In the lead-up to the first caucus in the presidential race, GOP hopefuls barnstorm Iowa, turning up at town halls, cornfields, schools, the state fair, and Bob Vander Plaats’s house.

He and wife Darla have welcomed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, and entrepreneur and political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy. DeSantis, Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott (who has since suspended his presidential campaign) also visited his church, Soteria Des Moines, a Baptist congregation ...

When he finally figured it out, Rory Crowley burst into tears.

He was alone in a dark Dallas apartment with one lamp and a laptop on, hunched over a high-quality photo of a battered piece of papyrus.

There was Greek writing on it. Someone living maybe 150 years after the Crucifixion had written down the words of Jesus. Crowley and the other young men at Dallas Theological Seminary studying this papyrus with their professor, Daniel B. Wallace, had recognized some of the text immediately. It was the ...