On Fridays I share articles/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my way.
Things Glen Found Interesting
- On Political Correctness (William Deresiewicz, The American Scholar): a long and thoughtful article. “Selective private colleges have become religious schools. The religion in question is not Methodism or Catholicism but an extreme version of the belief system of the liberal elite: the liberal professional, managerial, and creative classes, which provide a large majority of students enrolled at such places and an even larger majority of faculty and administrators who work at them. To attend those institutions is to be socialized, and not infrequently, indoctrinated into that religion.… I say this, by the way, as an atheist, a democratic socialist, a native northeasterner, a person who believes that colleges should not have sports teams in the first place—and in case it isn’t obvious by now, a card-carrying member of the liberal elite.”
- Similar: Is Intersectionality a Religion? (NY Mag, Andrew Sullivan): “It posits a classic orthodoxy through which all of human experience is explained — and through which all speech must be filtered. Its version of original sin is the power of some identity groups over others. To overcome this sin, you need first to confess, i.e., ‘check your privilege,’ and subsequently live your life and order your thoughts in a way that keeps this sin at bay. The sin goes so deep into your psyche, especially if you are white or male or straight, that a profound conversion is required.”
- Consistent Vegetarianism and the Suffering of Wild Animals (Thomas Sittler-Adamczewski, Journal of Practical Ethics): argues that “…wild animals have worse lives than farmed animals, and that consistent vegetarians should therefore reduce the number of wild animals as a top priority.”
- What Christianity in China Is Really Like (Colin Clark, Gospel Coalition): “First and foremost, house church leaders aren’t underground because of the extent of governmental meddling, but because of the mere fact of it…. Extend all the apparent olive branches you want, but Jesus Christ is still the head of the church, not the TSPM and not the CCC.”
- Why the courts were wrong to rule against a florist who declined service to a gay wedding (Robert Vischer, America Magazine): “The florist, Barronelle Stutzman, had served the gay customers, Robert Ingersoll and Curt Freed, many times over a number of years, including by providing flowers for birthdays and other personal events; she objected only to providing flowers for their wedding. The court declined to recognize such a distinction, finding that a refusal to provide services for a wedding between members of the same sex amounts to discrimination based on sexual orientation.” The author is the dean of a law school and this is one of the more thoughtful and comprehensive pieces I have seen on this issue. Related: UW Madison Students On Religious Freedom (YouTube): I am skeptical of videos like this (how many people did they interview and cut out?), but it definitely reflects a tendency many college students have — they instinctively support religious freedom when it’s not for evangelicals.
- Dreaming of life without the GOP? Welcome to California—where things are far from perfect (Conor Friedersdorf, LA Times): “We’re a case study in what a political community looks like when Republicans wield little or no power — and an ongoing refutation of the conceit that but for the GOP, the United States would be free of dysfunction.”
Things Glen Found Amusing
- He Got a Bad Grade. So, He Got the Constitution Amended. Now He’s Getting the Credit He Deserves. (Matt Largey, NPR Austin): This article 100% delivers on its title. You MUST read this.
- What’s A Short, Clean Joke That Gets A Laugh Every Time? (Reddit)
- Pentecostal Man Hits Fitbit Steps Goal Twenty Minutes Into Church Service (Babylon Bee): I laughed out loud at the title.
- Miraculous: Clump Of Cells Transforms Into Fully Formed Baby Upon Womb Exit (Babylon Bee)
- Is Trump Trolling The White House Press Corps? (Andrew Maranz, New Yorker): The article as a whole is quite serious. But this anecdote cracked me up: “Spicer’s skepticism of the press goes back to 1993, when he was a senior at Connecticut College. An article in the student newspaper, about smoking policies on campus, accurately cited his work on student government but referred to him as Sean Sphincter.”
Why Do You Send This Email?
In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.
Disclaimer
Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey’s agenda and we are not about the elephant’s agenda — we are about the Lamb’s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass the ideological Turing test and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say “I agree” or “I disagree” until I can say “I understand”) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I’ll usually mention it).
Also, remember that I’m not reporting news — I’m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There’s a lot happening in the world that’s not making an appearance here because I haven’t found stimulating articles written about it.
Archives at http://glenandpaula.com/wordpress/category/links.