Essential books

Cover Story in the October 18, 2011 issue

Ilya Yefimovich Repin, Job and His Friends, oil on canvas, 1869.

Our fall books issue includes the following annotated lists of top titles in a few specific subject areas, selected by experts in the field:

Marti J. Steussy on the book of Job

S. Mark Heim on atonement

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

Essential books

Most Recent

The costs of rebellion

Does Jesus understand sisters? (Luke 10:38-42)

Katy Perry and the wealthy women of space

The desecration of Oak Flat

Most Popular

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