These are hard days for members of Willow Creek Community Church. The Chicago-area megachurch is grappling with reports that its decadeslong pastor, Bill Hybels, made inappropriate advances toward several women. 

Hybels denied the allegations, but told his congregation, “I placed myself in situations that would have been far wiser to avoid.” He had planned to retire in October after 40 years of ministry, but stepped down from his post in early April.

Writers at WORLD often receive invitations to attend conferences of all sorts. Sometimes we’ll go to meet interesting people and learn about important ideas, but we rarely cover the event itself.

Why not?

It isn’t because we dislike conferences. (Indeed, some of our writers speak at such gatherings.) But while large-scale conferences may highlight important truths, as journalists we’re looking to cover truth in action.

Billy Graham’s death (and his funeral on March 2) ends an era of evangelical revival that took off at the 1949 crusade in Los Angeles.

The Rev. Billy Graham’s funeral on Friday culminated more than a week of tributes to “America’s Pastor.” The 90-minute service under a white tent at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, N.C., included remarks from Graham’s five children and pastors from around the world. The Rev. Franklin Graham delivered the eulogy, urging mourners to accept salvation through Jesus Christ.

He was “Mr. Graham” to his office staff and dignitaries; “Bill” to his wife Ruth (who died in 2007), team members, relatives, and close friends; “Daddy” to his three daughters and two sons to this day; “Daddy Bill” to the grandchildren; but just “Billy” to the rest of the world.

Asked in his sunset years what he hoped to be remembered for most, evangelist Billy Graham often would tell interviewers, “that I was faithful in preaching the gospel throughout my life.” 

OK, the skeptic says: You Christians who want to follow God’s guidelines and “reclaim America” and all that—you Christians who say homosexuality is a sin based on a few verses in Leviticus—what about those other verses in Leviticus? Do you want laws against mixed fibers or mixed marriages, or (this is the kicker) are you for stoning rebellious children?

If only as a matter of significant news in the evangelical world, this column must take note of the death on Dec. 14 of theologian and master teacher R.C. Sproul, the founder and leader of Ligonier Ministries. But Sproul was so much more than a name in the news.