{"id":5419,"date":"2019-04-26T17:05:01","date_gmt":"2019-04-27T01:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=5419"},"modified":"2019-04-26T17:05:02","modified_gmt":"2019-04-27T01:05:02","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-200","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/04\/26\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-200","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 200"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>\n\n    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&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"simple-list\">\n<li>The big news this week is the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Here are some of the responses that caught my interest:&nbsp;<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/news\/2019\/april\/sri-lanka-easter-isis-zion-sunday-school-sebastian-funerals.html\">Sri Lankan Sunday School Was \u2018Willing to Die for Christ\u2019 on Easter. Half Did.<\/a> (Jayson Casper, Christianity Today): \u201cDuring Sunday School, [Prabha] had talked to the children about the importance of repentance and receiving Jesus as Lord. Because a recent vehicle accident had claimed the lives of six Zion Church members, he had referred to that event and challenged the children, asking them if they would be willing to even die for Jesus. All the children had responded by putting their hands up and signalled their fresh dedication to Jesus by lighting a symbolic candle. For so many of those children it would be their final act of worship (2 Timothy 6:6\u20138).\u201d WOW<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/04\/23\/opinion\/sri-lanka-bombing-christians.html?action=click&amp;module=Opinion&amp;pgtype=Homepage\">Are Christians Privileged or Persecuted?<\/a> (Ross Douthat, New York Times): \u201cBut if the equation of traditional Christianity with privilege has some relevance to the actual Euro-American situation, when applied globally it\u2019s a gross category error\u2026. One of the basic facts of contemporary religious history is that Christians around the world are persecuted on an extraordinary scale \u2014 by mobs and pogroms in India, jihadists and United States-allied governments in the Muslim world, secular totalitarians in China and North Korea. Yet as an era-defining reality rather than an episodic phenomenon this reality is barely visible in the Western media, and rarely called by name and addressed head-on by Western governments and humanitarian institutions. (\u2018Islamophobia\u2019 looms large; talk of \u2018Christophobia\u2019 is almost nonexistent.)\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2019\/04\/22\/when-christians-are-under-attack-muslims-and-the-left-need-to-defend-them\/\">When Christians Are Under Attack, Muslims and the Left Need to Defend Them<\/a> (Mehdi Hasan): \u201cI am a Muslim, and I consider myself to be on the left, but I\u2019m embarrassed to admit that in both Muslim and left circles, the issue of Christian persecution has been downplayed and even ignored for far too&nbsp;long.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/human-interest\/2019\/04\/easter-worshippers-obama-hillary-conservative-backlash.html\">Why Conservatives Are So Angry About Obama\u2019s Reference to \u201cEaster Worshippers\u201d<\/a> (Ruth Graham, Slate): \u201cI would argue that it takes a true savant of exquisitely attuned grievance collection to read an individual reference to \u2018Easter worshippers\u2019 as an attempt to avoid acknowledging Christianity. Easter is the most important holiday in the Christian calendar. \u2018Easter\u2019 has no other meaning.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-48011886\">Sri Lanka attacks: St Anthony\u2019s \u2018church of miracles\u2019 a symbol of hope <\/a>(Ayeshea Perara, BBC): \u201cAmong those gathered outside the church is Prabath Buddhika. Although Mr Buddhika is Buddhist by religion, like many others, he is a strong believer in the power of St Anthony. \u2018My house is right here,\u2019 he said, adding that he\u2019d been attending the church since he was a child and gone along with his family many&nbsp;times.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/archive\/2019\/04\/were-sri-lanka-bombings-retaliation-christchurch\/587836\/\">Why Sri Lanka Was Probably Not Retaliation for Christchurch<\/a> (Graeme Wood, The Atlantic): \u201cThe bombings in Sri Lanka were among the more spectacular in the history of terrorism, and they almost certainly took more planning than would have been possible in the past five weeks. (It may seem easy to get several guys to push detonator buttons all at once, in several different locations. But terrorists are often bumblers, and the more complicated the plan, the greater the chance of disruption.)\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.epm.org\/blog\/2019\/Apr\/26\/capitalizing-pronouns-god\">What About Capitalizing Pronouns Referring to God?<\/a> (Randy Alcorn, Eternal Perspectives Ministries): \u201cI have had to fight to get Heaven capitalized in my books, arguing that it is a proper noun, and just as real a place as Saturn or France. I argue the same for capitalizing the New Earth\u2014if we capitalize New England, why not the redeemed creation that Scripture calls the \u2018New&nbsp;Earth\u2019?