{"id":4700,"date":"2017-09-15T19:46:53","date_gmt":"2017-09-16T03:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=4700"},"modified":"2017-09-15T19:46:53","modified_gmt":"2017-09-16T03:46:53","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-118","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2017\/09\/15\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-118","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 118"},"content":{"rendered":"

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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.<\/p>\n

Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n
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  1. Eat, pray, live: the Lagos megachurches building their very own cities<\/span><\/a> (Ruth Mclean, The Guard<\/span>ian): \u201cRedemption Camp has 5,000 houses, roads, rubbish collection, police, supermarkets, banks, a fun fair, a post office \u2013 even a 25 megawatt power plant. In Nigeria, the line between church and city is rapidly vanishing.\u201d <\/span><\/li>\n
  2. An Open Letter to Ta-Nehisi Coates<\/span><\/a> (Jason D. Hill, Commentary Magazine): a gay black man strongly believes in the American dream and takes issue with Coates\u2019 disparagement of it. \u201cI expected no special treatment because, as an American, I was already part of an exceptional process. My ideas, I had decided on the flight over, would one day be taught in colleges and universities. I will tell you presently the extent to which that <\/span>willed decision <\/span><\/i>became reality, and why it was possible only in the United States of America.\u201d (incidentally, I featured an essay by Coates back in issue 80<\/a>)<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. The Question of Race in Campus Sexual-Assault Cases<\/span><\/a> (Emily Yoffe, The Atlantic): \u201cKagle believes that men of color\u2014and especially foreign men of color, students from Africa and Asia\u2014were uniquely defenseless when charged with sexual assault, typically lacking financial resources, a network of support, and an understanding of their rights.\u201d I linked Yoffe\u2019s two previous articles in last week\u2019s edition<\/a>. They should be read in conjunction with Campus Rape, A Survivor\u2019s Story<\/a> (Bret Stephens, NY Times).<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. They Serve Gay Clients All The Time. So Why Won\u2019t They Cater A Same-Sex Wedding?<\/span><\/a> (Josh Shepherd, The Federalist): \u201cPhillips choked up with emotion as he continued: \u2018You can\u2019t serve God and money. I didn\u2019t open this so I could make a lot of money. I opened it up so it would be a way that I could create my art, do the baking that I love and serve the God that I love in ways that would hopefully honor Him.\u2019\u201d See also Icing on the Cake: Justice Dept. Backs Christian Baker Bound for Supreme Court<\/a> (Kate Shellnut, Christianity Today). The latter is tremendous news, and presumably due to the influence of Mike Pence.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. How Many Churches Does America Have? More Than Expected<\/span><\/a> (Rebecca Randall, Christianity Today): \u201c<\/span>According to a recent paper published by sociologist Simon Brauer in the <\/span>Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion<\/span><\/i>, the number of religious congregations in the United States has increased by almost 50,000 since 1998.\u201d You can see the original research <\/span>here<\/span><\/a> \u2014 the researcher is a sociologist at Duke University. Interesting news. It\u2019s almost like the gates of hell cannot prevail against the church. <\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Faith groups provide the bulk of disaster recovery, in coordination with FEMA<\/span><\/a> (Paul Singer, USA Today):  \u201c <\/span>\u2018About 80% of all recovery happens because of non-profits, and the majority of them are faith-based,\u2019 said Greg Forrester, CEO of the national VOAD. The money is \u2018all raised by the individuals who go and serve, raised through corporate connections, raised through church connections,\u2019 and amounts to billions of dollars worth of disaster recovery assistance, he said.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n
  7. The Human Fetus Preferentially Engages with Face-like Visual Stimuli<\/a> (Current Biology, Reid et al): apparently about a month and a half before birth babies can perceive faces through the uterine wall. You can read a popular summary of the research at Seeker: Human Fetuses Can See and React to Faces From Inside the Womb<\/a>. I found this research both amazing and depressing. I wonder how many babies were excited to be making a new friend up until they were aborted.<\/li>\n
  8. Harvard Calls Chelsea Manning Invite A \u2018Mistake,\u2019 Rescinds Fellowship Offer \u2014 Here\u2019s What\u2019s Going On<\/a> (Benjamin Goggin, Digg). For a good explanation of reasons so many were opposed to this appointment, read When Transgender Trumps Treachery<\/a> (James Kirchick, NY Times). Kirchick is gay, which makes his piece all the more interesting to read.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Things Glen Found Amusing<\/h3>\n