Inside Story

The terrorist bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the subsequent U.S. missile strikes on sites in Afghanistan and the Sudan brought to renewed focus the virulent anti-Muslim sentiment that exists in our society. At the urging of friends such as Charles Kimball, we changed our original cover plans for this issue and put together a package on Islam and the prospects for Christian-Muslim dialogue. Charles, drawing on his many years of study and work related to religion and the Middle East, wrote the lead article and helped us formulate this package. As we finished production on this issue, we were several weeks into the nation's immersion in wall-to-wall media coverage, ranging from the merely salacious to the truly constitutional, regarding President Clinton. We have not ignored the moral issues raised by the Clinton situation (see "Hearts and Minds" and "Commentary"), but we are clear in noting that there is a lot going on in the world besides presidential scandal. In that vein, it's especially worth noting our profile of and tribute to Spencer Perkins, a racial reconciliation activist who died suddenly last spring. For every person who draws massive media attention (positive or negative), there are untold others such as Spencer who work to embody and call others to God's love and justice. And they do it whether or not anyone with a camera or satellite dish notices. Our special thanks to Spencer's family and friends for sharing photos and remembrances of him with us and with you.