Latest Articles
Jesus' unique rising: Acts 9:36-43
The mark of a good wonder-worker is his similarity to wonder-workers of the past....
The Trauma Myth: The Truth about the Sexual Abuse of Children—and Its Aftermath
The sexual abuse of children is a national pandemic....
The Book of Eli
As soon as you hear the title, you can probably guess what kind of film The Book of Eli is going to be....
Kingdom of the sick
Eventually all bodies break down; human life is finite—it’s a truth most people pretend not to know....
A New Kind of Christianity: Ten Questions That Are Transforming the Faith
I’ve been an appreciative reader, even a fan, of Brian McLaren since reading his 1998 book, The Churc...
The third temple
Unlike the synoptics, the evangelist John reports a three-year ministry for Jesus, marking his time through the passage of three Passovers....
More on Margaret Miles
Parker Williamson is shocked—shocked—that Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Chr...
After failure
I live and work with a lot of folks who believe that God has given up on them....
A Jewish Narnia?
I’ve never had much use for fantasy literature. I’m aware that some of
it is well done. But I prefer to read fiction rooted squarely in the...
The noisy supper
This winter I had the opportunity to observe a Caravaggio painting upclose and often: his Supper at Emmaus (1601) was on loan to the Art Institute of Chicago from its permanent home in London’s National Gallery. From the Century offices, it was only a few steps across Michigan Avenue to see this vibrant, dramatic painting.
Sustainable empire: How to avoid collapse
Empires come and empires go—and their collapse, says financial historian Niall Ferguson, is often precipitous (Foreign Affairs, March/April)....
Century Marks
Beck's world: Fox News TV host Glenn Beck urged his audience to leave congregations that refer to social justice or economic justice. “Look for the words ‘social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site,” he said. “If you find it, run as fast as you can.” Bread for the World has invited people to sign an online petition to Beck that reads: “Economic and social justice are central to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Quit using your bully pulpit to spread misinformation and fear by comparing faithful Christians who care ‘for the least of these’ to Nazis and communists” (Bread for the World).
Methodist giving dropped as membership declined: But number of churchgoers up
U.S. membership in the United Methodist Church fell to 7.77 million in 2008—its biggest one-year percentage drop (1.01 percent) since 1974....
Bishop lifts censure on church with lesbian pastor: Action is first of its kind
A Missouri bishop has lifted the public censure of a Lutheran church that hired a lesbian minister in 2000....
Conservatives win vote on school curriculum: Texas standards influence publishing nationwide
In a battle over the content of public school textbooks that is widely thought to have national implications, religious conservatives on the Texas Board of Education succeeded in adopting curriculu...
Jews, Muslims wary of full-body scanners: Buddhists and Hindus not as concerned
Canadian lawyer Kerry Gearin is planning to fly to Washington, D.C., this summer for a conference on Islamic family law, but the full-body scanners being deployed in some U.S....
Some military chaplains uneasy on planned repeal of 'Don't Ask' policy: Say change will infringe on religious beliefs
As Congress and the Pentagon grapple with a proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the military, some chaplains— especially evangelicals—worry that the change will infringe on their religious be...