By humans, for humans

One of my favorite parts of this job is discovering and sharing the human aspects of the Century. The people who make the magazine are real, flesh-and-blood people, and so are the readers—and it’s a joy to get to know you. Two new pieces of content connect to this very human enterprise.

Last week I sent you a sizzling interview of David Bentley Hart from contributing editor Ross Allen. We now have the full interview available on our YouTube Channel (which has been dormant during my summer travels, but it’s back). If you have 90 minutes and a seat belt on your chair, check out the interview here. We also have a lovely new piece from Katherine Willis Pershey. I recently had the chance to grab coffee with Katherine (who is on the Century’s board) and we talked about ministry, evangelicalism, and her new article on church architecture.

Plus more great content! Scroll down for Peter Marty’s list of banned words at church, Heidi Neumark’s reflections on a too-busy retirement, and more.

Email me: What would you like to see on our YouTube channel?

Jon Mathieu
[email protected]

VIDEO: David Bentley Hart interview

Contributing editor Ross M. Allen chats with theologian David Bentley Hart about Christian metaphysics, philosophy, history, academic theology, and the final end of life.

Words to avoid at church

“Try not to speak of your congregation as a family. No matter how intimate your faith community is, you don’t want it to be a family. That metaphor doesn’t work.”

Prayers rising past the immanent frame

“Churches often get stuck thinking about secularity in insufficient terms. We think the issue is convincing people to spend their Sunday mornings in sanctuaries instead of doing the Wordle in bed or schlepping their kids to another travel hockey tournament.”

by Katherine Willis Pershey

In the Lectionary for September 10 (Ordinary 23A)

The only place in the Gospels where Jesus says anything about the church is Matthew 18—and not insignificantly, he brings it up in terms of conflict management.

My retirement to-do list

“I hear from people who have jumped into the waters of retirement with gusto. They’re free—to travel, to pursue hobbies, to putter around—and they love it! They’re winning retirement! This is their journey and I am glad for them, but it’s not mine.”

by Heidi Neumark

A poet’s truth at the graveside

“The ancestral cloud of witnesses is a life-sustaining force in the midst of grief.”

by Yolanda Pierce