

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.
A poet converted by her own writing
Denise Levertov’s intuitive grasp of incarnation drove her politics, her poetry, and eventually her religious discernment.
Three reasons progressive Christians shouldn’t give up on conversion
Is it the baby or the bathwater?
by Samuel Wells
John Boswell’s faith lit up a generation
My brother’s work paved the way for many LGBTQ Christians.
John Henry Newman’s impact
Eamon Duffy’s short biography of the first English saint canonized since the Reformation
The Best of Enemies is a movie centered on one white man’s conversion
Personal conversion is part of social change, but we can’t end our stories there.
The rise and fall of Emmanuel Carrère’s faith
The Kingdom is a mess, but it refuses to be wholly dismissed.
Susan Faludi’s memoir reveals the deep complexity of her father’s many identities.
by LaVonne Neff
Over the past five years, migrants and refugees have flowed into Europe in unprecedented numbers. Some are converting to Christianity.
The whole church needs to encounter the courage and truthfulness of the fact that God created us good, to love and be loved.
by Brian Bantum
To lionize the missionary’s courage, Muslims were cast as implacable adversaries and served as the quintessential foil.
Ebenezer Kinnersly illustrates the depth of the controversy over outward manifestations of inner religious experience.
Confessions is not primarily about Augustine at all; it is about God’s activity in the particularity of Augustine’s life.
From his youth Lax experienced a love of God that would not abate, calling him toward both solitude and engagement with others.
by Scott Cairns
Honestly facing the conflict of self with self—and choosing words that reveal its particular manifestations in one life—is hard, hard work.
The subject of immigration engenders contentious debate, complex discussion, and conniving diatribe among Americans. Four years ago, the mother of a recently elected Republican senator implored her son to be compassionate in his legislative work on the issue. She reminded him of their own family’s journey from central Cuba to south Florida and noted that undocumented immigrants—she called them los pobrecitos, “poor things”—are human beings seeking dignity, work, and a better future just like they were.
One wonders if Marco Rubio remembers his mother’s message.
Cultivating character is the lifelong work of evaluating and choosing between various virtues. It's difficult, and it’s our calling.
by Grant Wacker
When I told my parents about the altar call, my mother patiently explained that for some of us conversion is an ongoing process.
As two new biographies and a massive collection of poems show, Denise Levertov's distinctive work and life remain relevant and rewarding.
by Jeff Gundy
In case you’re not up on your celebrity news, Shia LaBeouf recently told Interview magazine that he “became a Christian man” on the set of Fury, in which he plays an evangelical soldier. Yay, another high-profile believer!
Well, maybe.