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
- Why Denominations Are Good, Actually (Eric Tonjes, Mere Orthodoxy): “I often hear nondenominational brothers and sisters talk about denominations as if they are the source of divisions in the church. Certainly, the church is divided, in both tragic and unavoidable ways. Some divisions are the product of sin and selfishness. Others are temporary but necessary because of disagreements about Scripture and practice. While the church still shares a spiritual unity, it is institutionally split, and we should rightly long to see it more unified than it is. The thing that puzzles me is the way many people think that by leaving any larger denomination or affiliation group they are somehow helping to increase the unity of the church. If your family is divided, disowning everybody isn’t going to make it more united.”
- People with higher cognitive ability have weaker moral foundations, new study finds (Eric W. Dolan, PsyPost): “People with higher cognitive ability tend to endorse moral values less strongly across the board, according to new research published in the journal Intelligence. The pattern held across two independent studies and did not differ by gender. These findings challenge popular assumptions that smarter people hold stronger or more ‘enlightened’ moral values.”
- I actually began to chuckle at the article’s repeated insistence that “most people assume smarter people are more moral.” Fact check: false. Smart people assume smarter people are more moral, sure. But most people? It’s hard not to notice that clever people are really good at talking themselves into whatever they need to talk themselves into. And that means they’re good at rationalizing selfish and bad behavior.
- Heartbreak and Heroism in Hill Country, Texas (Dan Crenshaw, The Free Pres): “The Guadalupe River that snakes through downtown Kerrville averages a depth of just 1.65 feet. But between 5:15 a.m. and 6:45 a.m. that day, it surged from two feet to 34 feet, becoming a literal wall of water that swept through Kerr County communities.… One never knows if they will be a hero when the time comes. Only a test of tragedy will be the judge. Many think they will act with courage, but fail. Many think they will lack the courage, but instead become the hero we need. Neighbors saved neighbors. Ordinary people became heroes. That is the spirit of Texas. No flood can ever wash it away.”
- That’s the same Dan Crenshaw who serves as a congressman. Many amazing and heartbreaking anecdotes in this brief article.
- The Death of Partying in the U.S.A.—and Why It Matters (Derek Thompson, Substack): “Between 2003 and 2024, the amount of time that Americans spent attending or hosting a social event declined by 50 percent. Almost every age group cut their party time in half in the last two decades. For young people, the decline was even worse. Last year, Americans aged 15-to-24 spent 70 percent less time attending or hosting parties than they did in 2003.”
- Economic Nihilism (Julia Steinberg, Palladium Magazine): “Economic nihilism is then the ideology of the young, aspirant class, willing to put in two years—but only two years—at whatever firm is prestigious upon graduation. Economic nihilism is the ideology that celebrates taking shortcuts. The economy itself is abstracted away, what’s left is a salary or its equivalent in crypto payouts.”
- Have Mercy on Me, a Zynner (Luke Simon, Christianity Today): “Your soul no longer pants for living water (Ps. 42:1) because the buzz has numbed its thirst. We’re trading spiritual dependence for a chemical calm, and we’re left with faith without hunger, worship without depth, and spirituality without surrender. We become what Jesus warned against—not whitewashed tombs but white-pouched ones.”
- “When people argue against free will, you often see them smuggle in some intriguing moral assumptions.” (Rob Henderson, Twitter)
- The post has both text and a two-minute video of the author saying the same thing (taken from a longer video). The text is a good summary of the video, but the video gets a lil’ spicy at the end in a way the written text does not.
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.