Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 480

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

  1. I Give Thanks in the Bright Darkness (Christina Gonzalez Ho, Christianity Today): “It seems that, historically, Thanksgiving was not meant to be a purely celebratory day, a time to luxuriate in self-satisfaction, but rather a day to hold gratitude in tension with sorrow, suffering, and sin—to acknowledge the brightness and darkness that always exist simultaneously in the world.”
    • Christina is an alumnus of Chi Alpha.
  2. The Conquest of Canaan Explained in 6 Minutes (Gavin Ortlund, YouTube). Recommended by a student. This is a topic I think I explain pretty well, but Ortlund does it better. Worth your time if the destruction of the Canaanite cultures bothers you.
  3. And They Began to Be Merry (Kevin D. Williamson, The Dispatch): “The miracle at Cana isn’t water becoming wine—any old magician could do that sort of thing. Whatever it was that Jesus was about, it wasn’t stupid party tricks. The miracle is that the Ruler of the Universe cared about such a little thing as the social anxieties of a bunch of nobodies in an obscure little corner of the world of no particular importance, and that He loved them the way a father loves his children—and what kind of father offers just enough at a time like that when he has, at his disposal, the very best?… The supernatural stuff is one thing, but consider the magnificence of that gesture, the sheer audacious style of it. I do not care if you are the most cynical atheist walking the Earth—it is impossible not to admire the panache. He bends reality into a new shape, makes the universe follow new rules, to help out a friend, and He does it cool—nobody even knows what happened except for the waiters.”
  4. What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Motherhood (Daniela J. Lamas, New York Times): “For my generation— and, I’d argue, especially for women in my generation — the decision of whether to have a child has become highly fraught. It’s tied up with our desires for fulfilling careers, our willingness to risk a shift in the identities and lives we have built. It’s tied up in an understanding of all that went into making motherhood a choice that we get to make. With so much at stake, it is so easy to become paralyzed by indecision. But perhaps what I would have wanted to hear when I was dithering was something like this: Having a child has been extraordinary.… And for some reason, I feel almost embarrassed to admit how much I love being a mother. I spent my adult life until now with this idea that I was different from — and maybe even a little superior to — my peers who chose to spend time building their families. I was so worried about what a child would mean for my career. But what I did not anticipate was that what I would want itself would change.”
  5. This Maverick Thinker Is the Karl Marx of Our Time (Christopher Caldwell, New York Times): “Mr. Streeck has a clear vision of something paradoxical about the neoliberal project: For the global economy to be ‘free,’ it must be constrained. What the proponents of neoliberalism mean by a free market is a deregulated market. But getting to deregulation is trickier than it looks because in free societies, regulations are the result of people’s sovereign right to make their own rules. The more democratic the world’s societies are, the more idiosyncratic they will be, and the more their economic rules will diverge. But that is exactly what businesses cannot tolerate — at least not under globalization. Money and goods must be able to move frictionlessly and efficiently across borders. This requires a uniform set of laws. Somehow, democracy is going to have to give way.”
    • Caldwell is an interesting thinker, so as soon as I saw his byline I knew I had to read the article. Worth a ponder.
  6. ‘A God Who Continually Surprises Us’: A Q&A With a Theologian Who Changed His Mind About Gay Marriage (Peter Wehner, New York Times): “…I would say that the way I was appealing to the Bible or the way I was interpreting the Bible was too narrowly focused on the few texts in Scripture that do say something explicitly about homosexual relationships. The dictum in Leviticus is that for a man to lie with a man as with a woman is an abomination. And those texts had a certain impact on my opinion. But I think I was I was far too narrow in the way I thought about how the Bible speaks to issues like this. What I came to think over time is that what the Bible shows is not some isolated proof texts or isolated statements of law, but it shows us a much bigger picture of God as a God who continually surprises us, continually surprises his people with the scope of generosity and grace and mercy.”
    • This is one of many revealing moments in this interview. Hays stopped believing what the Bible actually says in favor of what he takes the deeper message of the Bible to be. It’s as though he subordinates the real text of the Bible to the hypothetical text of the Bible in his head.
    • This article makes me sad. Sharing because it’s a clearer-than-usual presentation of an argument that I often encounter, and its clarity makes the weaknesses of the revisionist position more evident.
  7. How Universities Cracked Down on Pro-Palestinian Activism (Isabelle Taft, New York Times): “Universities have seen just under 950 protest events this semester so far, compared to 3,000 last semester, according to a log at the Nonviolent Action Lab at Harvard University’s Ash Center. About 50 people have been arrested so far this school year at protests on higher education campuses, according to numbers gathered by The New York Times, compared to over 3,000 last semester. When students have protested this fall, administrators have often enforced — to the letter — new rules created in response to last spring’s unrest. The moves have created scenes that would have been hard to imagine previously, particularly at universities that once celebrated their history of student activism.”

Less Serious Things Which Also Interested/Amused Glen

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.

