A country up for grabs
Myanmar’s military toppled the civilian government. Now the country’s diverse population is banding together in protest
Troubling trends
Some public schools continue their slide into transgender politics, Darwinian groupthink, and hostility to Christianity
Fighting back
Christian public school teachers go to court, and scientists quietly advance intelligent design
Back to School
We cover education stories throughout the year, but once a year we take a longer look
Split decisions
Charter growth may hurt private schools and other good/bad education news
Advancing Liberty
A Christian college’s growth may tempt regulators
Voices
The Editors
Mailbag
‘Desert oasis’ July 27 Thank you for spotlighting Ben and Bert Wenke’s labor of love at the Crossroads Rescue Mission in your “Effective Compassion” issue. This courageous couple has ...
Marvin Olasky
The real heart of the matter
Two days before the summer solstice, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences with great fanfare released “The Heart of the Matter,” a blue-ribbon-panel document emphasizing the need to beef up...
Andrée Seu Peterson
Dangerous faces
This summer I went to three stores before I found Rolling Stone magazine, “The Bomber” issue. The clerk at 7-Eleven said his chain was boycotting because of the cover. A man checking out and sucki...
Janie B. Cheaney
The crooked way
“Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?” (Ecclesiastes 7:13). Wait a minute—God makes things crooked? I thought we were the crooked ones. This chapter in ...
Mindy Belz
The evil that men do
In the end Deborah stepped on a plane in Nigeria and stepped off in the United States. Twice refused a visitor’s visa, she received a rare reprieve: U.S. consular officers in Nigeria at the last m...
Joel Belz
Drilling down
So what does it take to build this thing we call a “Christian worldview”? What specific blueprint do you follow if you want your children and your children’s children to think in a biblically dire...
Notebook
Sports
One-armed force
The scouting reports on 17-year-old Zach Hodskins all say the same thing. The kid can play basketball. “Talented player. Beautiful shot,” wrote one scout. “Blew past [defenders]. … On...
Money
Back-to-school taxes
The back-to-school season is already painful enough for many families. College tuition grew 3.9 percent last year. That’s the smallest rise in 40 years, but still twice the rate of inflation. Tuit...
Technology
Hacked at home
Household appliances are getting so “smart” these days. You can control the temperature of a smart oven using an Android app. With a smart thermostat, you can adjust home temperature while traveli...
Science
Price pioneers
Rotator cuff repair: $6,260. Hammertoe repair: $2,860. Cochlear implant: $8,800. Gallbladder removal: $5,865. Hysterectomy: $8,000. Those aren’t average or estimated surgery prices. They’re...
Religion
Assembly of growth
In an era when many American Protestant denominations are in numerical free fall, the Assemblies of God (AG) stands out as one of the nation’s thriving religious groups. Eight thousand youths and ...
Lifestyle
Homebodies
The hazy silhouette of the Los Angeles skyline taunts the river of cars inching down the 101 Freeway at 8 a.m. on Friday. Drivers drink coffee, fight leg cramps, and sometimes bang their heads on ...
Houses of God
Vox Veniae
Rev. Gideon Tsang of Vox Veniae, outside the shared space used by the church in Austin, Texas. Vox Veniae began in 2006 as a church for Chinese-Americans but has quickly become multiracial. The co...
Culture
Music
Hottest 100?
Billboard launched its Hot 100 singles chart on Aug. 4, 1958. In recognition of the iconic countdown’s 55th anniversary, the magazine has published a list of the hottest 100 singles of all time. ...
Music
Performers with a purpose
WINONA LAKE, Ind.—Lighter pressure on the strings. More quickly with the bow. Make the strings speak. New York Philharmonic cellist Wei Yu, 32, gives instructions to a young woman seated be...
Books
Poverty primer
Several high school and college economics teachers have asked me what they should read to prepare themselves to teach about poverty questions. Good question: Back in the late 20th century, P.T. Ba...
Notable CDs
Notable CDs
The pieces on this Indiana composer’s latest omnibus range from the challengingly complex (Duo Concertante) to the playfully complex (Mikrokosmos), and at least once he combines both qualities in ...
Notable Books
Notable Books
Fulgham poses a question: “To what extent is the Christian community working to help improve public schools for poor children—regardless of where we choose to send our own children?” She argues th...
Movies & TV
Uncommon Jobs
If there’s one thing the new biopic Jobs proves it’s that the world God designed is bursting with creative potential for those with the talent, drive, and vision to tap into it. From his early day...
Movies & TV
The Spectacular Now
When asked about this film’s journey to the big screen, screenwriter Scott Neustadter explains: “It was much easier to sell network execs on a film ‘From the team that brought you (500) Days of Su...
Movies & TV
Box Office Top 10
Cautions: Quantity of sexual (S), violent (V), and foul-language (L) content on a 0-10 scale, with 10 high, from kids-in-mind.com S ...
Movies & TV
Lee Daniels' The Butler
If Oprah Winfrey stars in your movie, then it must be a “very important” film. Not since Beloved in 1998 has Oprah appeared on camera as anyone but herself, so her media presence and capital behind...
Movies & TV
Austenland
Love them or hate them, there are countless Jane Austen spin-offs. This month’s release of the movie Austenland adds yet another to the menagerie. Although the film (PG-13 for innuendo) offers som...
Q&A
The rest of the story
The first part of an interview with Sports Illustrated senior writer Thomas Lake appeared in our June 1 issue, but he had many useful insights into learning to be a writer that are worth publicati...
Dispatches
Quick Takes
Quick Takes
Pet food A Bethlehem, Pa., man cited by authorities for having too many chickens at his house on Aug. 8 told police to chill out: He planned on eating the birds over the weekend. Armstrong ...
Quotables
Quotables
‘Google has finally admitted they don’t respect privacy.’ John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project director, on a court motion filed by Google that quoted a 1979 ruling that “a ...
News
Dispatches
Egyptian violence A supporter of ousted Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi shoots a slingshot against Egyptian security forces during clashes in Cairo Aug. 14. Egyptian police in ri...
Human Race
Human Race
Convicted A Boston jury on Aug. 12 convicted mobster Whitey Bulger, 83, of racketeering, money laundering, drug dealing, and 11 murders in a crime spree spanning decades. Bulger did not rea...
Looking Ahead
Looking Ahead
Sept. 7 The 34th America’s Cup international sailing race will launch today. The two-week contest will include 17 matches held in the waters near San Francisco. The city’s Golden Gate...