![The Christian Century](/themes/custom/christian_century/logo-mobile.png)
![The Christian Century](/themes/custom/christian_century/logo-desktop.png)
Since 1900, the Christian Century has published reporting, commentary, poetry, and essays on the role of faith in a pluralistic society.
© 2023 The Christian Century.
21 results found.
Can we notice what is true and noble, even when it is also ordinary?
It’s hard to take Paul’s admonition seriously these days.
The king doesn't want just anyone at the wedding banquet.
Gentleness isn’t fragile
Most social problems are rooted in the failure of the strong to be gentle with others.
Gentleness isn’t fragile
Most social problems are rooted in the failure of the strong to be gentle with others.
What does true joy require of us?
by Debie Thomas
What does true joy require of us?
by Debie Thomas
The tension between the joy of the first three readings and the judgment of the Baptizer’s proclamation is theologically instructive. It presses us to hold the two together.
The hyperbole, violence, and abrupt scene changes in Matthew’s parable of the wedding feast have driven most interpreters to treat the story allegorically—thereby turning it from a dangerous puzzle to a reassuring message in code.
Like Willimon and Hauerwas, Donald MacKinnon began with Philippians 2.
We need the spiritual agility to recognize counter-hegemonic "citizenship in heaven" whenever and however it becomes flesh.
We might Bible-study our way through most of this difficult parable, but what do we do with the guest who is pulled in off the streets and then kicked out?
There have always been those who reject the gifts they’re offered.
When my friends and I sang at church camp, we sang sincerely, often teary-eyed, seated on the ground with the cross illumined by candlelight in front of us. In those emotional moments, I imagined myself to be standing firm in the Lord as Paul had urged the Philippians to do. In those moments, I was determined to set my face toward him. But my single-mindedness never lasted.
Why are you and I offered this wonderful performance on this Advent Sunday? Because although it may be winter in the realm of nature, it is springtime in the realm of the spirit and of our Christian hearts. We are not far from the fields and caves of Bethlehem. But before we come to them, we need to know that every one of these songs was sung in spite of the times. Knowing this, it is salutary to look once again at the extraordinary joy that bubbles forth.