The Assault on Chastity: The Galli Report

Also: An Elusive Presence Across the Tiber | Author of the Week | Post-Fireworks Display | [View online]( [Give Now]( Advertisement [The Galli Report]( [Home]( [Podcast]( [Subscribe]( Friday, July 5, 2019 The Assault on Chastity Some conservative Christians criticize the evangelical purity culture (which could slip into legalism and shame) while upholding chastity. Outside the church, the whole idea seems idea outlandish. [Gabriella Siefert at the Exchange analyzes this phenomenon]( light of a recent documentary on the Jonas Brothers, who in their day wore purity rings. An Elusive Presence Across the Tiber HT to Ted O. for pointing me to “[Pope: Jesus Is Looking for Witnesses, not ‘Religion Editors.](’” Pope Francis, in a recent homily, is not being antagonistic toward journalists (at least I hope not), just making this point: We may be curious about Jesus, or interested in church matters or religious news. We may open computer sites and the papers, and talk about holy things. … Jesus does not care about polls or past history. He is not looking for religion editors, much less “front page” Christians. He is looking for witnesses who say to him each day: “Lord, you are my life.” This goes right to the heart of my series, [The Elusive Presence.]( [This week’s offering]( examines how, despite our best intentions, our worship can become more about ourselves than about God. Author of the Week A quote from the end of [this essay]( says it all: As we rapidly move along in the twenty-first century, [Aleksandr] Solzhenitsyn, chronicler of the fate of the soul under both ideological despotism and, increasingly, a soft and relativistic democracy, very much remains our contemporary: a true friend of “liberty and human dignity,” as Tocqueville put it, and a partisan of the human soul imparted to us by a just and merciful God. Post-Fireworks Display If you’re already missing yesterday’s fireworks, check this out: Intel “dazzled its Folsom [California] audience on July 15, 2018, with “[a spectacular light show]( designed to feature 1,500 drones” [Sacramento Bee]. More impressive still: A single pilot controlled the entire fleet. Start watching at 00:51, when the show begins. You may have seen similar displays at the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl. Grace and peace, [Mark Galli] [Mark Galli] [Mark Galli](mailto:GalliReport@christianitytoday.com) Editor-in-Chief, Christianity Today Advertisement More from Christianity Today [Grieving Our Broken Border]( immigration [Grieving Our Broken Border]( Max Lucado and five other leaders share their petitions: “Let’s pray. Let’s lament. Let’s groan.” Bekah McNeel [Read More]( [Let the Women’s World Cup Get Political]( [Speaking Out]( [Let the Women’s World Cup Get Political]( When athletes become advocates around hot-button issues, Christians need not retreat. Chad Carlson and Brian Bolt [Read More]( [We Want Straightforward Answers. God Gives Us Mysteries.]( [Book Review]( | [CT Magazine]( [We Want Straightforward Answers. God Gives Us Mysteries.]( Jen Pollock Michel traces the paradoxical shape of Christian truth. Kristen Deede Johnson [Read More]( [View All of our Latest]( In the magazine [July/August]( [When Christians Don't Get a Second Chance]( Most evangelicals want America's criminal justice system to offer it. But immigrant Christians like Detroit's Chaldeans don't get one. [Faith Like an Olive Tree]( [Sometimes, God Wants You to Go with Your Gut]( [View Full Issue]( [Subscribe Now]( Related Newsletters [CT Books]( Each issue contains up-to-date, insightful information about today’s culture, plus analysis of books important to the evangelical thinker. [Sign Up Now]( [Christianity Today Connection]( Get the inside story with this official newsletter of the global media ministry. [Sign Up Now]( Advertisement Follow Us: [Follow on Facebook]( [Follow on Twitter]( [RSS]( Want to stay informed but a little short on free time? Try The Galli Report, a weekly newsletter giving you 5 must-read articles for thought leaders handpicked by CT Editor Mark Galli. The Galli Report Delivered free via email to subscribers Weekly. [Subscribe]( to this newsletter. You are currently subscribed as {EMAIL}. [Subscribe]( to more newsletters like this. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](. Copyright ©2019 Christianity Today 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188 All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Advertise]( | [Subscribe to CT]( | [Give Now]( Christianity Today is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.