After

by John Petrenka in the October 4, 2011 issue

There is an emptiness that goes beyond
the opposite of fullness,
an empty emptiness, if such may be—
holding a child of fullness,
the presence of an absence—
and the ache.

Read "–O–" and "Matins."

Dear Jesus, Am I broken enough yet?

At youth group and church camp, I learned to perform my own unworthiness. It took years to recognize the spiritual harm this caused.

by McKenzie Watson-Fore

Features

The Scopes Monkey Trial and the evolution of fundamentalism

A staged legal proceeding in a small town became the catalyst for a century of culture wars.

by Michael A. Smith

Feature

Body counts: The dark side of Christian history

With its long coastline, rugged mountains and haunting sand dunes, Oman is a paradise for desert lovers, hikers and boaters. Muscat, the capital city, is a gem—its arched white buildings and flat roofs squeezed between the blue ocean and black mountains. Yet call me an egghead, but what I remember most from a trip to Oman is a booklet I read there with an ominous title: Body Count: A Quantitative Review of Political Violence Across World Civilizations (2009). In it, author Naveed Sheikh claims that “the Christian civilization emerges as the most violent and genocidal in the world history.” Compared to Islam, Christianity is a clear winner: 31.94 million deaths by Muslims to 177.94 million deaths by Christians.

by Miroslav Volf

Features

A new pope’s call to unity

I was in the second row for Pope Leo’s installation. I am cautiously optimistic about what I heard.

by Jeannine Marie Pitas

After

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Dear Jesus, Am I broken enough yet?

The Scopes Monkey Trial and the evolution of fundamentalism

Body counts: The dark side of Christian history

A new pope’s call to unity