At least 147 killed, hundreds rescued in Kenyan university attack that targeted Christians

April 2, 2015

c. 2015 Religion News Service

NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants shot and killed more than 147 people, wounded dozens of others, and held hundreds hostage Thursday (April 2) at Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya.

Five hundred of the hostages were reportedly rescued as the day went on, but it was unclear immediately whether the standoff had ended and exactly what the death and injury toll was.

In the Bible, gender is not binary

The Bible employs many merisms, in which two contrasting words stand in for a whole spectrum. “Male and female” is one of them.

by Julie Faith Parker

Features

The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous.

By egregiously misreading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s moral crisis, it primes viewers for violence.

by Mac Loftin

Interviews

When religion joins the UFO conversation

“The nexus of religion, technology, and culture is more interrelated than most people assume,” says professor and filmmaker Brett Robinson.

Interview by Jessica Mesman

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

At least 147 killed, hundreds rescued in Kenyan university attack that targeted Christians

Most Recent

A man I know had a near-death experience

Bibi’s endless war

The kingdom of God is like this

AME clergy, staff await possible return of some lost retirement funds

Most Popular

In the Bible, gender is not binary

The new Bonhoeffer movie isn’t just bad. It’s dangerous.

When religion joins the UFO conversation

Body counts: The dark side of Christian history