In this country, we have grown accustomed to seeing groups of men and women carrying signs either in favor of or against abortion. One could easily get the impression Americans are the only ones who struggle with this issue. But when associate news editor Randy Frame suggested we report on the abortion question in other countries, it became clear that our nation’s annual toll of more than one million abortions represents only a small percentage of the total number of preborn babies killed each year on this planet.
Randy has followed the abortion wars in this country for eight years. His detective-like curiosity usually gets results, but he was stumped by the metal spoons in our cover photo of an Italian proabortion rally. Enter Francine Biscan, production coordinator of our marketing department, whose Italian relatives solved the mystery: In Italy, feminists wave metal spoons to symbolize their freedom from domesticity.
A less-sensational story begins on page 12, with Robert Brow’s description of a major shift of emphasis among evangelicals. Brow, a writer, a minister, and a former seminary teacher in India, has observed evangelicalism across the years and around the globe. When we asked five other scholars to respond to Brow’s essay, the manuscripts all came in fast—and some of them furious. We think their eagerness to write suggests we may have stumbled upon a hot topic. Our mailroom is ready for your response.
LYN CRYDERMAN, Senior Associate Editor
