Christian Century staff
Richard Niebuhr, theologian and teacher, dies at age 90
Richard Reinhold Niebuhr, a theologian and influential teacher, died February 26 at age 90.
...Catholic theologian who 'moved from left to right' dies at age 83
Michael Novak, a Catholic theologian who argued that capitalism fostered social well-being, died February 17 at the age of 83 in Washington, D.C.
...Interfaith support rises along with attacks
When Adam Zeff, rabbi of the Germantown Jewish Centre in Philadelphia, a short distance from Mount Carmel Cemetery, heard that vandals had desecrated the place where several families in his congreg...
Survey reveals public’s skepticism about pastors
What do pastors think about social or political issues? Americans don’t particularly want to know.
...Dakota Access pipeline to continue despite concerns for sacred sites, water
President Trump issued memoranda advancing the construction of “high priority infrastructure projects,” including one specifically about the Dakota Access pipeline, despite opposition from the indi...
Scott Black Johnston and Patrick O’Connor, PCUSA pastors, meet with Trump
Scott Black Johnston and Patrick O’Connor, two Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) pastors whose congregations have ties to the Trump family, met with the president for 20 minutes days before his inaugura...
Huston Smith, author of world religions text, dies at age 97
Huston Smith, author of the popular textbook The World’s Religions, died December 30 at age 97....
Surgeon in Burundi wins $500,000 medical missionary prize
Jason Fader, one of a dozen surgeons serving the nation of Burundi, won the first-ever Gerson L’Chaim Prize for Outstanding Christian Medical Missionary Service.
...Gertrude “Trudy” Bush, CC contributing editor, dies at age 77
Gertrude “Trudy” Bush, a contributing editor of the Christian Century, died December 13 at age 77 in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
...Gary Dorrien wins award for book on black Social Gospel
Gary Dorrien, professor of social ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, won the 2017 Grawemeyer Award in religion for his book The New Abolition: W. E. B....
Award-winning TV series on religion and ethics to air final show
The television series Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly will end its run of 20 years on PBS on February 24.
...Leonard Cohen remembered as a 'great liturgical writer'
Leonard Cohen, a Jewish singer, songwriter, poet, and novelist most widely known for his song “Hallelujah,” died November 7 at age 82.
...Methodist agency leaves NYC as other institutions face rising property costs
When Betty Thompson arrived in New York City in 1950, she soon got a job with the Methodist Board of Missions on Fifth Avenue in a stretch she called “Protestant Rome.”
...Michelle Alexander wins award, takes job at Union seminary
Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, won a prestigious award and became a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City as she focuses more on partnership wi...
Pierbattista Pizzaballa appointed to Jerusalem Catholic post
Pierbattista Pizzaballa, an Italian Franciscan known for being friendly toward Jewish people and Israel, now heads the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
...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.
...George Mendenhall, biblical studies scholar, dies at 99
George Emery Mendenhall, who made pioneering contributions to the field of biblical studies, died August 5 at age 99 at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
...Anglican Church of Canada takes step toward allowing same-sex weddings
In the first step of a two-step process, Canada’s Anglican Church voted to amend its rules to allow clergy to celebrate same-sex marriages.
...Duncan Gray Jr., Episcopal civil rights leader, dies at 89
Duncan Montgomery Gray Jr., an Episcopal priest who took risky stands for integration and endured a beating for the cause, died at age 89 at his home in Jackson on July 15, according to the Episcop...