Features
Running on hope: Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer
In June, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor in the justice and peace studies program at St. Thomas University in Minneapolis, ended his bid for the U.S. Senate after Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party picked Al Franken as its nominee. Nelson-Pallmeyer was endorsed by 35 percent of the delegates at the DFL state convention.
If the truth were told: Fox TV's 'Moment of Truth'
Earlier this year the Fox network, showing either the effects of the writers’ strike or the signs of social decay, offered a gem of televised exploitation—the kind that repulses you but you can’t help watching. The game show The Moment of Truth features contestants who have previously answered questions while attached to a polygraph and then, in front of a TV audience, have to answer some of the same questions, with the polygraph “voice” indicating whether he or she is telling us the truth.
The risks of writing: An interview with Ron Hansen
Life without parole: The story of Liam Q.
The Dark Knight
As a boy, I was a slave to DC Comics. When the new issues of Superman, Batman, Action, Adventure and World’s Finest hit the stands, I was off to the drugstore to purchase and devour a fistful of 12-cent comics. It was a ritual that continued for many years, until I finally moved on to sports biographies. Little did I realize that years later, as a student, critic and teacher of film, I would be bombarded by movies based on my comic-book heroes.
Books
Piety and power
Islam: Past, Present and Future
Speaking Conflict: Stories of a Controversial Jesus
BookMarks
Departments
Cantus firmus: A melody that is firm and clear
The reach of grace: The power of old stories
Faith-based doubts: Do we need another initiative?
Upside of a downturn: What we will have left when the money is gone
Public stewards: Needed: New ways of thinking
News
John Templeton, backer of religion-and-science studies, dies at 95: Funded research on the "Big Questions"
Churches using Internet for social networking: The new coffeehouses
NCC: Race poll shows need for 'sacred conversations' Still sharp divisions along racial lines
Will evangelicals respond to Obama's overtures? More voters are undecided: More voters are undecided
Century Marks
Think twice about ethanol: Before you buy a car that uses E85 (ethanol-based) fuel, consider this: ethanol-burning vehicles consume 25 percent more fuel. In this country ethanol is mostly made from corn, and the amount of corn used to fill an SUV with ethanol could feed a person for a year (caranddriver.com).