{"id":6350,"date":"2020-10-16T18:14:53","date_gmt":"2020-10-17T02:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=6350"},"modified":"2020-10-16T18:14:53","modified_gmt":"2020-10-17T02:14:53","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-272","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2020\/10\/16\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-272","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 272"},"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 wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/frenchpress.thedispatch.com\/p\/a-dc-church-shows-how-to-fight-for\">A DC Church Shows How to Fight for Religious Freedom<\/a> (David French, The Dispatch): \u201cLate Friday night a federal district court judge in Washington, D.C., handed down a religious liberty ruling that I hope will echo throughout the nation\u2026. It demonstrates how thoughtful Christians can engage in the public square and defend their liberty with conviction while also caring for their communities and demonstrating extraordinary patience with public officials. In other words, in one court case we\u2019re watching what it\u2019s like when Christian legal ends are pursued through Christian moral means.\u201d Excellent news with typically insightful commentary by David French.<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tabletmag.com\/sections\/news\/articles\/stop-being-shocked\">Stop Being Shocked<\/a> (Bari Weiss, Tablet): \u201cThe hatred we experience on campus has nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It\u2019s because Jews defy anti-racist ideology simply by existing. So it\u2019s not so much that Zionism is racism. It\u2019s that Jewishness is.\u201c&nbsp;<ul>\n<li>Outstanding. There are SO MANY quotable bits in this&nbsp;essay.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/andrewsullivan.substack.com\/p\/why-is-wokeness-winning\">Why Is Wokeness Winning?<\/a> (Andrew Sullivan, Substack): \u201cCritical theory was once an esoteric academic pursuit. Now it has become the core, underlying philosophy of the majority of American cultural institutions, universities, media, corporations, liberal churches, NGOs, philanthropies, and, of course, mainstream journalism.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/euangelion\/2020\/10\/the-fundamentalist-war-on-wokeness-is-a-war-on-christian-love\/\">The Fundamentalist War on Wokeness is a War on Christian Love<\/a> (Michael Bird, Patheos): \u201cThe whole anti-woke and anti-critical race theory trope strike me as not so much interested in opposing progressive authoritarianism and its divisive racial politics, as much as it serves to deny ethnic minorities have any grievances and white churches have any responsibility to do anything about it.\u201d Bird is a respected evangelical theologian.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li><li>Some Stanford-related articles I&nbsp;saw:&nbsp;<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/quillette.com\/2020\/10\/08\/the-prescience-of-shelby-steele\/\">The Prescience of Shelby Steele<\/a> (Samuel Kronen, Quillette): \u201cShelby was the only sibling to reject the tenets of modern liberalism, and although he and his [twin] brother work on the same campus and occasionally pass each other (Shelby is at Stanford\u2019s Hoover Institution), the two are not on speaking terms.\u201d Not the most revealing excerpt, but probably the most interesting to this audience.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.stanforddaily.com\/2020\/10\/11\/an-open-letter-from-a-stanford-wrestling-parent-to-the-university-president\/\">An open letter from a Stanford wrestling parent to the University president<\/a> (Sarah Traxler, Stanford Daily): \u201cWhen addressing the reasons that the 11 sports in particular are being discontinued, wrestling was cited only in the category of competing <em>\u2018without a full complement of scholarships.\u2019<\/em> One over-looked reason for this is that wrestlers often come from lower income groups. As such, wrestling student-athletes often qualify for need-based financial aid, reducing the demand for the full complement of athletic-based scholarships.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/quillette.com\/2020\/10\/14\/my-brief-spell-as-an-activist\/\">My Brief Spell as an Activist<\/a> (Lucy Kross Wallace, Quillette): \u201cThis was my first intoxicating taste of empowerment born from victimhood. I was vindicated; exuberant. None of it had been my fault. All my doubts and self-hatred and guilt could be laid to rest. I had been the victim not only of circumstance and misfortune, but of oppression. The problem was simple, the solution equally so. I didn\u2019t have to change\u2014society did.\u201d The author is a sophomore at Stanford.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li><li>A reminder that there are some horrible things happening in this&nbsp;world:&nbsp;<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/15\/opinion\/armenia-azerbaijan-conflict.html\">How Turkey\u2019s Military Adventures Decrease Freedom at Home<\/a> (Garo Paylan, New York Times): \u201cAfter a decades-long fitful truce, the conflict over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh \u2014 a breakaway Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan \u2014 between Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed last month, leading to a large military deployment, destruction of civilian centers and thousands of casualties. In this war, Turkey strongly supports Azerbaijan, with which it shares ethnic bonds, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed global calls for a cease-fire.\u201d The author is a member of the Turkish Parliament. Recommended by an alumnus.