Christian Century staff
Eugene Peterson, author of The Message and pastor to pastors, dies at age 85
“I’ve loved being a pastor, almost every minute of it,” Peterson once told the Century.
William J. Barber II awarded MacArthur “genius” grant
The Moral Mondays and Poor People’s Campaign leader looks at public policy through the lens of moral values.
Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, advocates for women harmed by war, win Nobel Peace Prize
The Congolese Christian surgeon and Yazidi activist have seen each of their homelands devastated by violence.
Óscar Romero and Paul VI now Catholic saints
The Salvadoran archbishop and Vatican II–era pope were among the most prominent and controversial figures of the Catholic Church in the 20th century.
Metropolitan Bishoy, Orthodox and ecumenical leader, dies at age 76
The Egyptian bishop was influential locally and globally.
New Testament and preaching scholar Gail O’Day dies at age 63
O’Day was known for her integrity in biblical interpretation.
China continues efforts to exert party control over religious groups
The UN has received reports of Muslim minorities being detained; Christians recount churches raided, crosses destroyed, and Bibles burned.
U.S. funding cuts hurt Lutheran hospital, many services for Palestinians
Augusta Victoria Hospital is among six East Jerusalem hospitals in financial dire straits.
Pope summons bishops to address abuse
The call for the February meeting at the Vatican is believed to be the first of its kind.
Global Hindu gathering sparks debate over pride in religious identity
“I didn’t come here to find an echo chamber,” one attendee said.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib to be first Muslim American women in Congress
Both women are seasoned organizers who emphasized economic justice among their priorities.
Faith leaders sue county board over ICE contract vote
Some pastors are also asking whether the county should be profiting from immigration detention.
Steed Vernyl Davidson named VP of academic affairs and dean at McCormick Theological Seminary
The faculty voted unanimously to make him dean.
Anya Krugovoy Silver, poet, dies at age 49
“Making meaning out of suffering and loss,” Silver wrote, is “one of poetry’s most fundamental aims.”
Aretha Franklin influenced sacred and secular music
Franklin, who died at 76, embodied “the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R & B, rock and roll.”
Coptic world mourns death of Anba Epiphanius, Egyptian bishop and scholar
Pope Tawadros II of the Coptic Orthodox Church said Epiphanius was "a true monk whose life was steeped in meekness and humbleness."
David H. Crawford becomes president of McCormick Theological Seminary
Crawford came to the seminary from a career in law and business.
Elaine Heath steps down as Duke Divinity dean; Greg Jones steps in
During Heath’s tenure the school faced conflict with some students and faculty related to racial diversity and sexuality.
Raymond Hunthausen, Catholic archbishop who advocated for progressive causes, dies at age 96
The Vatican investigated his pastoral and administrative practices in the 1980s.
Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican interfaith leader, dies at age 75
In a decade in the post, he built relationships of respect with leaders of many religious groups.