

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.
How secularism feels
Donovan Schaefer sets out to correct the misrepresentation of secularity as the realm of pure reason.
Prayer as mourning, mourning as prayer
In Jon Fosse’s Septology, a tragic vision of faith shines with a luminous darkness.
by Mac Loftin
Believing in the future
Everything I learn about science fills me with spiritual wonder.
The roots of my deconstruction
The cracks in my faith came slow, like when plants grow under concrete.
by Brian Bantum
The better part of faith
It’s possible to stop believing, but we can’t live without trust.
by Samuel Wells
Jesus doesn’t seem to think so.
by Diane Roth
Dethroning the canonical Paul
Cavan Concannon believes that the apostle’s writings belong in the latrine.
by Greg Carey
John Pavlovitz’s bottom line: Faith should be a life of love
The popular blogger speaks to the pain of Christians who are disappointed with the failures of the church.
Sister Agatha roller-skates away from the church
The heroine of Claire Luchette’s novel realizes she became a nun to avoid being herself.
The beautiful faith of Rachel Held Evans
Like all of her work, her posthumous book is warm, wise, and intimate.
How do parents pass along their faith to children?
Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk’s sociological study offers some clues.
by Emily Soloff
Faith is a gift to relax into
The Greek word for faith, pistis, isn’t about assenting to beliefs. It’s about trust.
You don't have to doubt in secret anymore
Brian McLaren says religious doubt isn't the death of faith. It's the birth of faith beyond belief.
Gratitude, need, and desire
These three stances toward God are the beginning of faith.
Why do we write and read poetry?
For both Paul Mariani and Mark Jarman, the mystery is theological.
Yaa Gyasi’s beautiful novel embraces faith that changes and grows
Transcendent Kingdom explores an immigrant neuroscientist’s complicated relationship with evangelical Christianity.
by Lance Morgan
Why be Protestant?
Phillip Cary locates the heart of Protestantism in the gospel promise it reveals.
Praise, pilgrimage, and poetry
New collections by Jeanine Hathaway and Jeanne Murray Walker
The weird beauty of Kay Ryan’s prose
The former poet laureate’s quirky faith is a spirituality for prankish oddballs.
A novel shot through with transcendence
Chelsea Bieker's Godshot drips with truth about motherhood, faith, and power.