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.
To that end, on Fridays I’ve been sharing articles/resources I have found helpful recently in thinking about broader cultural and societal issues (be sure to see the disclaimer at the bottom). May these give you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar. Past emails are archived at http://glenandpaula.com/wordpress/category/links
- From the helping-you-get-better-grades department: Here’s The Best Way To Guess Correctly On A Multiple-Choice Test (Justin Couchman, Quartz): the author, a psychology professor, describes a technique you can use to tell whether to trust your first instinct or revise the answer. You’re welcome.
- From the kim-davis-no-relation department:
- Kentucky Clerk Didn’t Follow Christianity Before Converting To It (Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist): this is the most fascinating of all the articles to me. If you only read one, make it this one.
- Kim Davis Uproar Shows That Breaking The Law Is Only Okay When Progressives Do It (Sean Davis, The Federalist): interesting contrast with the way Gavin Newsom was treated for a surprisingly symmetrical violation. This is not a partisan issue: Davis and Newsom are both Democrats serving in elected office.
- Washington Post Looks At Kentucky Same-Sex Marriage Wars, Sees Only Two Armies (Terry Mattingly, GetReligion): this piece gives some information that I’m not seeing many other places, amplified slightly in a follow-up Slut-Shaming The Christian Convert in Kentucky Who Is Open To Compromise?
- Law For Thee But Not For Me (Rod Dreher, The American Conservative): Rod and I graduated from the same high school, although he is older than me and we never met.
- From the with-this-ring-I-thee-wed department:
- What God Has Joined Together: Religion And The Risk of Divorce (Bradley Wright, Institute of Family Studies): the author is a solid believer and also a sociology prof at U Conn.
- What’s Driving The Marriage Divide? (Rachel Sheffield, The Public Discourse): a useful introduction to an ongoing debate. The left and right both tend to view the unraveling of marriages and poverty as related social problems, but argue about which is the cause and which is the effect. The author comes from the right and argues that the unraveling of marriages causes poverty.
- Hookup Culture Isn’t The Real Problem Facing Singles Today: It’s Math (Jon Birger, Washington Post): I’m including this one partly so Eyosias can say, “Stop.”
- From the raging-debates-which-enrage-people department: Hungry For Souls: Was Junipero Serra A Saint? (Gregory Orfalea, Commonweal): this is a helpful summary of the case for Junipero Serra. I’m not sure — is it J‑Ro that is named after him, Serra, or both?
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.