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
- Men Are More Likely to Be Sexually Attracted to Their Opposite-Sex Friends (Drake Baer, Science of Us): “the study found that guys are more likely to define a female friend as ‘a member of the opposite sex to whom I am attracted and would pursue given the opportunity’ and ladies to define their opposite-sex friends as simply ‘a friend of the opposite sex.’” For an amusing take on this idea, see this three-minute video (it’s got over 9 million views).
- The New Evangelical Moral Minority (Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker): this is a well-written essay focusing on the Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore, of whom I am a huge fan and with whom I usually agree. Highly recommended, although the author’s snark shows through occasionally. The author, incidentally, is the son of famed Christian missiologist Lamin Sanneh.
- In Love and Marriage, Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect (Scott Stanley, Psychology Today): “We found that having more sexual and cohabiting partners before marriage is associated with lower relationship quality once married. In particular, having only ever lived with or had sex with one’s spouse was associated with higher marital quality.” The author is a research professor at the University of Denver. The research upon which this article was based is available here.
- Positive Parenting is Ideal, But Many Children Need Time-Outs, Too (Robert Larzelere, Institute For Family Studies): “Yes, the worst outcomes were for the type of authoritarian parenting that Dr. Coulson opposes, which can be defined as strict enforcement without love. But the second-worst 10-year outcomes were for overly permissive parents…” When we sing that God is a good, good Father we should should remember we are celebrating the fact that he both encourages and disciplines.
- North Korea’s War On Christianity: The Globe’s Number One Religious Persecutor (Doug Bandow, Forbes): “[Christian Solidarity Worldwide] reports documented cases of believers being ‘hung on a cross over a fire, crushed under a steamroller, herded off bridges, and trampled underfoot.’”
- The Case Against Democracy (Caleb Craine, The New Yorker): I’m a monarchist, truth be told. In the Kingdom I call home we don’t get a vote, but we welcome anyone who wishes to immigrate. Join us! #kingjesus
Things Glen Found Amusing
- Bad Emailers (Dilbert)
- Video: I Can Balance A Banknote On My Nose (Would I Lie To You?)
- Video: Football To The Face (The Slow Mo Guys)
- Video: Mutants Of Dance (People Are Awesome): you might find this one disturbing. Also, I’m not sure dance is the right word to describe what they’re doing.
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.