
David Román
A denomination known for its traditional way of life and pacifist convictions has spread out across the region.
The ‘Antioch of Asia’?
Isabel Ong
Christian leaders in Singapore wrestle with a prophetic charge and diminishing cross-cultural evangelism.
Yes, Fiji Olympians Are Singing Hymns
Kelsey Kramer McGinnis
Viral videos show athletes singing in four-part harmony, a practice with deep Christian and indigenous roots in the Pacific island nation.
Bangladesh’s Religious Minorities Want Peace Amid Country’s Turmoil
Surinder Kaur
While Hindus publicly confront mob violence against their community, Christians are apprehensive about speaking out.
Haitians Are Ministering at the End of the World
Andy Olsen
As Haiti is uprooted by violence, church leaders treat gunshot wounds, give up homes for strangers, and rescue dignitaries.
Lebanon Evangelicals Serve Shiites Displaced by Hezbollah-Israel War
Jayson Casper
Despite safety risks and strained resources, churches work hard to help Muslims unaccustomed to experiencing Christian love.
El Salvador’s Prisons Are Full. Prison Ministries Are Not.
Franco Iacomini
Christian organizations are struggling to reach prisoners in a country where 1 in 56 people is in jail.
Kenyan Pastors Are Praying for Haiti. They’re Also Shaping the Police Mission to Save It.
Andy Olsen
President William Ruto commissioned church leaders to meet with Haitian law enforcement, military representatives, and a gang leader to discuss Kenya’s security mission.
From Descendants of the Dragon to Heirs of God
Sean Long
Their culture tells them the dragon is transcendent. Their Bibles tell them it’s evil. How should Chinese Christians approach this year’s zodiac animal?
Sunday Best in India: Christian Women Weigh What to Wear to Church
Compiled by Surinder Kaur
From embracing Western styles to preserving cultural heritage, how female leaders in six states navigate competing perspectives on appropriate attire.
The Olympics’ Most Iconic Photo Has a Christian Message
Franco Iacomini
The raised index finger of levitating surfer Gabriel Medina is the latest sign that sports success has made Brazilian evangelicals less marginalized and more confident.
More Porridge? Senegal Protestants Debate Exchanging Holiday Foods with Muslims
Jayson Casper
Ngalakh combines baobab fruit and peanuts to end Easter in West African nation, reciprocated by the sharing of meat breaking Ramadan’s fast.
Kenya Greets Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music with Excitement—and Skepticism
Moses Wasamu
Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music are popular with Kenyan Christians, but some are increasingly wary of their influence.
‘This Is the Day’ for Filipinos to Develop Their Own Worship Music
Kelsey Kramer McGinnis
In a country known for loving Western praise music—Hillsong’s second-biggest market—a grassroots movement is singing new tunes.
‘Offering Everything They Have’: How Small Churches Are Saving Lives in Brazil’s Floods
Franco Iacomini
In the country’s most secular state, tiny congregations have made a big impact by their disaster response.
Thank you for reading stories by Christianity Today’s global team in 2024. We regularly translate our work into more than half a dozen languages. Learn more here.
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