Features
On knowing (yes, in the biblical sense)
When I first had sex, it wasn't just teenage hormones. I wanted to know and be known.
Preaching among idolatrous hipsters? Study Paul.
In Athens, the apostle bears witness—and doesn't try to be cool.
Watermelons, watermelons everywhere
How does the blazing sun produce so much refreshing fruit?
The Great and Holy Council maps an Eastern Orthodox future
After the global meeting in Crete, conciliarity and orthodoxy hang in delicate balance.
Books
Answers without questions
Reading Steve and Sharol Hayner's cancer story, I found myself taking on the role of Job's adversary.
Why we need anger
Martha Nussbaum says we don't. She's wrong.
Another Brooklyn, by Jacqueline Woodson
Four teenage girls dance their way into friendship and maturity.
Charleston Syllabus, edited by Chad Williams, Kidada E. Williams, and Keisha N. Blain
When Dylann Roof murdered the Charleston nine at a Bible study in June 2015, his intent was “to start a race war.” He didn’t succeed.
Midlife happiness through the (narrow) lens of science
How can we live well after 40? asks Barbara Bradley Hagerty. She could have consulted the wisdom traditions.
Three in one around the world
What's more important: calculating the logic of the Trinity, or doing theology across cultures?
Poverty and blame in Appalachia
More jobs would help, says J. D. Vance. So would a stronger work ethic.
Departments
Read. Share. Support the Century.
What to do with that stack of old Bibles (or that stack of old issues of the Century)?
Christians and secularists under the same umbrella
Hong Kong's democracy movement is not Christian, but many key activists are.
Wisdom in the first person
Memoir can be self-indulgent. It can also be serious moral reflection.
John, Thomas, and Judas from Apostles, by Michel Östlund
Swedish artist Michel Östlund created abstract portraits of each of the apostles in large (up to six-by-four-foot) oil paintings. Using one dominant color in each portrait, Östlund attempted to convey a single character trait....
Mother Teresa at the spa
What's the difference between indulgence and respite? I'd like to ask St. Teresa.
A rebel mom and her nemesis
It’s too bad that Bad Moms sets up its conflict as one between women.
News
Crackdown on drugs in the Philippines involves extrajudicial killings
Human rights and faith groups are speaking out against extrajudicial killings in the Philippines linked to the new president’s antidrug campaign....
Indigenous people blocking oil pipeline doing 'spirit work'
Hundreds of people from dozens of indigenous nations across North America have flocked to river banks near Cannonball, North Dakota, to block an oil pipeline that they see as threatening a reservation’s water supply and sacred land....
Young Swedish Muslim joins fight against anti-Semitism
Siavosh Derakhti, 25, a Swedish Muslim honored in Europe and the United States for his campaign to counter anti-Semitism, explains his motivation by invoking David....
Religious liberty invoked to protect solar panels, tent cities for homeless
Religious liberty claims have often been used by conservatives to defend Christians-only clubs on campus and merchants who won’t serve LGBTQ people....
Church shoppers put strong preaching at the top of their list
Top-notch preaching is what attracts most people looking for a new place to pray....
U.S. stamp to celebrate a Hindu holiday for the first time
Never before has a U.S. stamp celebrated anything Hindu.
But coming soon to a post office near you: a stamp marking the Hindu holiday of Diwali....
Yellow is the color of love for Kenyan congregations
In the midst of the rusty shanties of Nairobi’s Kibera slums, the Holy Trinity Anglican Church stands out in bright yellow.
Nearby sits another yellow house of worship—the Jeddah Mosque Kambi....
Lectionary
October 16, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Maybe the parable of the persistent widow isn't about God. Maybe it's about us.
October 9, 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
When I read this week's Gospel, I remember two lepers I saw at a train station in India—how alone they were.