Latest Articles
The servant who perseveres (Isaiah 50:4-9a)
Isaiah’s suffering servant plays on our own ambivalent ideas about violence, passivity, and retribution.
An altruist and a psychopath walk into a research study
Neuroscientist Abigail Marsh documents fascinating discoveries about how our brains process fear.
Casely Essamuah, "evangelical and ecumenical" pastor, to lead Global Christian Forum
Coming from Ghana, Essamuah views himself as a “bridge builder” between churches in the Global North and Global South.
Religion in public schools disputed in one of U.S.'s fastest-growing cities
The school superintendent's prayer during a mandatory meeting sparked tensions in McKinney, Texas.
United Lutheran Seminary fires president
Theresa F. Latini led an organization that taught that sexuality could be changed. She now rejects that—but students, faculty, and alumni charged her and the board with keeping that fact secret.
Environmental injustice and who it hurts the most
Melanie Harris claims that abuse of the earth parallels the injustices faced by women of color.
Can we revitalize our dying church? Should we?
Four books on congregations in decline, and what pastors can do
Episode 41: The Greatest Showman
Matt and Adam talk with Jill Duffield about outcasts, the circus, Palm Sunday, and The Greatest Showman.
When I needed a gratitude intervention
"Write down one thing you are thankful for," said my friend. "Just one."
The Century invites reader submissions
The Century invites readers to submit first-person narratives on the topic bridge.
April 15, Easter 3B (Luke 24:36b-48)
Our risen savior has taste buds and a digestive tract.
Listening all the way into the pulpit
The preacher maintains a sacred conversation between God and the congregation.
What does a high priest do? (Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33)
A worshiper can go a long time without any idea of who Melchizedek is and what it means to be a priest according to his order.
Jacob and the angel, as told by the angel
I'm authorized to open seals, drive the chariot of fire, and pour out bowls of judgment. But wrestling someone?
Sydney Lea's poetry of memory
After many years looking at life in all its idiosyncrasies, Lea offers his 12th collection. It's intimate and authentic.
Congolese Catholic Church moves from state partner to 'spiritual opposition'
Most of Congo’s antigovernment protests—including several in February that saw at least two people killed—have begun on the steps of a Catholic Church.
How Tunisia's Sufis have withstood attack by hard-line Islamists
Salafism, a puritanical strand of Islam originating in Saudi Arabia, has sought to take over mosques and communities since the country’s 2011 revolution.
When art comes to church
The annual ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids brings artwork—and artists—into places of worship.