Christianity shaped the West, bringing conquest and religious strife but also the modern ideals of emancipation, human rights, and democracy. Now Christendom’s influence is waning, and many churches are seeing decline in membership. What happens if we lose the Christian teaching that each human being is made in the image of God, and that humankind, in all its diversity, is one whole. This issue of Plough looks at the social, political, and cultural implications, reminding readers that Jesus brought more than a religion and that this is not how his story ends.On this theme: Karen Kilby asks how Christians should respond to churches in decline.Galen Watts argues that modernity has replaced traditional religion with other gods.King-Ho Leung posits that Marx misunderstood Christianity.John Ehrett shows what right-wing politics looks like without Christian moorings.Gary Saul Morson recounts how Solzhenitsyn found faith in the gulag.Margarita Mooney found faith alive in Communist Cuba.Easton Law dispels some common myths about the church in China.Graham Tomlin recounts Blaise Pascal conversion from cultural Christian to true believer.Also in this issue: George Scialabba finds moral exemplars in George Eliot’s Middlemarch.Francis Young tells a story in which a mystical white reindeer appears.Chris Zimmerman interviews Israelis and Palestinians who have lost children to the conflict.Plough Quarterly features stories, ideas, and culture for people eager to apply their faith to the challenges we face. Each issue includes in-depth articles, interviews, poetry, book reviews, and art.