\u201d&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>This is a very thoughtful perspective on honoring God with your written words.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/04\/17\/magazine\/prison-abolition-ruth-wilson-gilmore.html\">Is Prison Necessary? Ruth Wilson Gilmore Might Change Your Mind<\/a> (Rachel Kushner, New York Times): \u201cIf prison, in its philosophical origin, was meant as a humane alternative to beatings or torture or death, it has transformed into a fixed feature of modern life, one that is not known, even by its supporters and administrators, for its humanity.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/news\/article\/On-Easter-Sunday-Louisiana-church-looks-to-13784284.php\">On Easter Sunday, Louisiana church looks to rebuild from fires<\/a> (Ashley Cusick, Washington Post via SF Gate): \u201cWe got $1,000 from an atheist,\u201d Toussaint said with a laugh. \u2018He said he didn\u2019t believe in God, but he don\u2019t believe in burning buildings down, either.\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/news\/article\/Frustrated-pilots-got-Navy-to-stop-dismissing-UFO-13793183.php?ipid=dontmisssfghp\">How angry pilots got the Navy to stop dismissing UFO sightings<\/a> (Deanna Paul, Washington Post via SF Gate): \u201cA recent uptick in sightings of unidentified flying objects \u2014 or as the military calls them, \u2018unexplained aerial phenomena\u2019 \u2014 prompted the Navy to draft formal procedures for pilots to document encounters, a corrective measure that former officials say is long overdue.\u201d&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>This being 2019, this is somehow not the most interesting story in the&nbsp;news.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>\n\n<li>And now for some stuff about the major American political parties, with particular attention to religious dynamics:&nbsp;<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2019\/04\/franklin-graham-and-the-high-cost-of-the-lost-evangelical-witness\/\">Franklin Graham and the High Cost of the Lost Evangelical Witness<\/a> (David French, National Review): \u201cThe proper Evangelical position toward any president is not hard to articulate, though it is exceedingly difficult to hold to, especially in polarized times when one party seems set on limiting religious liberty and zealously defending abortion: We should pray for presidents, critique them when they\u2019re wrong, praise them when they\u2019re right, and never, ever impose partisan double standards.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/religioninpublic.blog\/2019\/04\/25\/the-religious-composition-of-the-two-major-parties\/\">The Religious Composition of the Two Major Parties<\/a> (Ryan Burge, Religion in Public): \u201c\u2026neither of the two major parties in the United States are dominated by one specific religious group. I know that tons of articles are written the link between evangelicals and Republicans, but the data indicates that over two thirds of Republicans today are not evangelicals. The same is essentially true for Democrats as well. The largest group for them (the nones) make up just three in ten Democrats today.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/web-exclusives\/2019\/04\/the-devout-and-the-nones\">The Devout And The Nones<\/a> (Mark Movsesian, First Things): \u201cConsider, for example, the percentage of Americans who report that their religious affiliation is \u2018Strong.\u2019 This percentage has fluctuated a bit over the decades, but the most recent survey puts it at 34 percent, a number that has remained basically unchanged since 1975, when 35 percent of Americans reported a strong religious affiliation. Apparently, the rise of the Nones is not attributable to a decline in religious enthusiasm among the most strongly committed.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stanfordmag.org\/contents\/meet-stanford-s-congressional-freshmen\">Meet Stanford\u2019s Congressional Freshmen<\/a> (Jean Yung, Dave Sloane, &amp; Timothy Weatherhead, Stanford Magazine): interesting brief profiles of the five Stanford alumni who were recently elected to the national legislature. Two Democratic representatives, two Republican representatives, and one Republican Senator.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/motherboard.vice.com\/en_us\/article\/a3xgq5\/why-wont-twitter-treat-white-supremacy-like-isis-because-it-would-mean-banning-some-republican-politicians-too\">Why Won\u2019t Twitter Treat White Supremacy Like ISIS? Because It Would Mean Banning Some Republican Politicians Too.<\/a> (Joseph Cox and Jason Koebler, Motherboard): \u201cWhen a platform aggressively enforces against ISIS content, for instance, it can also flag innocent accounts as well, such as Arabic language broadcasters. Society, in general, accepts the benefit of banning ISIS for inconveniencing some others, he&nbsp;said.