Former Century editor James McKendree Wall dies at 92

James McKendree Wall, who served as editor and publisher of the Christian Century from 1972 to 1999, died March 22 at the age of 92. He is remembered at the Century for his ecumenical interests, his stabilization of the magazine’s financial picture, and his encouragement of some new directions for the Century’s pages.

A native of Monroe, Georgia, Wall began his journalism career covering sports for local papers in Atlanta. He later became an ordained minister in the Methodist Church and worked for a time as a pastor. By the time he came to the Century, he had a well-developed passion for exploring the intersection of religion and culture, especially film.

In the 1960s, Wall played a key role in establishing the Motion Picture Association of America’s film rating system. Throughout his career, he wrote three books and a half dozen book chapters on faith and culture and served as the longtime chair of the National Council of Churches’ film and industry committee. In retirement, Wall continued writing movie reviews on his blog.