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| The Christian Century - Thoughtful, Independent, Progressive |
The Christian Century (cf. Wikipedia) is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of US mainline Protestantism, the monthly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews books, movies, and music.
The magazine's editorial stance has been described as "liberal". It describes its own mission as follows:
As a brief introduction, Relevancy22 generally shares many of the same guiding principles as The Christian Century (TCC), with some important distinctions. Like TCC, it seeks to be broad-minded, intellectually honest, and engaged with the best of the sciences and academic disciplines. It is unapologetically critical of fundamentalist, conservative, traditional, and classicist expressions of Christianity when they hinder love, justice, or truth. It is willing to be progressive and liberal where necessary, open to the best expressions of Christian faith wherever they are found, and inclusive of all sincere interfaith efforts—particularly those that resonate with, or are shaped by, process philosophy.
The central difference between Relevancy22 and most liberal or progressive Christian platforms is its explicit grounding in Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy and the distinctive processual language that emerges from it. Every Christian doctrine, expression, and polity—along with insights from the sciences and the humanities (including movements like the ecological civilization initiative) - is explored here through the metaphysical lens of process philosophy. This includes process theology (as the theological expression of process philosophy), processual developments in the sciences (such as certain quantum theories), and process-oriented movements in sociology and culture.
If the statement is true that “the cosmos, the world, and creation all operate at a processual level,” then our approach to God and God’s creation must also be processual. In this light, all past human expressions of God and creation can be understood as either processual or non-processual articulations of reality - some capturing the nature of process more fully than others, and some not at all. If reality is indeed processual, then we are called to see it as it is and to live within its form and modes of expression - both narratively and teleologically, in relation to its aims and purposes. If reality is not processual, then process philosophy remains one more honest attempt to discover God and God’s world.
With respect to Christianity - and, indeed, to all global faiths - the extent to which each participates in the balance, harmony, and interrelatedness articulated by process thought is the extent to which it aligns with process theology. Process theology is broad enough to incorporate all world religions, including their unique expressions, without negating their perspectives. This is because reality itself is processual, and each tradition may reflect it through its own cultural and theological idioms. For instance, when Christianity proclaims Jesus’ singular role in redemption, it is—at its best—expressing the generative flow of reality through Christ, whereby all creation pulses with value and worth when lived concrescently toward enlivening goals of co-creative participation with one another and with the ecosystems of creation. Islam and Buddhism offer similar themes and may likewise be seen as processual partners in the divine or cosmic flow.
In this way, magazines like The Christian Century can be valuable conversation partners when they engage with process-oriented topics. They help readers imagine how to live out a vibrant Christianity stripped of theological artifice, prejudice, narrow vision, and unloving practice. Still, it must be said: while process theology is always progressive, progressive Christianity is not always processual.
TCC's Historical Development within Christianity?
The Christian Century describes itself as progressive, but that’s not the same as being processual in the Whiteheadian sense.
From what I’ve seen:
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It embraces open, critical, evolving conversation about faith, culture, and theology — which resembles a process-like stance.
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But it doesn’t explicitly ground itself in process philosophy or theology (no references to Whitehead, Hartshorne, Cobb, etc., in its mission statement or editorial framing).
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Its “progressive” voice is mainly about social engagement, ecumenical openness, and justice advocacy — more in the mainline Protestant progressive tradition than in the philosophical/theological framework of process thought.
So while the tone can feel process-compatible, it’s not a formal process theology platform. Rather, it’s a progressive Christian publication that sometimes publishes authors who work from a process perspective, but also many who do not.
Historically, The Christian Century has been mainline Protestant, not evangelical in the modern American sense. It emerged as a voice for liberal Protestantism in the early 20th century, often in contrast to fundamentalism and conservative evangelicalism. However:
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Its progressive theological tone does sometimes overlap with strands of “progressive evangelical” thought — especially where justice, inclusion, and social critique are central.
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Many of its writers and readers share evangelical roots, but the magazine speaks more from a post-evangelical / mainline hybrid posture than from within evangelicalism itself.
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Unlike evangelical publications, it does not anchor its authority in biblical inerrancy or revivalist traditions; instead, it emphasizes public theology, ecumenism, and dialogue with culture.
So if, as a reader, your identify with TCC as “a progressive example of evangelical thought,” it is because some of its values and emphases — mission, public witness, concern for transformation — echo from within parts of the evangelical heritage, but are essentially reframed through mainline liberal Protestant lenses.
Summary
The Christian Century is really a mainline Protestant flagship which has evolved along with contemporary culture:
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Early 20th century: championed the Social Gospel and theological liberalism against fundamentalism.
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Mid-century: became a hub for ecumenical mainline thought, engaging social issues that supported Black and Minority civil rights and protested against America's war with Vietnam.
