In-depth coverage of current social issues. Insights into the philosophical, moral and ethical values in society today—health care, science and environmental news and articles

VISION Summer 2009 Issue



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Article Series:

Messiahs! Rulers and the Role of Religion  

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VISION BLOGS    

Causes of Conflict:
Thoughts on Religion, Identity and the Middle East

First Followers: Jesus' Teachings, Then and Now

Family Matters: Building Strong Family Relationships 

BOOKS  

What Makes Us Human?
Leading thinkers and scholars from around the world weigh in on this fascinating question in this book edited by Dr. Charles Pasternak. Vision publisher Dr. David Hulme also contributes an essay discussing the question in regard to religion.

Identity, Ideology, and the Future of Jerusalem
For more than a hundred years, the tiny strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River has been the subject of intense debate and bitter conflict, with one of the main focal points of the ongoing struggle being a single ancient city. Exploring the lives of 14 key Palestinian and Jewish leaders, this fascinating study examines the roles of identity and ideology in the search for a resolution to the final-status issue of Jerusalem. The book will prove an important resource for scholars and students interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict, peace studies, and political psychology.
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Special Science Report: Astronomical Leaps
Wendy Freedman, director of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, recently spoke with Vision contributor Dan Cloer concerning her work and the next era of astronomy. As new and larger telescopes peer farther into the distance, what can we expect to learn about our place in the universe?

European Union in Crisis
Two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Europe appears poised for another moment of pivotal historic change. European leaders recently met in Brussels to seek a way forward for the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Their efforts were rewarded on November 3, when the lone holdout, Czech President, Vaclav Klaus signed the accord.

Biography 
Calvin: Geneva's Iron Hand 
2009 marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth. As the year draws to a close and the multiple commemorations celebrating the theologian's legacy begin to diminish, few can deny the effect this controversial figure has had on the modern Protestant movement.

Life & Health: Teen Attitudes Toward Substance Abuse 
The latest survey of substance abuse attitudes conducted by America's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) found that, compared to young people who have not seen their parents drunk, teenagers who have are more than twice as likely to get drunk themselves in a typical month. But the impact of the parents’ example doesn’t stop there.

The New Testament:
Rightly Divided or Torn Apart?
It’s generally thought that the various New Testament writers were anything but united in what they believed and taught. For instance, Paul, a Hellenistic Jew from the Diaspora, is depicted as one who disagreed with the Judean apostles, especially Peter and James. Do their writings bear this out?  

Mulling Over Müller 
Although the malaria parasite has plagued humans for at least 4,000 years, this vector-borne disease was successfully eradicated in the United States after Paul Hermann Müller's discovery that DDT was an effective insecticide against its carriers. Since the 1970s, however, malaria levels have been increasing once again.

A New Earth
Our planet shows increasing signs of succumbing to the assault we and our technologies have launched. Although there’s no shortage of far-out ideas on how technology can also help fix the problem, including finding a new planet in case we break this one, the real solution lies close to home.

The Apostles, Part 15:
What Kind of People
Should You Be?
The apostle Peter’s impending death led him to write a second letter to the early Church, just before his death, encouraging them to remember his example and warning them to beware the far-reaching effect of false teachers. Like other New Testament writings, its message is timeless.

From the Publisher
Is Democracy the Guarantee?
While democracy is our best hope against totalitarianism and oppression, it is no guarantee that some variety of dictatorship will not haunt the world again. The lesson that has yet to be learned is how quickly it can all happen, despite our best political hopes.

Best of Vision
Interviews: Peace Architects
Uri Savir's 2008 book, Peace First, featured a foreword by Shimon Peres, and an afterword by Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala). David Hulme, publisher of Vision, has interviewed all three of these key peace architects, among others, while exploring the roles of identity and ideology in the Middle East conflict.