Family affair

Rich Melheim on how faith is formed

"Parents are the most important faith guides, mentors and teachers a kid will ever have."

Pretending the Bible

A children's ministry of play

by Suzanne Guthrie

The children from our church walked into the synagogue quietly. But when the rabbi invited them to look at the ark containing the Torah scroll, they lost all reserve.

The Amazon loophole

by Steve Thorngate

We need states to take in enough revenue to provide the services people rely on. We need this more than we need tax-free online shopping.

The memory of God

by Carol Zaleski

We can't remember Jesus the way we can remember, say, Bonhoeffer or the lavishly photographed St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

Family affair

Rich Melheim on how faith is formed

Pretending the Bible

A children's ministry of play

The Amazon loophole

The memory of God

Rick Santorum is not sexist, but he does have some concerns

Feb 10, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

The Pentagon: Women can serve in more, though still not all, critical combat roles than before.

Rick Santorum: "I do have concerns about women in front line combat. I think that could be a very compromising situation where - where people naturally, you know, may do things that may not be in the interests of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved."

John Potter: "I can't be the only one who thought of" 30 Rock.

Hey baby, wanna wrestle?

Parenting's battle scars

Feb 10, 2012 by Laura Kelly Fanucci

Parenting has permanently changed my body.

And I don’t mean the usual wear-and-tear brought on by bearing, birthing or nursing babies. That’s all too obvious.

I’m talking about my nose. Specifically, the bridge of my nose.

Thursday digest

Feb 09, 2012

New today from the Century: pretending the Bible, occupying our faith, more.

Occupy our faith

Can we move from the encampments to the important work of speaking on behalf of the poor?

Feb 09, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

What are we doing to combat poverty in our country and make sure that we join the voices of the prophets who speak out against injustice? Often denominational churches work hard on these issues, but we do it within our particular silos and we may not effectively communicate our work.

All of my evidence is anecdotal

Feb 09, 2012 by Diane Roth

Which is to say:  all I have is stories.

I noticed a young family gone absent from worship. She is a gifted musician and actress; they have two young children. She did a benefit concert here once full of wonderful musical numbers; all the proceeds went to cancer research. I had been somewhat connected with them and eventually found her on Facebook, where I noticed that her religious affiliation was "atheist."

Oh.

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Occupy our faith

Can we move from the encampments to the important work of speaking on behalf of the poor?

Feb 09, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

What are we doing to combat poverty in our country and make sure that we join the voices of the prophets who speak out against injustice? Often denominational churches work hard on these issues, but we do it within our particular silos and we may not effectively communicate our work.

Systemic distortion

Have we embedded a cultural bias into our institutions?

Jan 27, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

We hear stories of systemic discrimination on a constant basis. What are we going to do about it? 

Is there wisdom in fearing God?

What can we learn from this ancient understanding of our divine relationship?

Jan 25, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

Do we play semantic games when we try to explain the words away? The mention of fear is typically wrapped up in abusive relationships, but we can also fear disappointing someone we love dearly.

Saving the family

What are some real steps that we can take to help men and women start and preserve families in our country?

Jan 22, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

So can we put Newt Gingrich's personal life and rhetoric aside and focus on how we can fix our families? Can we move the discussion of family away from demonizing same-gender relationships and taking rights away from women? Can we have an honest discussion about what we can do to help American families?

Supporting startup congregations

Jan 20, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

I learned in seminary that a church is a place where we proclaim the word and administer the sacraments. I’m now learning there’s another criterion: financial sustainability.

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Rick Santorum is not sexist, but he does have some concerns

Feb 10, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

The Pentagon: Women can serve in more, though still not all, critical combat roles than before.

Rick Santorum: "I do have concerns about women in front line combat. I think that could be a very compromising situation where - where people naturally, you know, may do things that may not be in the interests of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved."

John Potter: "I can't be the only one who thought of" 30 Rock.

Where did the Amazon links go? and other website changes

Feb 08, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

As many of you have noticed, the Century no longer has links to Amazon on its website. To explain this, I took to the magazine.

Catholics (and Protestants) on the contraception mandate

Feb 07, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Are Protestants more in line with the Catholic bishops on contraception than Catholics are? Or is it just that there's some correlation between being Protestant and being politically inclined to oppose most any proposal that starts with "Employers should be required..."?

Gail Collins on Romney, sentence by excruciating sentence

Feb 03, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

I don't have much to add about Mitt Romney's assertion that he doesn't need to worry about the very poor on account of the safety net he aims to dismantle and the Democrats he aims to unseat. Except that you really should read Gail Collins.

Another year, another "prayer breakfast"

Feb 03, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

My problem with the National Prayer Breakfast isn't simply a secularist one, i.e. government officials should avoid any event with a smack of sectarianism. What I object to is the political exploitation of the importance of prayer in American life.

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Hey baby, wanna wrestle?

Parenting's battle scars

Feb 10, 2012 by Laura Kelly Fanucci

Parenting has permanently changed my body.

And I don’t mean the usual wear-and-tear brought on by bearing, birthing or nursing babies. That’s all too obvious.

I’m talking about my nose. Specifically, the bridge of my nose.

All of my evidence is anecdotal

Feb 09, 2012 by Diane Roth

Which is to say:  all I have is stories.

I noticed a young family gone absent from worship. She is a gifted musician and actress; they have two young children. She did a benefit concert here once full of wonderful musical numbers; all the proceeds went to cancer research. I had been somewhat connected with them and eventually found her on Facebook, where I noticed that her religious affiliation was "atheist."

Oh.

Of mothers and fathers

Male privilege, parenting and the priesthood

Feb 06, 2012 by David Henson

When I became a stay-at-home father several years ago, I slowly realized that all the theology I had studied in seminary, if I were honest, didn’t connect with my new reality of diapers, spit-up and frozen breast milk.

Updating my religion

Feb 02, 2012 by Ryan Dueck

The secular world is full of holes. We have secularized badly.

Building bridges amid disagreement

Feb 01, 2012 by Janet Edwards

Recently I was asked a thought-provoking question, “How can someone who is set in their convictions build a bridge with those they disagree with?”

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Ministry in the 21st century

What is pastoral ministry like these days, and how is it being shaped in new ways? The Century talked to pastors about the challenges and surprises of their early years in ministry.





Features

Entrepreneurial idealism

Ministry in the 21st century

Nov 30, 2011 | An interview with Carol Howard Merritt

"What would happen," asks Carol Howard Merritt of Western Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., "if we coupled baby boomers' prophetic focus with the pragmatism of my generation? What if the church unleashed us to plant churches?"
Features

Pastor as witness

Ministry in the 21st century

Sep 22, 2011 | An interview with Kevin J. Long

"It doesn't happen every day," says Kevin J. Long of Orchard Park Presbyterian Church in suburban Indianapolis. "But it is thrilling to see someone begin to grasp the good news of Jesus Christ."
Features

Bearing testimony

Ministry in the 21st century

Jul 28, 2011 | An interview with Katherine Willis Pershey

"People need to hear the good news," says Katherine Willis Pershey of First Congregational Church in Western Springs, Illinois. "If the church doesn't take on this mission, I'm afraid—well, that's where that sentence can end. I'm afraid."
Cover Story

Deeper history

Ministry in the 21st century

Jun 20, 2011 | An interview with Josh Carney

"We have rejected much of our immediate [evangelical] past," says Josh Carney of his church, University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. Looking to older traditions, "we found that some of our objections had already been addressed."
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