The Gratitude of a Preacher

As a preacher I have a lot to be thankful for. First, of course, I have the sorts of things everyone should be thankful for. I’m thankful for puppies and kittens and stars. I’m thankful for my health and for my family. I’m thankful that I live in a peaceful place in this war-torn and violent world.

But there are some additional things that I as a minister ought to be grateful for, and three are on my mind today. I am grateful for those I minister to, I am grateful for those I used to minister to, and I am grateful for those who make it possible.

First, I am grateful for those I minister to. So often in his letters Paul expresses thanks to God for the people he ministers to:

1 Thess 3:9 may be the most powerful of these verses:

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? (NIV)

I can relate to Paul — the students in Chi Alpha bring me joy. Actual delight. Words fail me at times. And this isn’t a one-off sentiment Paul expresses:

  • 1 Cor 1:4 – “I always thank my God for you”
  • Eph 1:16 – “I have not stopped giving thanks for you”
  • Col 1:3 – “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you”
  • 1 Thess 1:2 – “We always thank God for all of you”
  • 2 Thess 1:3 – “We ought always to thank God for you” (all these are from the NIV)

Paul knew that when you’re a minister, you should realize that the people God has given you are a gift. More fully, you are a gift to them and they are a gift to you.

Someone like me should be grateful that anyone shows up to hear me preach. I minister to busy Stanford students. These people have been working all week. They’ve got homework to get done. They have textbooks to read. And they’ve got cute people to woo. And they’re gonna take time every Wednesday night to walk across campus and listen to me talk about the Bible? And then they’re going to find me throughout the week to ask me questions about God and how to follow Him more fully and wisely? That’s wild!

I am grateful to them, and I am grateful to God for them. My students are amazing and I love them so much.

Second, I am grateful for those I ministered to years ago.

In 3 John 1:4 the apostle tells us

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (NIV)

Paula and I recently took a trip to DC, New York, and Boston to visit some of our alumni. It was so exciting to catch up with everyone, but one of the things that made the biggest impression on me was meeting children who only exist because God called Paula and me to minister at Stanford over two decades ago. Their parents met in Chi Alpha, and likely would not have begun to date had we not provided the environment in which their relationship grew. And now there are kids. Actual adorable humans of infinite worth who exist as a direct result of our ministry. It’s wonderful.

Seeing our alumni filled me with inexpressible joy, especially when I spoke to so many of them about the churches they attend and how their faith has grown through the years.

Our alumni are extraordinary people and I am always touched when they have time to meet with their old college pastor, and even more when they have kind words to share and fond memories to reminisce over.

Third, I am grateful for those who make it possible.

In Philippians 1:3–5, Paul says

3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. (NLT)

Paul is so thankful for the Philippians that he thanks God for them every time he prays because they are his “partners in spreading the Good News about Christ.” What that means is unclear until you come to the end of the letter. In Philippians 4:15–16 he explains

15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once.(NLT)

The Philippians partnered with Paul by sending him money to help him do ministry. And Paul was grateful.

So am I. Our ministry is only possible because of a whole lot of people like the Philippians. They give us financial help and Paula and I are so very thankful.

So I’m grateful. And if you’re a student in Chi Alpha now, or if you were a student in Chi Alpha years ago, or if you are one of our financial partners, know this: I am especially grateful for you this Thanksgiving. May you be blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

At Thanksgiving I often think of Corrie Ten Boom and her fleas. 

If you don’t know the reference, Corrie and her sister Betsie were Christians who were thrown into a Nazi concentration camp and placed in a barracks infested with fleas. Straightaway Betsie said that the only way to respond to such a place was with Scripture and reminded Corrie of the Bible passage they had read that morning from 1st Thessalonians 5, especially verses 16–18.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thess 5:16–18

So Betsie led Corrie in prayer, giving thanks that at least they were together, that they had a Bible with them, and then Betsie began to give thanks for the fleas which had bitten their legs. Corrie thought that was silly and said, “Betsie, there’s no way even God could make me grateful for a flea.” But Betsie insisted.

Later they learned that the fleas which afflicted them also protected them. The guards wouldn’t enter the barracks because they didn’t want to get fleas. Corrie realized that Betsie had been right to be thankful for the fleas — the fleas prevented assaults by the guards and the fleas also gave them a measure of privacy allowing them to lead a Bible study in a concentration camp.

This story and many others are told in Corrie Ten Boom’s book The Hiding Place and I highly recommend it to you (the story of the fleas unfolds from pages 218–231 in the edition I consulted to get Corrie’s quote right).

Even in challenging situations there are occasions for gratitude. I don’t know all you’re going through right now (I barely know all I’m going through right now!) , but I’m sure there’s at least one part of your life that you wish was different than it is. Whatever the hardship, I pray it passes quickly. I also pray that while it lasts God opens your heart to experience genuine gratitude in the midst of it. 

May you have a delightful Thanksgiving — and remember the fleas!