In last week’s email, I asked whether you’ve been following the House committee hearings about January 6. I received many responses—thank you to those who replied! Based on the feedback, I’d say many of us are united in our close watching of the hearings, but we’re all over the place in terms of anticipated outcomes. Many of our readers, like me, doubt that the process will effect meaningful consequences.
Often major issues in faith and society hang in the balance like this, causing the pendulums of our souls to swing between hope and despair.
Some recent articles in the Century address these crossroads moments. Two book reviews in particular come to mind: Debra Rienstra’s Refugia Faith calls us to resilient spiritual practice in the midst of the climate crisis, while Brian McLaren’s Do I Stay Christian? wrestles with many perceived reasons to jettison the Christian faith. Peter Marty offers a reflection on the struggles we face when we’re fixated on the past. Plus there’s more thoughtful content waiting for you below.
Email me: Is there a recent piece in the Century that’s been helpful to you? What did you appreciate about it?
“In our churches, in our communities, and in our ecosystems, Rienstra says, Christians are being called to nurture refugia—inclusive spaces where transition, healing, and new growth can occur.”
“As McLaren clearly spells out, there are many good reasons for giving up on the Christian faith and the institutional church.
However, he is not yet finished.”
“How to treasure or accept our past without getting stuck in it—that seems to be the trick. Teaching ourselves to cull wisdom from what’s behind us without allowing that past to dictate our future is our regular assignment.”
“Zacchaeus’s sense of discomfort and exclusion also obscures the power he actually holds—and more importantly, the way that power is drawn from the common community he is a part of.”
