

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.
Is being adopted or fostered always traumatic?
Jenn Ranter Hook and Joshua Hook say yes—and offer families concrete tools to support children.
God-as-parent is a radical metaphor
It’s not possible to parent without experiencing risk, weakness, pain, and transformation.
by Debie Thomas
Good parenting is rooted in warm relationships
But sometimes it also requires clever tactics.
QAnon moms
The infiltration of online parenting spaces began as a slow burn. During the pandemic, it’s picked up speed.
Parenting on a planet in pain
How do I teach my children to care for an ailing world?
How do parents pass along their faith to children?
Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk’s sociological study offers some clues.
by Emily Soloff
Karl Barth’s wisdom for fathers (and mothers, and all children of God)
Before you had a human parent, you had a perfect one.
Teaching children about racism
Anyone who cries “it’s not fair!” is old enough to learn about racial inequality.
Talking with my children about sex without shame
I wanted to give them better than what I had. It wasn't easy.
How my daughter’s speech delay has changed my preaching
I want others to know the power of the gospel the same way she does.
Women's rights, disability rights
Abortion, Down syndrome, and the question of prenatal testing
by Rachel Adams
The wall my daughter can’t get past
I’ve stopped trying to climb over it or knock it down. Now I just sit there.
by Debie Thomas
Confessions of a (moderate) prude
I am finally old enough to admit something: the mysteries of adulthood, those "mature themes" we try to hide from the young, are mostly stupid.
A transgender child in fiction
Beautifully honest, this novel blurs the line between fiction and reality.
The yin and yang of being small
Children have unique needs for both freedom and protection.
A tough age for girls
Teenage girls navigate a tough landscape. There are tools the church can offer them.
Stranger Things reassures us that the stories of the past can give us the courage to face whatever danger looms.
It’s too bad that Bad Moms sets up its conflict as one between women.