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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.
© 2023 The Christian Century.
The gender phantasm
Judith Butler seeks to understand how and why the word gender has taken on such apocalyptic proportions, including among Christians.
Intersex at Bible college
In telling a student’s story, Cynthia Vacca Davis captures the complicated nature of coming of age as an intersex person.
The gender identity of God—and Jesus
Amy Peeler offers a great resource for Christians who have struggled to understand God’s call to women.
Giving women a voice at the seder table
Poet and liturgist Marcia Falk attempts to correct the gender bias of the traditional Passover Haggadah.
A manifesto for middle age
Kaya Oakes seeks the wisdom of women who are young, old, crazy, barren, butch, femme, angry, other, and alone
Virginia Mollenkott’s Women, Men, and the Bible shaped my life
The lesbian evangelical scholar bravely shared her view of God—in love.
by Amy Frykholm
The Death of Vivek Oji shows us what we are afraid of
Akwaeke Emezi’s stunning novel will leave you broken. It will also let the air back into your lungs.
“Why didn’t Jesus come as a woman?” asked my daughter
I didn’t know how to answer, but I do know that the gendering of God has real-world consequences.
by Debie Thomas
Are we trapped by the way others see us?
Brit Bennett’s novel explores racial passing, gender transition, and family trauma.
Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s history of the manly godly man
How American evangelicalism baptized male aggression
Books worth wrestling with
We asked writers to tell us about a book that they disagree with—but that they also see as important enough to argue with.
Dorothy Sayers and her equally fascinating friends
How they engaged culture in troubling times
What the Bible actually says about abortion, slavery, and other controversial topics
Should scripture inform our ethics? How, and which parts?
by Jane McBride
Two new (very different) Old Testament translations
Is it man or humanity? Ark or chest?
Take & read: New books in Old Testament
Does biblical scholarship still matter for the life of faith?
selected by Jacqueline Lapsley
Nonbinary gender and the diverse beauty of creation
In Genesis, God separates the dry land from the sea. But God also makes marshes, estuaries, and coral reefs.
A conversation in transition
Two new books help us talk about what it means to be transgender in a changing world.