On Fridays I share articles/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom.
Things Glen Found Interesting
- Here is the 2010 article I mentioned in my sermon: Study of the therapeutic effects of proximal intercessory prayer (STEPP) on auditory and visual impairments in rural Mozambique (Google scholar link). And the book I mentioned, Miracles by Craig Keener, is in Green Library at BS2548 .K44 2011.
- The Burial Place Of Jesus Exposed For The First Time In Centuries: An Interview On What It Originally Looked Like And How We Know This Is The Right Location (Justin Taylor, Gospel Coalition): “Readers might wonder, though, how we know this is really the place Jesus was buried…. What does the Bible say? How about archaeology? Do we know what first-century tombs looked like? How big were these tombs?”
- Papyrus offers nonbiblical mention of Judean kingdom in Jerusalem (Michael Chabin, Religion News Service): “Israeli archaeologists have unveiled the earliest known nonbiblical Hebrew-language reference to Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the First Temple in the seventh century B.C.” Note that there is some controversy about the papyrus.
- Neither Trump Nor Clinton Is The End Of The Republic (Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic): “[America] survived chattel slavery that made a mockery of founding principles, Shay’s Rebellion, the Whiskey Insurrection, the burning of its capital by the British, the Trail of Tears, The Dred Scott decision, the aforementioned civil war, the assassinations of presidents, Plessy vs. Ferguson, an imperialist foray into the Philippines, the Espionage and Sedition Acts, a flu pandemic that killed 20 million worldwide and an estimated 675,000 Americans, the Great Depression, the global rise of fascism, World War II, an expansionist Communist dictatorship with nuclear weapons that infiltrated the U.S. government, Jim Crow, Watergate, urban riots, the Sexual Revolution, and the September 11 attacks. But now it’s all over [because of this election].” See also Friedersdorf’s article How Millions Of Good People Can Vote Differently Than You Will.
- The Unintended Consequences of Law (Joe Bosquin, Builder): “Large, sweeping statutes like Prop 13 have consequences that continue to manifest decades after they are passed. In this case, it’s a dearth of entry-level housing.”
Things Glen Found Amusing
- It can be hard to catch a cat.
- Black Jeopardy (Saturday Night Live): an unusually perceptive skit.
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.