

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.
When stagnant waters become fresh
The dams on the Klamath River are coming down. Their removal reflects a very different theology than their construction.
A story of water and faith
Abraham Verghese’s new novel tells an epic tale of a family of Thomas Christians in modern India.
How should Asian American Christians respond to anti-Asian racism?
Be like water: clear, humble, persistent, and restorative.
Communion tears
In my 15 years as a pastor, I’ve seen a lot of watery eyes at the table.
The frightening side of baptism
Peter Leithart argues that the sacrament’s violence is surprisingly good news.
The waters of baptism remember
What was the earthy taste of river water telling me?
How a small group of activists took down the mining company destroying a Salvadoran watershed
This time, David beat Goliath.
Potawatomi women are water protectors
I'm standing by Lake Michigan for the first time, but it already knows me.
Convicted for taking water to thirsty people
The No More Deaths volunteers were imitating the logic of the incarnation.
Living water isn’t just a metaphor
On the cross, Jesus needed actual water. No one gave him any.
John the Baptist's world and ours
What created the unnatural disaster in Flint
Mona Hanna-Attisha and Anna Clark explore the crisis from inside and out.
by Tommy Airey
In Africa's Great Lakes region, the church is growing—and so is climate conflict
If the water keeps drying up, Christians and Muslims alike will suffer appallingly.
Holiness in every drop
Judith Schwartz and Michael E. Webber each call attention to the challenges facing the water over which the Spirit broods.
At its worst, Protestantism has long been deeply suspicious of all holy things, of the very notion that a physical object can carry anything of the sacred. At its best, such a suspicion is aimed instead at the notion of holier things—of an elite, rarefied sacrality that sets a few things utterly apart.
So I’m not among those rolling my eyes at Rep. Bob Brady for seeing something holy in a glass of water.
No rain in California is a disaster for all of us. But the drought, now entering its fourth year, is also an opportunity.
The Christian heritage of praying next to water is older than Christianity itself, being deeply influenced by our Jewish heritage. One of our stunning water-prayer treasures is Psalm 104.
Will the water bring death or life?