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Late 20th century to now: has absorbed postmodern sensibilities, becoming more conversational, less dogmatic, and more open to plural voices - including post-evangelical and occasionally process-friendly perspectives.
The postmodern shift is why it feels more like a place for dialogue than a platform for pronouncement, which is probably why many Christians feel comfortable with it's publication. Its voice isn’t rigid; rather, it’s exploratory, leaning toward relational engagement with culture, which puts it closer to the spirit of process thought, even if not grounded in it philosophically.
vs. Process Theology’s Development
1. Early–Mid 20th Century (Modernist / Social Gospel Era)
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The Christian Century (TCC)
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Founded as a champion of liberal Protestant modernism against rising fundamentalism.
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Strongly influenced by Social Gospel theology - Walter Rauschenbusch’s vision of applying Christian ethics to social structures.
Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918) was an American theologian and Baptist pastor who taught at the Rochester Theological Seminary. Rauschenbusch was a key figure in the Social Gospel and single tax movements that flourished in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was also the maternal grandfather of the influential philosopher Richard Rorty and the great-grandfather of Paul Raushenbush.
Paul Raushenbush, a Union Theological Seminary graduate, currently serves as president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance and formerly served as Senior Advisor for Public Affairs and Innovation at Interfaith America (formerly the Interfaith Youth Core). He was Senior Vice President and editor of Voices at Auburn Seminary. From 2009 to 2015 he was the Executive Editor Of Global Spirituality and Religion for Huffington Post's Religion section, and formerly served as editor of BeliefNet. From 2003 to 2011, Raushenbush served as Associate Dean of Religious Life and the Chapel at Princeton University, and served as President of the Association Of College and University Religious Affairs (ACURA) from 2009 to 2011. Raushenbush is the co-founder with Wolfgang F. Danspeckgruber of PORDIR, The Program of Religion, Diplomacy, and International Relations at the Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination at Princeton University.
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Voice was confident, reformist, and rational - grounded in Enlightenment-influenced theological liberalism.
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Saw history as progressive and the church as an engine for moral improvement (although, presently, the church's maga-element as burned the engine and delved into many forms of cruel societal oppression).
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Process Theology (emerging)
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Alfred North Whitehead’s Process and Reality (1929) set the philosophical stage.
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Charles Hartshorne, John Cobb, and others began articulating process theology in mid-century, but it was largely academic and had little mainstream church presence yet.
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Early process thought was also optimistic about human progress, though it grounded that hope in metaphysical relationality, not just social reform.
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Overlap: Both were modernist in tone, confident in the power of ideas to change the world, and open to reinterpreting doctrine in light of science and reason.
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Difference: TCC’s theological grounding was liberal Protestant modernism; process theology was already building a distinct metaphysical system.
2. 1960s–1980s (Ecumenical & Social Activism)
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The Christian Century
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Expanded coverage of civil rights, anti-war movements, and interfaith dialogue.
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Ecumenical in orientation - Methodist, Presbyterian, UCC, Lutheran, Episcopalian voices.
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Theology, though still largely modernist, became more existential and experiential under post-WWII theological currents (Tillich, Niebuhr).
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Began engaging liberation theology, feminist theology, and Black theology.
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Process Theology
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John Cobb and Schubert Ogden began linking process thought to liberation and ecological concerns.
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Theology became more public and activist, resonating with the era’s justice movements.
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This is when process started to gain visibility in mainline seminaries - many Century readers and writers would have at least encountered process thought.
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Overlap: Both embraced social justice, ecumenism, and an openness to plural perspectives.
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Difference: TCC remained a broad tent for many theological voices; process theology was a particular stream within that tent.
3. 1990s–2010s (Postmodern Shift)
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The Christian Century
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Loosened its modernist certainties; embraced more narrative, dialogical, and pluralistic writing.
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Willing to publish post-evangelical voices, contemplative writers, and theologically experimental perspectives.
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Became more hospitable to authors working in process, emergent, and panentheistic frameworks, though without adopting any one framework as editorial identity (an identity which is easily absorbed in process theology).
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Process Theology
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Expanded into eco-theology, interfaith dialogue, and postmodern philosophy.
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Engaged with post-structuralism, deconstruction, and metamodernism (e.g., Catherine Keller, Roland Faber).
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Actively cultivated dialogue between traditions (Christian-Buddhist, Christian-Muslim).
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Overlap: Shared a move away from system-building toward conversational openness; both saw theology as a living process.
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Difference: Process theology still retained a philosophical spine (Whitehead’s metaphysics), while TCC remained more journalistic and thematic.
4. 2020s (Pluralist, Dialogical Voice)
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The Christian Century
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Today functions as a forum for progressive Christian thought with a postmodern sensibility: rooted in mainline Protestantism but fully engaged in pluralist discourse.
