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Theodore Parker and America's religious nativism
We are living in a time of nativism around the globe. Britain just voted to leave the European Union based on Euroscepticism. The Alternative for Germany movement aims to do the same for the EU’s largest remaining nation, while France’s National Front Party and Italy’s Northern League have grown in power over the last decade. And in the U.S., the Republican Party has nominated a candidate whose platform includes building a giant wall on the border.
In war, the healing voice of a girl
A voice of grace rings through the Naaman story—the voice of a child carried away as a spoil of war.
she: robed and wordless, by Lou Ella Hickman
This slim volume of poetry gives voice to the women of the Bible, named and unnamed.
July 17, 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time: Genesis 18:1-10a; Luke 10:38-42
God’s experience of hospitality—in the mysterious travelers and in the person of Jesus—inspires us to think beyond an Abraham-vs.-Sarah or Martha-vs.-Mary divide.
Unremembered
In the midst of a procession of well-known stories is an image marking what's been forgotten. That's most of history, isn't it?
Running from embarrassment
Costumed in a kelly green tracksuit with yellow stripes down each leg and arm, I left our tiny apartment for a run. I must’ve been a sight! I didn’t get into running consistently in college despite that green polyester jogging suit.
After the Supreme Court's DACA/DAPA decision
In the latest issue of the Century, I profiled a family awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling on President Obama’s expansion of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and its extension to DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents). On Thursday, the Supreme Court voted in a 4-4 tie, which means that the case reverts to the lower court ruling, against the program.
Orthodox leaders hold historic council
For the first time in 1,200 years, and after 55 years of preparatory conversations, the Holy and Great Council of the Eastern Orthodox churches met—though without representatives of four churches, ...
Presbyterians elect new leaders, skip fossil fuel divestment
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was marked by several firsts: it elected a black man for the 1.6-million-member denomination’s top leadership role, chose comoderators for ...
Mistake: Essays by readers
In response to our request for essays on the topic mistake, we received many compelling reflections. Here is a selection.
The Century invites reader submissions
The Century invites readers to submit first-person narratives (under 1,000 words) on the topics surprise and character.
Episode 34: Highlights from season 2
This episode consists of some of our favorite moments from episodes 14-33, which aired during our second season in the winter and spring of 2016.
No, the Democratic Party is (still) not the party of God (guest post)
In an effort to triumph over the religious right, many progressive Christians have married their faith and politics to the Democratic Party, leaving little to no gap between their political visions and the party’s policies. Instead of celebrating this as a successful strategy for re-ascendency, I see it compromising radical Christian commitments to peace and justice.
Church of Sweden renews connections with drop-in weddings and baptisms
(The Christian Science Monitor) You can drop in at a hairdresser without an appointment or show up at a clinic unscheduled....
Three crucial years: A thousand days of child nutrition
Around the world, apples have become a symbol of good health. And around the world, lots of people can't afford them.
A more intense follow me
The invitation follow me is a common refrain in the ministry of Jesus. In our Gospel text for this week, the call to follow is intensified. Jesus has now “set his face toward Jerusalem,” and his response to someone who wants to follow him is an extreme one.
The Muslim Brotherhood weighs its options amid political challenges
(The Christian Science Monitor) The Muslim Brotherhood lost its last real stronghold in the Arab world when Jordan shuttere...
Anti-Semitic assaults increase in U.S.
Violent anti-Semitic attacks in the United States rose 50 percent last year to a total of 56, according to the Anti-Defamation League....
What all Christians can learn from queer courage
As our country asks how to protect itself from the terror of more mass shootings, elected leaders who call themselves Christian might look to the LGBTQ community for inspiration. Queer people have a weapon in our arsenal that no gun will ever defeat.