Once before in this column we talked about the difficulty of putting together an issue of the magazine with a holiday emphasis: After all, what “new” can be said about Christmas? Or, in the case of this issue, Easter?
Happily, the answer to that seasonal dilemma is “plenty,” judging from the four essays packaged in the special section, “The Great Reversal.” Walter Wangerin and Eugene Peterson (both former CT Christmas authors), Virginia Stem Owens, and CT editor-at-large Philip Yancey offer readers fresh glimpses into the mystery of Easter in the guise of a young boy’s frantic search for the flesh-and-blood Jesus; in a drive across blooming Texas flatland; in an old Indian woman buying ham hocks for the holiday feast; and in the death of a much-loved pet. Each Holy Week reminiscence presents both humorous and moving insights into the meaning of life, death, and resurrection.
I can’t think of a stronger “package” to end my own relationship with this magazine. Effective with this issue, I will be dealing with new editorial challenges as they relate to two other CTi publications, MARRIAGE PARTNERSHIP and TODAY’S CHRISTIAN WOMAN. In the meantime, CT senior associate editors David Neff and Lyn Cryderman will be in charge of planning and executing future issues of CHRISTIANITY TODAY.
My advice to these able men is that they pay special attention to the holiday issues. And try to say something “new.”
HAROLD B. SMITH, Managing Editor
