Did Christianity Cause the Crash?
For millions of followers, the prosperity gospel encouraged financial risk in the name of God.
December 2009
In This Issue
Hanna Rosin asks, Did Christianity cause the crash?; David Dobbs on the science of success; Philip Caputo on Mexico's drug wars; Benjamin Schwarz selects the twenty-five best books of the year; Sandra Tsing Loh on being a bad mother; and much more.
Features
The Science of Success
New neurological findings suggest that “bad genes†can in fact be the keys to adult achievement—but only with the right parenting.
The Fall of Mexico
The government’s assault on drug cartels has become an amorphous civil war that threatens to bring down the nation. A report from the front lines.
How Einstein Divided America's Jews
The physicist’s first trip to the U.S. placed him at the center of contentious debates over Zionism.
The Trial of Thomas Lubanga
In Congo, victims question the justice of prosecuting war criminals.
Get the digital edition of this issue.
Subscribers can access PDF versions of every issue in The Atlantic archive. When you subscribe, you’ll not only enjoy all of The Atlantic’s writing, past and present; you’ll also be supporting a bright future for our journalism.Dispatches
Aslon Arfa The Tijuana of the Caspian
At the border between Azerbaijan and Iran, everything’s for sale: sex, booze, tattoos—and maybe some revolutionary fervor.
Ground War
Army’s best option for finally beating Navy
Frenemies of the State
Once the most outspoken critic of Zimbabwe’s government, David Coltart is now on the inside
The Great Guinea Hen Massacre
Good intentions collide with dumb birds on a small farm in Pennsylvania.
A Winter’s Tale
Squaw Valley celebrates its Olympics, 50 years later.
Stephen Savage Who Needs the Grid?
A new fuel-cell technology promises to revolutionize access to cheap, clean energy.
Books
Books of the Year
Atlantic literary editor Benjamin Schwarz picks the 25 best in a crowded field
On Being a Bad Mother
True confessions
Edel Rodriguez The Zealot
Arthur Koestler’s manic intellectual career
Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division Cover to Cover
America's birth certificate revealed; paradoxical Pops; and more
Columns
Courtesy Dave Ramsey Lead Us Not Into Debt
Finance guru Dave Ramsey wins followers with a simple message: find God and lose your credit cards.
Double-X Films
Not just chick flicks, the movies of Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers defy categorization and provide a sentimental education for everyone.
Also in this issue
Jason Ford/Heart Agency What’s Your Problem?
How to start your own advice column, whether to clean the hotel room before the maid arrives, and other conundrums
