Politics+Society

From the Editors

Tools of terror

Weapons of destruction at home
Dec 18, 2002
During the most recent political campaign, two snipers were on the loose near the nation’s capital, ultimately killing ten and wounding another three persons. You would think that the murder spree would have propelled gun control onto the national agenda. But weapons of mass destruction abroad trumped any talk about weapons of destruction at home.
From the Editors

Is it fair?

Wealth and responsibility
Dec 04, 2002
To worry publicly about the increasing disparities of wealth and income in this country is to invite the charge of fomenting “class warfare.” Nevertheless, consider: Top CEOs earn 1,000 times the pay of an average worker—a ratio that has increased exponentially in the past three decades.
From the Editors

Good news

Sharing the gospel is easier than you think
Nov 20, 2002
Only 15 percent of American congregations have grown by even one person in the last five years, according to the Parish Paper newsletter. There are no doubt many demographic explanations for why congregations’ memberships decline or plateau, but it’s also true that some congregations don’t know how to grow or don’t really want to grow.
From the Editors

Liberal in a conservative age

In memory of Pall Wellstone
Nov 06, 2002
Though his opponents tagged him as “embarrassingly liberal” and outside mainstream politics, Paul Wellstone won two terms as a U.S. senator, and he had a strong chance of winning a third term when he was killed in a plane crash while campaigning in Minnesota on October 24.
From the Editors

Caught in the crossfire

Imagine the fear the Iraqis have lived with
Oct 23, 2002
Americans are fearful these days. September 11 snatched from us (forever?) a feeling of invincibility, a sense of being safe and secure from foreign invasion. Now we keep getting homeland security warnings about the probability of another terrorist attack. Besides that, a crazed sniper is on the loose around Washington, D.C.