The gospel teaches that every human is sacred. Refugee children and Islamist terrorists. Police officers and young African Americans. Unborn babies, always, and also abortionists. Orange-haired casino owners, former First Ladies, progressive hipsters, prosperity-gospel televangelists, members of Congress, Confederate-flag-waving white nationalists? Sacred. This absurd claim is at the heart of the gospel. Each person is created in the image and likeness of God. Each is someone for whom Jesus died. And if this is true, we have much work to do. The writers in this issue may not agree on the best ways and means, but each challenges us to consider the implications of this gospel of life that makes no exceptions.
Also in this issue:
— A former asylum seeker returns to Iraq to stand with Christians on the run from ISIS.
— Shane Claiborne tells us why abolishing the death penalty is the church’s business.
— Joel Salatin, America’s most famous farmer, reveals what pigs can teach us about the glory of God.
— John Dear reports on the Vatican’s historic turn toward nonviolence.
— Erna Albertz tells Richard Dawkins how her sister with Down syndrome can help him.
— Gun owners respond to gun violence with a fresh take on “swords into plowshares.”
— Ron Sider looks at the consistently pro-life witness of the early church.
— A hospice nurse reflects on euthanasia and the value of being a burden.
— Jason Landsel asks what made MohammadMuhammad Ali great.
Then there’s new poetry, book reviews, a children’s story, insights from Pope Francis and George MacDonald, and art by Paweł Kuczynski, Xenia Hausner, William H. Johnson, Käthe Kollwitz, and Deidre Scherer.
Plough Quarterly features stories, ideas, and culture for people eager to put their faith into action. Each issue brings you in-depth articles, interviews, poetry, book reviews, and art to help you put Jesus’ message into practice and find common cause with others.
