EARNING YOUR TRUST, EVERY DAY. 12.26.20 VOLUME 35 NUMBER 24 NEWS OF THE YEAR 2020 “I’M 54 YEARS OLD, AND THIS IS THE MOST INSECURE I’VE EVER BEEN ABOUT MY JOB IN MINISTRY.“ —PASTORS AND CHURCHES STRUGGLE IN 2020, P. 38 P. 2020, IN STRUGGLE CHURCHES AND —PASTORS MINISTRY.“ IN JOB MY ABOUT BEEN EVER I’VE INSECURE MOST THE IS THIS AND OLD, YEARS 54 “I’M FEATURES 12.26.20 VOLUME 35 NUMBER 24 44 2020 NEWS OF THE YEAR Pandemic / Tension / Politics / Moments / Deaths 38 2020’S CHURCH DIVIDE A pandemic and national controversies have splintered churches and taken a toll on pastors struggling to hold them together by Sophia Lee NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES 12.26.20 WORLD DEPARTMENTS 12.26.20 VOLUME 35 NUMBER 24 5 MAILBAG 8 NOTES FROM THE CEO 23 Anya Taylor- Joy as Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit Dispatches Culture Voices 13 NEWS ANALYSIS 23 MOVIES & TV AT ITS CORE, 10 Joel Belz Safe harbor during The Queen’s Gambit, THE QUEEN’S 20 Janie B. Cheaney political turbulence Voices of Fire 36 Mindy Belz GAMBIT OFFERS 110 Andrée Seu Peterson 16 HUMAN RACE 26 BOOKS 112 Marvin Olasky Defeats and disputa- A ROCKY- 17 QUOTABLES tions: Losers in sports and society STYLE TALE 18 QUICK TAKES OF ACHIEVING 28 CHILDREN’S BOOKS Heroic plots for SUCCESS IN A boys of all ages MERITOCRACY 30 Q&A DESPITE EARLY Roland Warren DISADVANTAGES. 34 MUSIC Sandra McCracken’s latest album steadies ON THE COVER: in turbulent times illustration by Krieg Barrie 2 WORLD 12.26.20 PHIL BRAY/NETFLIX WM1220_RedeemTV_CHI 12/4/20 9:59 AM Page 1 A new FREE streaming service with a message of hope for the World! Redeem TV is a viewer-supported, ad-free, streaming service with no fees. Our goal is to provide edifying and redemptive, hope-filled videos to an international audience of all ages. 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PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT The Olasky Interview ASHEVILLE, NC, AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. PRINTED IN THE USA. Jill Nelson, Marvin Olasky REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION IS PROHIB- Legal Docket ITED. © 2020 WORLD NEWS GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. POSTMASTER: SEND Mary Reichard, Jenny Rough ADDRESS CHANGES TO WORLD, PO BOX 20002, ASHEVILLE, NC 28802-9998. 4 WORLD 12.26.20 MAILBAG LENDING AN ARM TO END COVID-19 history and civics when we home­ NOV. 7, P. 67—WYETT H. COLCLASURE II/SALEM, ILL. schooled our children, and this is the I appreciate WORLD’s attention to the method I preferred in teaching about concern and sources of information our past. regarding the use of fetal cells in vac­ cination research. CHEERS FOR GOOD MEN SARAH CLIFTON/HAMPTON, VA. NOV. 7, P. 27—NATHAN ZOSCHKE/THOMAS, OKLA. Jeff Barrows implies it is acceptable I appreciate how Megan Basham’s to use vaccines that use aborted fetal review of Ted Lasso helps counter the cell lines because the related evils feminists’ “toxic masculinity” narra­ occurred decades ago. If it is immoral tive. But it’s unfortunate that such a to commit the evils of abortion and positive show has profanity in it. organ harvesting but not immoral to consciously benefit from these evils, WALTER STANSBURY/PETOSKEY, MICH. then why would Christians ever inter­ Megan’s review completely misses the pose for the victims? WATCH AND mark. Ted Lasso’s gratuitous and con­ stant profanity and sexual references WAIT overshadow any possible redeeming OUT OF DESOLATION, FRUITFULNESS qualities. That it is a hit with conser­ NOV. 7, P. 32—NATALIE WEBER/DERBY, KAN. I could not have been vative Christians is an indication of I appreciated Michael O’Brien’s exam­ more pleased with our slide into cultural poverty. ple and encouragement to young your election coverage. people to pray and seek God for the I’ve never been so torn path He wants them to take. We do our young people a disservice when between the words of MAILBAG we adopt the same educational pri­ men and their actions NOV. 7, P. 5—JEANNINE LIEBMANN/ST. LOUIS, MO. orities as the world. and platforms. It made me smile to read the two letters you received from readers complaining NOV. 7, P. 40—ROZANNA LEEVER/ ZACHARY ANDERSON/PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO MORGANTOWN, PA. about your coverage of President Marvin Olasky failed to confront Trump—one saying you side too much O’Brien on his Catholic false gospel with him; the other, not enough. That and mystic answers to prayers. You means you’re willing to call balls and owed your readers a clarification at strikes rather than take a side. the least. STEPHEN DAVIS/LAKE JACKSON, TEXAS None of us agree with everything “WHO’S WHO” IN SOCIAL STUDIES expressed in a news publication, but NOV. 7, P. 10—SUZANNE RINGGER/GREENVILLE, S.C. I know of no better alternative with Joel Belz’s column brought back mem­ a Biblical worldview and a mission to ories. As pioneer homeschoolers inform, educate, and inspire. Thank almost 40 years ago, we displayed you for standing in the gap (Ezekiel history lessons on a wall of our base­ 22:30) and helping to point us rightly. ment classroom. Each week we added at least three people to our timeline.