Features

Cover Story

Christians in Islamic Lands

Part One

Indonesia, Africa, Iraq. The news reports are alarming: Christian communities in largely Muslim lands are facing oppression, persecution, even martyrdom. These situations are not the result of recent shifts in attitudes or current political tensions. In fact, they reflect the difficulties non-Muslims under Islamic law have endured since Mohammed set out to convert the world.

Sidebar

"Allah Does Not Love the Aggressors"

Various schools of Muslim thought dispute the real meaning of jihad.

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Sura 9:29

The Qur’an’s ambiguous verse on the treatment of non-Muslims

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In Islam, No Distinction between Church and State

A Western Islamic scholar explains why the secular – religious dichotomy is nonexistent in Islam.

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Restrictions on Dhimmis in Islamic Countries

The rights of non-Muslims under shari’a are extremely curtailed.

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Further Reading

Recommended reading on the history and culture of Islam

Feature Article

Does the Church Have too Many Secrets?

Isn’t secrecy in the Church an obstacle to accountability, participation, and other desirable things? But it is sometimes appropriate and even obligatory for the Church to keep secrets. How can we tell the difference between good secrecy and bad? A new book by a noted Catholic journalist offers some answers.

Sidebar

Not Just a Catholic Problem

In their haste to condemn the Church, many Americans overlook the widespread problems of abuse in public schools and elsewhere.

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Further Reading

Learn more about clericalism, the culture of secrecy, and the need for better communication.

Feature Article

Don’t You Want More (Not Just Mere) Christianity?

You only think you’re right. Truth is on my side. Sometimes the task of an apologist can seem more like verbal combat than making disciples of all nations. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, when we talk to Protestants about the faith, we may find the task made easier when our aim is to build up rather than tear down.

Feature Article

Determined to Deny Your Freedom

There is an idea underlying most textbooks, television shows, and journalism that treats scientific subjects—scientific materialism. Its premises are rarely explained and often assumed but its dangers are real. Indeed, what’s at stake is human freedom. Here is how to recognize it and argue against it.

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Theological Determinism

What it is and where you can find it.

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Further Reading

For the adventurous, recommended readings on free will and the persistence of deterministic thought

Feature Article

Man Needs Hope to Live

Americans are on the whole an optimistic people. In Europe, we are viewed as so many Little Orphan Annies, singing about "tomorrow." But we shouldn’t confuse optimism—grounded in materialistic gain and scientific progress—with genuine hope. Christian hope is the virtue that neither presumes salvation nor despairs of it.

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The Slave Who Said "My Life Is Good"

The inspiring example of St. Josephine Bakhita

 Departments

Reasons for Hope

The Archbishop Misplaces His Modesty
By Cherie Peacock

Letters

Damascus Road

The Narrow Gate Beckons
By Jill Sebastian

By the Book

Every Word that Comes from the Mouth of God
By Jim Blackburn

Eyes to See

The Still Approach of Eternity
By Michael Schrauzer

Truth Be Told

The Pope Who Outlasted a Tyrant
By Matthew E. Bunson

Quick Questions

Last Writes

What Is Proper to God—and Caesar
By Karl Keating