April 19, 2021
James McKendree Wall, who served as editor and publisher of the
Christian Century from 1972 to 1999, died March 22 at the age of 92. He is remembered at the
Century for his ecumenical interests, his stabilization of the magazine’s financial picture, and his encouragement of some new directions for the
Century’s pages.
A native of Monroe, Georgia, Wall began his journalism career covering sports for local papers in Atlanta. He later became an ordained minister in the Methodist Church and worked for a time as a pastor. By the time he came to the Century, he had a well-developed passion for exploring the intersection of religion and culture, especially film.