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Since 1900, the Christian Century has published reporting, commentary, poetry, and essays on the role of faith in a pluralistic society.
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Isaiah invites us to remember our origins.
God builds “a house of prayer for all peoples.” All means all.
August 6, Ordinary 18A (Isaiah 55:1-5; Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21; Matthew 14:13-21)
I can’t fathom a God who isn’t personal—and personally accountable.
The night I learned to take chances
We stood along the highway in a blizzard, trying to hitchhike. We started reciting Bible verses to pass the time.
April 9, Liturgy of the Passion
Isaiah 50:4-9a; Matthew 26:14–27:66; Philippians 2:5–11
The prescription for the persistent malady of God’s people
by Brian Maas
Isaiah 58:1–12; 1 Corinthians 2:1–12; Matthew 5:13–20
by Brian Maas
Awake and watching this Advent
We need the prophets to unmask power’s seductions.
Incarnation in the desert
If God can be born in the wilderness, God can be born in the dry places of our lives.
We are not prepared to be judged by Matthew.
By Calvin Chinn
Is Isaiah's vision of a peaceful public square a naïve hope?
Jesus' ministry is not what John the Baptist expected it to be.
The Bible uses the word fear both for fright and awe. This week's texts reveal the difference.
by Calvin Chinn
While we're preparing for Jesus' birth, these texts talk about getting ready for the Second Coming.
by Calvin Chinn
For a long time, Luther's hometown lay forgotten.
The pastor urged the congregation to sign an antigay petition. Clare Byarugaba knew she wasn't the only gay person there.
by Jeff Chu
Much is made in our time of creativity, imagination, and vision. Some lament that we have lost these qualities as a civilization; others search and find pockets of each like a light in the dark night.
Jesus sends his disciples out “like lambs in the midst of wolves.” We live in a time when intimacy is erased, privacy laughable, rhetoric rude and rusty. The notion of going out as lambs to wolves is apt, even if the wolves and lambs may be interchangeable.
This election season, we've seen a lot of hatred and inhospitality directed toward Muslims and toward migrants. There is talk of building walls instead of bridges, a focus on fueling the politics of fear instead of concern for human need.
In 1 Kings 8 we see an alternative.
On Good Friday we face conflicting urges, on multiple fronts.
On the one hand, I don't want to be one of the Christians who Gardner Taylor called "a Resurrection people, but not a Crucifixion people." I don't want to rescue Jesus from the cross--the weekly tendency of many preachers, and I think a poor interpretation of "bringing the good news." It is a reality: Jesus died.