Logo
Sound journalism, grounded in facts and Biblical truth | Donate
April 24, 2021 | Vol. 36, No. 8

Border backtracking

Sophia Lee | The U.S.-Mexico border isn’t open, but a migrant surge and a mishmash of messages and policies have created another crisis


FEATURES
Playing politics

Sharon Dierberger | Major League Baseball’s foray into voting law debates

Refugees’ gambit

Emily Belz | Top chess players from Iran are seeking asylum elsewhere, following a long history of chess talent using international events to escape persecution at home

Hope after a pandemic

Emily Belz, Jamie Dean, Leah Savas, Charissa Koh | Following a year of coronavirus lockdowns, illness, and death, Americans rejoice at a vaccine and little steps back to normal living

Courting Christians

Mindy Belz | In Israel’s battle to form a coalition government, the spotlight turns to ethnic Aramean Christians long overlooked by Jewish politicians


CULTURE
Books

Reflections on grace and truth

Accessible theology books

The nuclear option

Providential intervention averted World War III
Children's Books

Hanging on to hope

Four historical novels about anti-Semitism
 
FILM & TV

A duo and a dictionary

Friendship, grace, and wordplay suffuse The Professor and the Madman

The silence treatment

In Sound of Metal, a rock musician’s hearing loss leads him unwillingly out of a noisy world

A missed opportunity

Poor acting and a choppy script detract from the real-life drama of Roe v. Wade

Wholesome repetition

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things offers a delightful, fresh take on the time-loop genre

Life after the Blip

Disney’s TV series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is smart but may be leaning in political directions
Music

Rock and roots

Noteworthy new or recent releases

Faithful renditions

Three albums surprise with new takes on classics, some with Christian roots
Q&A
Israel’s state of politics

Israel’s state of politics

Netanyahu, nukes, and novels help illuminate a complicated nation

NOTEBOOK
Media
Swooning for Korean dramas
Broadcasting clean, romantic fun, K-drama grows in popularity in the United States
Lifestyle
Never too old to grow
Otis and Fannie Fields had low expectations for their marriage—until they became Christians
Education
Cadets conquering COVID
Christian cadets at military academies have found new opportunities to serve amid pandemic restrictions