Features
The giver and the gift: A Christian's delight in things
If the world is a gift, then all the things to which you relate—and many to which you don't—are also God's relation to you.
Bargaining with lesser gods: Jephthah's story and ours
We pastors are not likely to encounter Jephthah. But we might encounter someone like the young man who sought me out after a stint in jail.
In the realm of the nones: Reflections of a college chaplain
I thought I'd get bored by the problems of the young. But I've grown to cherish interactions with students—especially the religiously unaffiliated.
Vancouver’s stony soil: The church in the secular city
British Columbia's church attendance rate is lower than Canada's, and Vancouver's is lower still. Yet vibrant things are happening in the city.
The giver and the gift: A Christian's delight in things
If the world is a gift, then all the things to which you relate—and many to which you don't—are also God's relation to you.
Books
God in weakness
Elizabeth Gandolfo's first book is not just an anthropology. Its more daring and abidingly important gift is a statement about God.
Borderline, by Stan Goff
The media have been ablaze with stories of police brutality, campus rape, military conflict, and mass murder. Stan Goff insists on a single thread: masculinity.
Scripture, Creed, Theology, by Robert L. Calhoun, edited and with an introduction by George A. Lindbeck
Historical theologian Robert L. Calhoun had mythic status as a lecturer at Yale Divinity School—even unbelievers attended his courses on Christian theology—but he didn’t publish much....
How do we forgive?
What is forgiveness, and is it always possible? Are there times when it is unwise? Is it even feasible when someone refuses to repent? These are some of the questions James Voiss takes up in his astute analysis of forgiveness.
God’s Presence, by Frances Young
In this work based on the Bampton Lectures given at Oxford, Young covers key topics in the Christian faith, including creation, anthropology, Christology, soteriology, spirituality, ecclesiology, a...
The Fear of Islam, by Todd H. Green
Todd Green addresses the challenge of Islamophobia in North America and Europe—and critiques the distortions that often appear in the media.
Departments
The Wedding at Cana, by Paolo Veronese
In 1562, Benedictine monks commissioned Paolo Veronese to decorate the refectory at their monastery on the Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore....
Questions at the door
One Sunday, I invited people to talk to us pastors about whatever troubled them. So after the service, I had no one to blame but myself.
Magic on Normal Street
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street uses a combination of magic and realism that depicts real life far better than any other family television show I've seen.
Called together
The night Rebecca and Luke Sumner met, they discussed church planting. They ended up planting a church together.
Stepping down
I’ve appreciated the Christian Century since a fellow divinity student put a copy in my hand. As I step down as editor-publisher, I’m aware more than ever of the need for a steady voice thinking critically and faithfully.
Trump call
Any attempt to counter Donald Trump's appeal needs to address the fundamental economic realities behind that appeal.
News
Rabbis term church a divine 'partner'
A statement by a group of Orthodox rabbis calls Christianity part of a divine plan in which God would have Jews and Christians work together to redeem the world....
Pope Francis launches Jubilee Year of Mercy
Pope Francis launched the Jubilee Year of Mercy with the opening of the Vatican Holy Door near the end of a mass in St. Peter’s Square, where he was joined by his predecessor pope emeritus Benedict XVI and thousands of pilgrims....
Rebiya Kadeer, Irshad Manji, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali—women connected to Islam—receive human rights prize
Three women connected to Islam received the Lantos Human Rights Prize December 10 in Washington, D.C....
Duluth Catholic diocese latest to go bankrupt over abuse payouts
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth, Minnesota, filed for bankruptcy protection in December following a jury verdict that held the diocese responsible for more than half of an $8.1 million judgment on behalf of a survivor of sexual abuse by a pri...
Family fleeing Syria finds haven in New England
(The Christian Science Monitor) For a man whose store was blown up and who has fled falling artillery shells, life in the United States now offers a new challenge: the political rhetor...
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette pens verses on gun violence to church hymn tunes
Carolyn Winfrey Gillette creates “sung prayers” for a problem that seems difficult to solve while also spurring people to end gun violence....
Israeli justice uneven for grieving Palestinians
(The Christian Science Monitor) At the center of an otherwise idyllic Palestinian village, soot still blackens the entryway of a house where an arson attack by Israelis this past summe...
Lectionary
January 17, Second Sunday after Epiphany: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
From Paul’s letter, we can infer that the Corinthians tended toward the same bias from which many of us suffer: the belief that there is little collective wisdom in the church.
January 10, Baptism of the Lord: Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
When our collective symbols and stories no longer make sense in our reality, we question who we are. After exile and liberation, the ancient Israelites were so devastated that images of overwhelming waters and fire speak to them.