\u201d&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>I get the impression the authors think this is evidence that Republicans really are white supremacists and that the algorithms see clearly without the social pressure that holds back truth-tellers. I suspect they have the exact opposite approach to machine learning when it delivers racist results. I\u2019m spitballing here, but maybe the better response is distrust algorithms a little more whenever they confirm your biases. Just a thought.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/news\/2019\/april\/evangelicals-face-discrimination-pew-research-antisemitism.html\">Half of Americans Say Evangelicals Are Discriminated Against<\/a> (Griffin Paul Jackson, Christianity Today): \u201cAmericans\u2019 perceptions of discrimination tend to be partisan. For instance, 7 in 10 Americans on the political right say evangelical Christians are subject to discrimination, while less than half as many (32%) left-leaning Americans agree.\u201d<\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/infographic-guide-to-alternative-names-for-world-religions\">Infographic: Guide To Alternative Names For World Religions<\/a> (Babylon Bee): these are genius.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/3o8BBqU\">How Homework Is Done<\/a> (Imgur)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/aiPjJl5\">Peak redneck<\/a> (Imgur)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BwmNt-XF8Ci\/\">Aliens Like Spicy Food<\/a> (Strange Planet)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/its-about-time-the-book-of-revelation-now-includes-a-spoiler-warning\">It\u2019s About Time: The Book of Revelation Now Contains A Spoiler Warning<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/modern-day-mlk-jr-has-dream-that-one-day-everybody-will-be-judged-by-the-color-of-their-skin\">Modern-Day MLK Jr. Has Dream That One Day Everybody Will Be Judged By The Color Of Their Skin<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/new-poll-reveals-americans-strongly-in-favor-of-legalizing-comedy\">New Poll Reveals Americans Strongly In Favor Of Legalizing Comedy<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/pastor-returns-to-find-drummer-wasnt-let-out-of-cage-last-sunday\">Horrified Pastor Discovers He Forgot To Let Drummer Out Of Cage Previous Sunday<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/G7X08gd\">Saint Schrodinger<\/a> (Imgur)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/news\/454328-france-minister-brexit-cat\/\">French minister forced to deny naming her indecisive cat \u2018Brexit\u2019<\/a> (RT News): I believe this is a Russian state-sponsored media organization<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/ruins-of-first-century-cfa-discovered-near-jerusalem\">Ruins Of First-Century Chick-Fil\u2011A Discovered Near Jerusalem<\/a> (Babylon Bee): in my heart I always knew this discovery awaited us<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/im-chris-tomlin-its-who-i-am-16x---op-ed-by-chris-tomlin\">Op-Ed: I\u2019m Chris Tomlin, It\u2019s Who I Am (Repeat)<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting A While&nbsp;Ago<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every week I\u2019ll highlight an older link still worth your consideration. This week we have<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theplayerstribune.com\/ryan-leaf-nfl-letter-to-my-younger-self\/?utm_content=buffer55060&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer\">Letter To My Younger Self<\/a> (Ryan Leaf, The Player\u2019s Tribune): \u201cCongratulations. You officially have it all \u2014 money, power and prestige. All the things that are important, right?\u2026 That\u2019s you, young Ryan Leaf, at his absolute finest: arrogant, boorish and narcissistic. You think you\u2019re on top of the world and that you\u2019ve got all the answers. Well I\u2019m sorry to have to tell you this, but the truth is\u2026.\u201d Such a gripping letter. Highly recommended. (first shared in <a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2017\/05\/05\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-99\">volume 99<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) 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\u2019ll 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.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&nbsp;way. Things Glen Found Interesting The big news this week is the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/04\/26\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-200\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 200\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Volume 200! That's roughly four years of sharing. If you only read one story from this week's collection make it the first one. WOW. ","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[160,123,126,117],"class_list":["post-5419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-how-the-church-is-perceived","tag-islam","tag-persecution","tag-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1pp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5419"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5424,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5419\/revisions\/5424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}