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
- Online Sports Gambling and College Students: A Christian Response to a Growing Industry (Kimberley Reeve and Jared Pincin, Christian Higher Education): “Because the Bible does not offer direct guidance on the topic of gambling, Christian denominations take differing positions.… The common thread across these traditions is that there is a point where gambling becomes morally impermissible.”
- Related: How to Rein in Runaway Sports Betting (Lyman Stone, Substack): “A good regulatory response is simple: ban all win limits. Let winners win. Bettors don’t like limits on winnings. They are obviously unfair. They are also clearly a key source of profits for companies.… Secondly, there should be limits on how much an individual can lose on a website. Once an individual has lost a certain amount of money, betting websites should be required to shut down their account. The harms of gambling are disproportionately caused by big-losers, and gambling companies can identify those big losers and protect them. They don’t do this because they make money when losers lose.… So no limits for winning, limits for losing is a pretty reasonable regulatory approach. Winners don’t threaten serious social harms. Losers do. Uncapping winners and protecting losers will also dramatically worsen the balance sheet of gambling sites, forcing them to charge higher spreads on bets, which will deter many gamblers.”
- As Christians Are Slaughtered, the World Looks Away (Madeleine Kearns, The Free Press): “The world should have seen it coming. Since 2009, Islamists in northern Nigeria have destroyed over 18,000 churches and, throughout the country, have murdered over 50,000 Christians. A further 5 million Christians have been displaced within the country, according to a 2023 Vatican report.… If Western media reports on the persecution at all, it typically characterizes it as land disputes between neighboring ethnic groups. For instance, after the atrocities at Yelwata, the BBC reported: ‘The authorities have not blamed any group, but it is safe to assume that there are lots of victims on both sides, as any attack usually leads to revenge and then a cycle of violence.’ But where is the evidence that Christians are killing Fulani Muslims by the hundreds, shouting ‘Christ is king’ as they hack people of other faiths to death?”
- Pentecostals Keep Growing: What the Assemblies of God’s 2024 Report Shows About the Spirit-Filled Movement (Ed Stetzer and Todd Korpi, ChurchLeaders): “The AG in the United States is a part of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), which together makes up one of the largest Protestant bodies on the planet with over 85 million adherents. The WAGF is now larger than the Anglican communion, which is often cited as the third-largest Christian tradition. Instead, the WAGF is itself now the third-largest Christian denominational tradition.”
- Ed Stetzer is a professor/dean at the Talbot School of Theology, and Todd Korpi is a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary. The Assemblies of God is, of course, the sponsor of Chi Alpha and the group with which I am ordained.
- When Women Are Radicalized (Claire Lehmann, The Dispatch): “There is growing awareness of how young men can be drawn into far-right extremism or misogynistic subcultures, but we in the media—and society more broadly—pay less attention to how young women become drawn into political subcultures. Indeed, the terms ‘radicalization’ and ‘women’ are rarely—if ever—seen together. This oversight has consequences, because radicalization—defined as rigid commitment to an ideological cause to the point where it distorts one’s worldview, harms mental health, undermines relationships, or disrupts functioning—is not a male-only phenomenon.”
- Solipsism»Determinism (Bryan Caplan, Substack): “A large majority of my smartest friends insist that determinism is true. Physics textbooks say so, basic logic (‘Every effect must have a cause’) says so, and they say so. Who am I to disagree? My answer begins with a truism: The foundation of science is repeated, careful observation. If scientists are allowed to dismiss piles of repeated, careful observations as ‘illusion,’ there is no science. Next step: I have a lifetime of repeated, careful observation of my own mind. Via introspection, I directly observe myself making genuine choices in every waking moment. Therefore: Any ‘scientific’ theory that contradicts these observations is, at best, incomplete.”
- God and Woman at Cornell (Mary Eberstadt, First Things): “Why does secularism flourish on college campuses? Earlier today, some of us were talking about the philosopher René Girard, who had an idea that sounds simple, but isn’t: We figure out what we desire by seeing what other people desire. That’s part of what happens with students on campus, and it’s why even those raised in a religious home tend to become more secular—because they don’t see a lot of people like themselves in a place like Cornell. The idea dawns, even subconsciously, ‘Well, maybe there’s a reason why they all think differently from me. After all, we’re in a very sophisticated place with highly educated people, so maybe I should be like that.’ That’s the relatively benign force that drives people who were raised religious toward secularism. There is another force, more malevolent: intimidation, the chilling effect of being surrounded by, or perceiving oneself to be surrounded by, people who think your belief system is ridiculous. There is also the fact that college is famously the place where a lot of young people break free from the constraining Judeo-Christian rulebook about sex and marriage. These realities together conspire to drive college kids away from faith.”
- Audiences Prove that Experts Are Dead Wrong (Ted Gioia, Substack): “The rebirth of longform runs counter to everything media experts are peddling. They are all trying to game the algorithm. But they’re making a huge mistake. They believe that longform is doomed. They see that digital platforms reward ultra-short videos on an endless scroll. And they understand that this works because the interface is extremely addictive. So short must defeat long in the digital marketplace. That’s obvious to them. But all the evidence now proves that this isn’t happening.”
Less Serious Things Which Also Interested/Amused Glen
- Man Very Particular About Which Version Of The Bible He Buys And Doesn’t Read (Babylon Bee)
- Matching potential partners based on browser history (FlowingData): “Ideally, your romantic partner for life has similar interests, hopes, dreams, and browsing behavior. At least that’s the premise of browser.dating, an actual service that you can sign up for.”
- You’ve Got ‘The Ick.’ Is Your Relationship Doomed? (Jancee Dunn, New York Times): “Dr. Collisson suggested discussing concerns with your potential partner instead of your friends — as awkward as that conversation may be. Through his research he has learned that ‘the vast majority of people are talking about their ‘icks’ to everybody except for the person eliciting the ick.’ ”
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). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent. 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. If this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up here. You can also view the archives.