Iraqi Christians at Odds with World on Kurdish Independence | Germans Welcoming Refugees to Honor Luther's Legacy: CT Direct

[Also: Angelina Jolie's Latest Film Succeeds at Personalizing Genocide] Also: Angelina Jolie's Latest Film Succeeds at Personalizing Genocide | [View online]( [Christianity Today Direct Newsletter]( Friday, September 22, 2017 NEWS [Iraqi Christians at Odds with World on Kurdish Independence Referendum]( Kurds and Christians both want security and autonomy as minorities in Iraq. But one's dream could dash the other's. Griffin Paul Jackson A referendum that could lead to the establishment of an independent Kurdish nation is set for September 25. Upwards of 35 million Kurds — a majority-Muslim community and the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, spread across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria — are on the verge of turning their century-old dream of a homeland into reality. Victimized by the Ottomans during the Armenian (and Kurdish) genocide of the 1910s and regularly persecuted since, Kurds have long been a marginalized population. Ironically, the recent upheaval in the Middle East has presented them with an opportunity. [continue reading >>]( The Reformation at 500 [Germans Are Welcoming Refugees as a Way to Honor Luther's Legacy]( Asylum seekers and immigrants are big part of the Reformation's 500th anniversary in Germany. Jim Willis in Berlin Women [Art of Darkness: Angelina Jolie's Latest Film Succeeds at Personalizing Genocide]( What "First They Killed My Father" tells me about suffering and the imago Dei. D.L. Mayfield The Exchange [Leadership Is Not About You]( Leadership means hard work and service. Ed Stetzer In Case You Missed It News [What Ravi Zacharias Said at Nabeel Qureshi's Funeral]( Eulogy at Houston memorial service honors "abnormally born" 34-year-old apologist. Kate Shellnutt Interview [Q+A: Jonathan Falwell's Caribbean Vacation Turned into Hurricane Relief Ministry]( After Irma disrupted his 25th wedding anniversary, Baptist pastor shares how he got Samaritan's Purse to come to the rescue of St. Martin and why he went right back. Interview by Kate Shellnutt Podcast [How Football Culture Shapes Christian Colleges]( America's most popular sport changes schools for better and worse. CT Editors News [Southern Baptists Back Confederate Monument Removal in Memphis]( Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee's former church votes to change its name. Kate Shellnutt The Exchange [20% of Americans Are on the Threshold of Religion]( New research on American religion. Bradley Wright Entertainment ['Twin Peaks: The Return' Gets Cosmic Conflict Disturbingly Right]( David Lynch's cult-classic revival is exactly as imaginative—and as uncomfortable—as it always needed to be. Jeffrey Overstreet CT Pastors [Eliminate Christian Jargon from Your Church]( Let's throw out the insider language. J. R. Briggs Women [Online Tribalism Threatens Women's Ministry]( From our special issue: reflections on discipleship in a fractured age. Hannah Anderson News [How Do You Solve a Theological Problem Like Maria?]( Record hurricane season challenges believers in paradise to trust God amid life's literal storms. Kate Shellnutt Pivot [8 Ways To Manage Minor Church Leadership Issues Before They Become Big Problems]( Many of the issues we think are staff/volunteer problems are actually pastoral leadership problems. Karl Vaters [Has Christian Psychology Lost Its Place at Southern Seminary?]( (UPDATED) President Albert Mohler speaks to CT about the controversy over a longtime professor's departure. Kate Shellnutt Follow Us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Google+]( [RSS]( [Subscribe to this newsletter]( IN THE MAGAZINE [Current Issue]( [Facing Our Legacy of Lynching]( [Germans Are Welcoming Refugees as a Way to Honor Luther's Legacy]( [Bringing Back Baylor]( [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( MORE FROM Christianity Today Tribute [Ravi Zacharias Remembers His Young Protégé, Nabeel Qureshi]( The late apologist's mentor and "uncle" says his lightning-bright legacy will live on. Ravi Zacharias Book Review [The Cautionary Tale of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker]( Their sins and scandals were extreme, but it's too easy to dismiss them as an aberration. Heath W. Carter Testimony [Christ Called Me Off the Minaret]( Through investigations, dreams, and visions, Jesus asked me to forsake my Muslim family. Nabeel Qureshi News [Died: Nabeel Qureshi, Author of 'Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus']( Popular apologist's year-long battle with stomach cancer has ended. 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