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Writers include progressive evangelicals, post-evangelicals, mainline pastors, academics, and interfaith leaders.
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Topics range from racial justice to climate change to liturgical renewal.
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Process Theology
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Continues evolving as a metaphysical and theological framework for interconnection, co-creation, and ecological justice.
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Increasingly integrated into interfaith philosophical networks and “open and relational theology” movements.
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Overlap: Both are deeply committed to justice, ecological awareness, interfaith dialogue, and reimagining faith for a changing world.
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Difference: TCC offers a space for many voices; process theology offers a metaphysical framework which gives foundational grounding for those voices.
Summary Table
| Era | The Christian Century | Process Theology | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early–Mid 20th C. | Liberal Protestant modernism, Social Gospel | Philosophical groundwork, relational metaphysics | Parallel modernist optimism |
| 1960s–80s | Ecumenical activism, liberation theology | Justice-oriented process theology | Process enters mainline discourse |
| 1990s–2010s | Postmodern pluralism | Postmodern process theology, eco-theology | Shared openness, different cores |
| 2020s | Progressive pluralist platform | Metaphysical framework for justice, ecology | Complementary but distinct |
Extended Conclusion
I.
The historical trajectories of The Christian Century and process theology reveal two parallel yet distinct stories. Both emerged from early 20th-century optimism about human progress; both shared a commitment to moral transformation; and both learned - through the transformative upheavals of politics, war, injustice, and ecological crisis - to temper that optimism with humility, inclusivity, and critical self-reflection. That is, both moved from confident modernist certainty to a more dialogical, postmodern posture, emphasizing the lived realities of faith in an interconnected, pluralistic world.
Yet the difference in their cores remains decisive. The Christian Century has functioned as a forum - a place where diverse theological voices could meet, challenge, and inspire one another within the broader tradition of mainline Protestantism. Whereas Process theology, by contrast, offers more than a forum, but a foundational / structuralist framework - a coherent metaphysical vision grounded in Whitehead’s philosophy, capable of holding together theology, science, ethics, and global religious dialogue within a single relational -and-dialogical structure.
II.
If the aim of progressive Christianity is to remain relevant in the 21st century - not merely as a moral force, but as a living theological tradition - then it must have more than good intentions and plural conversation. It must possess an intellectual and metaphysical architecture that can integrate:
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The sciences and the humanities, without forcing false separations between fact and value as found in the fundamental and conservative theologies of evangelicalism.
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Justice movements and spiritual traditions, without collapsing into relativism or ideological fragmentation; or the maga-voices of Christianity denying humane and humanitarian responsibilities towards their neighbors.
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The historical Jesus and the cosmic Christ, without retreating into premodern metaphysics or flattening the transcendent as found in evangelical theology.
Process theology meets these criteria:
- Its metaphysical grounding in relational becoming offering a vision of reality in which God and the world are dynamically interdependent;
- Where divine power is persuasive rather than coercive; and,
- Where creativity is the driving force of both cosmic and personal transformation.
In such a vision, the progressive commitments of mainline Protestantism - justice, inclusion, peace, ecological care - are not merely moral preferences; they are ontological necessities, rooted in the very nature of reality.
III.
This is why process theology can speak not only to Christians, but also to the world’s faiths. Its openness to multiplicity, its affirmation of intrinsic value in all beings, and its capacity to reinterpret salvific and redemptive motifs in culturally particular yet universally resonant ways makes it a natural bridge for interreligious dialogue.
Process Theology does not erase difference. It honors it within a shared cosmic fabric of relationality. Islam’s submission to the divine will, Buddhism’s interdependent origination, Hinduism’s cosmic cycles, Judaism’s covenantal fidelity - all can be understood as processual expressions of the same fundamental truth: that reality is a living web of becoming, and that our calling is to participate in it co-creatively.
In this light, the contribution of The Christian Century is not diminished. As a progressive mainline voice, it provides an important public space for theological reflection and ethical engagement. But without a grounding metaphysic like process theology, such discourse risks remaining thematic rather than integrative - responsive to the moment, but less able to articulate the deep coherence between faith, science, and global human aspiration.
The task ahead for a truly global, processual Christianity is therefore twofold:
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To retain the openness and pluralism of progressive Protestant discourse—the willingness to listen, learn, and change in response to new knowledge and lived experience.
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To anchor that openness in a relational (process) metaphysics that can both explain and inspire our moral and spiritual commitments, providing a shared language for interfaith cooperation and cosmic hope.
If reality itself is processual, then any theology that ignores process will ultimately speak in partial or distorted tones. But if we embrace process as the fundamental nature of existence, then theology, science, and ethics need no longer compete for primacy - they become partners in a single, unfolding story.
This is the promise of process theology: not simply to reform Christianity, but to equip it to be a credible, compelling, and collaborative voice in the great interreligious conversation of the planet’s future.
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