

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.
What is worship for?
Surely God isn’t a narcissist who demands our attention.
Pastoral care is part of Christian formation
A response to Will Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas
Do we still need institutions?
Yes, says Yuval Levin. But only if they serve a formative function.
Shaping a place where people can become more like Christ
Scot McKnight looks to Paul to define the pastoral task.
by Zen Hess
If Christian liturgy works on the imagination, so do disordered secular liturgies. Social media—despite its good uses—might be one example.
"Progressive Christians do a good job with issues like LGBT rights," says Dennis Sanders of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Minneapolis. "But we're less good at helping people become disciples of Jesus."
An interview with Dennis Sanders
Offering the elements to the unbaptized can be seen as a development and not a revolution, but it is a significant change. Is it a good one?
The resources for faith formation have grown in recent decades, yet the task remains elusive. After all, everything the church does is formative—and one can never predict how formation will happen.
Working in the shop gave bone and muscle to my pastoral identity. But it also taught me to anesthetize anxiety with long hours, to work out of fear of failing.
The term theological education brings to mind formal study. But people's deepest
convictions about God and their deepest stirrings of faith are often
formed at an early age.
I can see it in their eyes. It's orientation night for those who are considering our church's catechumenal process. You want me to do all that?
Formation in faith does not happen by accident. It happens when churches
puts commitment and creativity into the process and believe that the
Holy Spirit is sure to show up.