image of cover
Magazine /

March 1, 2017

Volume 135, Issue #5
Download issue PDF ›
All back issues ›

Features

flag flip-flops Walmart
Critical Essay

What kind of freedom does a republic promise?

American liberty has been corrupted, and it’s up to us to restore it.

by Philip Gorski

glass empty plate
First Person

My church and its two different Lents

Our lives are overstuffed, and we desperately need to fast.

by Timothy Larsen

Readers Write

Enemy: Essays by readers

We gave our readers a one-word writing prompt: "enemy."
Interviews

The roots and branches of the sanctuary movement

“We weren’t trying to break the law. We were offering humanitarian assistance.”

Amy Frykholm interviews Alexia Salvatierra

Books

image of cover

The yin and yang of being small

Children have unique needs for both freedom and protection.

by Marcia J. Bunge
image of cover

Poetry ex nihilo

Anya Silver’s imaginative poems speak from nothingness into new creation.

by Scott Cairns
image of cover

A more intimate portrait of Bonhoeffer

Diane Reynolds’s book would be worth its price for its insistence on noticing the women at every turn in Bonhoeffer’s life.

by Lisa E. Dahill
image of cover

Conversations with the other pope

Benedict XVI’s book is both unusual and important. Mostly because it never should have been written.

by Jon Sweeney

Departments

young adults walking
Faith Matters

Glimpses of the beloved community

They were black, Latino, and white. They were whispering and laughing together.

by M. Craig Barnes

image of artwork
On Art

Christ and the Woman of Samaria at the Well, by Guercino

The Italian Baroque artist Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, better known as Guercino, painted the subject of Christ and the woman of Samaria at the well at least five times in his career....
Art selection and commentary by Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons
First Words

A roominess within the soul

In the Bible, freedom is always more than a simple choice or the absence of coercion.

by Peter W. Marty

image of Silence
On Media

When God is silent

Silence is both a historical film and a timeless commentary on power and persecution.

by Philip Jenkins

Trump inauguration
From the Editors

Requiem for civil religion

Yes, it’s a Christian heresy. There are worse things.

News

People

Neil Gorsuch, Supreme Court nominee, known to bioethicists as scholar on assisted dying

Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth U.S. Cir­cuit Court of Appeals, now the Su­preme Court nominee, is known as a scholar on physician-assisted dying. Gorsuch, his wife, and two daughters attend St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder, Colorado....

by Kimberly Winston

People

Frank Yamada to lead ATS after Daniel Aleshire retires

Frank M. Yamada, president of McCormick Theological Seminary, will be the next executive director of the Association of Theological Schools....

by Celeste Kennel-Shank

Severe drought brings starving Kenyans to church doorsteps

When her pantry is empty, Agnes Mwikali walks down a dusty road to the local Roman Catholic Church mission....

by Fredrick Nzwili

Survey reveals public’s skepticism about pastors

What do pastors think about social or political issues? Americans don’t particularly want to know....

by Emily McFarlan Miller and Christian Century staff

Trump's refugee plan divides religious leaders

(The Christian Science Monitor) For a week after President Trump’s executive orders suspending visas and immigration to the United States for nationals of seven predominantly Muslim co...

by Harry Bruinius, Howard LaFranchi, and Henry Gass

Dakota Access pipeline to continue despite concerns for sacred sites, water

President Trump issued memoranda advancing the construction of “high priority infrastructure projects,” including one specifically about the Dakota Access pipeline, despite opposition from the indigenous people who have documented the construction...

by Christian Century staff

SNAP leaders resign, group faces suit on legal practices

Two leaders in an organization advocating for children sexually abused by Cath­olic priests have resigned....

by David Gibson

Austria joins countries banning full-face veils

(The Christian Science Monitor) Austria’s ruling coalition has become the latest government body in Europe to ban full-face veils, such as those worn by some Mus­lim women, in public p...

by Weston Williams

Free Newsletters

From theological reflections to breaking religion news to the latest books, the Christian Century's newsletters have you covered.

Explore Newsletters