The diplomatic option

In 2009, U.S. talks with Iran broke down because the U.S. was seeking quick results. It's time to try again.

The new black theology

by Jonathan Tran

When black theologians focused on nontraditional and extra-Christian sources, white theologians had an excuse to ignore them. Not anymore.

Uncredited

Was Ursula Niebuhr Reinhold's coauthor?

by Rebekah Miles

Two years before he died, Reinhold Niebuhr published one of his best-known articles. But he didn't write "The King's Chapel and the King's Court" alone.

Beginnings and endings

by John M. Buchanan

After 48 years as a minister of word and sacrament, I will retire at the end of January.

The diplomatic option

The new black theology

Uncredited

Was Ursula Niebuhr Reinhold's coauthor?

Beginnings and endings

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? 

"Grace and Truth"

Jan 27, 2012 by James Calvin Schaap

Confession time. Once, years ago, when I was a college student home for a break, my mother, who taught piano for most of her life, declared that she would bestow upon her son a 10-dollar bill if he would only sit down at the piano in the den and pound out a hymn, any hymn at all.

Friday digest

Jan 27, 2012

New today from the Century.

Politicizing Gabby Giffords

Jan 26, 2012 by Debra Dean Murphy

By all accounts Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is a remarkable woman: A respected, conciliatory colleague in the contentious House of Representatives long before the tragic shooting in Tucson; a hardworking politician deeply committed to the concerns of her constituents (which is why she was in a suburban parking lot that fateful Saturday morning); a supportive spouse

Thursday digest

Jan 26, 2012

New today from the Century.

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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.

Love made visible

Struggling with the question of vocation

Jan 15, 2012 by Carol Howard Merritt

Once you finally get a job, then you need to get a “real” job. Then you can expect to be laid off at least once in your life. Then you have to retool and enter the workforce again. Then even if you get your “dream” job, you might come to the realization that you’re destroying your family and your personal life, and the dream becomes a bit of a nightmare. Then you begin to realign all your goals. Then you begin to look toward retirement, and you begin to imagine what your vocation is going to be when you retire.

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This just in: Romney paid the taxes he owed, not the taxes some of us think he should have owed!

Jan 24, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

It's not what the headlines are highlighting, but Mitt Romney's 2010 tax return includes one impressive fact: his charitable contributions amounted to $7 million. I know, this hardly put him at risk of losing one of his houses and ending up out on the street till his driver could pick him up and take him to one of his other houses. Still, giving away almost a third of your income is nothing to sneeze at.

How high are our taxes?

Jan 20, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Among those of us who maintain that not everything the federal government does should be either privatized or eliminated, it's common to point out that income tax rates are a lot lower than they used to be, especially but not only for the rich.

Links? Links.

Jan 19, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Here are some things I read recently but didn't get around to blogging about.

Gingrich's food stamps ad

Jan 19, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Here's the ad Newt Gingrich has been running in South Carolina since Monday night's debate.

A day without Wiki

Jan 18, 2012 by Steve Thorngate

Till today, I had no idea how much I rely on Wikipedia for my day-to-day work. I imagine I'm not alone in this realization. No, the online encyclopedia is never the endpoint of serious research, but it's become the best starting point for exploring pretty much any factual question that comes up.

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"Grace and Truth"

Jan 27, 2012 by James Calvin Schaap

Confession time. Once, years ago, when I was a college student home for a break, my mother, who taught piano for most of her life, declared that she would bestow upon her son a 10-dollar bill if he would only sit down at the piano in the den and pound out a hymn, any hymn at all.

Politicizing Gabby Giffords

Jan 26, 2012 by Debra Dean Murphy

By all accounts Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is a remarkable woman: A respected, conciliatory colleague in the contentious House of Representatives long before the tragic shooting in Tucson; a hardworking politician deeply committed to the concerns of her constituents (which is why she was in a suburban parking lot that fateful Saturday morning); a supportive spouse

Is clergy burnout really a crisis?

Jan 24, 2012 by Rachel Hackenberg

Is the crisis whether we burn out, or how we burn out?

Ecclesiastical orphans

Jan 19, 2012 by R. Wayne Stacy

Preaching guru Fred Craddock, retired from Emory's Candler School of Theology, often quips: "Anyone who can't remember any farther back than his or her own birth is an orphan."

The lens of dementia

Jan 17, 2012 by Dora Dueck

The movie The Iron Lady--about Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990--is worth watching for a number of reasons. One is the opportunity to refresh our minds about a major figure of recent history and her influence upon those times. Another is to watch Meryl Streep’s performance in the role.

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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."
more