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/international\/520437-azerbaijans-assault-against-armenia-threatens-democracy-everywhere\">Azerbaijan\u2019s assault against Armenia threatens democracy everywhere<\/a> (Christos Makridis &amp; Alex Galitsky, The Hill): \u201cWhile Azerbaijan has attempted to shield itself from international scrutiny by riding on the presence of tense domestic politics in the United States and a global pandemic, we cannot ignore it any longer. The international community must recognize that failure to stand up for religious minorities anywhere is a threat to them everywhere. Inaction creates precedent and emboldens dictators.\u201d One of the authors, Christos, is an alumnus of Chi&nbsp;Alpha.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/oct\/16\/china-ambassador-makes-veiled-threat-to-hong-kong-based-canadians\">China ambassador makes veiled threat to Hong Kong-based Canadians<\/a> (Helen Davidson, The Guardian): \u201cCanada is among several countries that suspended extradition agreements with Hong Kong in response to Beijing\u2019s imposition of a sweeping national security law in June. Dozens of MPs recently called for Canada to offer \u2018safe harbour\u2019 to pro-democracy protesters fleeing Hong Kong, prompting the warning from&nbsp;Cong.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Related from a few weeks ago: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2020-09-21\/matthew-carney-foreign-journalist-china-intimidation-birtles\/12678610\">\u2018You will be put into detention\u2019: Former ABC bureau chief tells story of fleeing China for first time<\/a> (Matthew Carney, Australia Broadcasting Corporation): \u201cWe were instructed to report to a facility in north Beijing and told to bring my daughter Yasmine, who was 14 at the time, as she was now part of the investigation. This felt like a line in the sand for me. I could not accept that they would involve my children. At the same time I was frightened. It felt like part of the Chinese playbook: to go after family members as a way to exact punishment and revenge.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/10\/13\/handmaid-reality-deeply-religious-marriages-have-more-spousal-equality\/\">\u2018Handmaid\u2019 reality: Deeply religious marriages have more spousal equality<\/a> (New York Post): \u201cReligious, home-worshipping couples also report greater relationship quality and stability, and they are three times more likely than less-religious peers to report a sexually satisfying relationship. The women don\u2019t appear to be repressed; in fact, they\u2019re generally more likely to say they\u2019re happy and that their life has meaning and purpose.\u201d And yet again research confirms Biblical precepts. Allow me to take his opportunity to offer a friendly pastoral reminder to marry another Christian, should you&nbsp;marry.&nbsp;<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/13\/opinion\/amy-coney-barrett-motherhood.html\">Why Only Amy Coney Barrett Gets to Have It All<\/a> (Katelyn Beaty, New York Times): \u201c\u2026to set the record straight, on handmaids and beyond, conservative Christians must do their part to imagine a broader and more humanizing vision for women\u2019s place in the public square. Christianity has always contained a liberatory seed: one that tells women that the human desire to work, create and shape institutions is as important, even as holy, as their ability to bear children. If Christians don\u2019t like the handmaid stereotypes, now is the time to be clear on all that Christian women can do and&nbsp;be.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/reclaiminghope.substack.com\/p\/how-christians-should-think-about\">How Christians Should Think About Voting<\/a> (Michael &amp; Melissa Wear, Substack): \u201cWhen you vote in an election, with the exception of a write-in ballot, you are not voting for your dream candidate. Your vote is not an unmediated expression of your identity, your vote is a choice between options you did not choose yourself. If you view your vote as an unmediated, pure expression of your will, it can be debilitating.\u201d The author is a former Obama White House staffer. The article itself is very nonpartisan.&nbsp;<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/11\/us\/politics\/hispanic-evangelical-trump.html\">Latino, Evangelical and Politically Homeless<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/jennifer-medina\">Jennifer Medina<\/a>, New York Times): \u201cWhen Pastor Rivera looks at his congregation of 200 families he sees a microcosm of the Latino vote in the United States: how complex it is, and how each party\u2019s attempt to solidify crucial support can fall short. There are not clear ideological lines here between liberals and conservatives. People care about immigration, but are equally concerned about religious liberty and abortion.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Putting this one here is kind of cheating, but I like having only 7 major topics. This is political enough that I\u2019m justifying it to myself. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/09\/opinion\/nyt-1619-project-criticisms.html\">The 1619 Chronicles<\/a> (Bret Stephens, New York Times): \u201cJournalists are, most often, in the business of writing the first rough draft of history, not trying to have the last word on it. We are best when we try to tell truths with a lowercase t, following evidence in directions unseen, not the capital\u2011T truth of a pre-established narrative in which inconvenient facts get discarded.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/lifestyle\/style\/1619-project-took-over-2020-inside-story\/2020\/10\/13\/af537092-00df-11eb-897d-3a6201d6643f_story.html\">How the 1619 Project took over 2020<\/a> (Sarah Ellison, Washington Post): \u201cHannah-Jones has fiercely defended the 1619 Project. But today, she acknowledges that for all the experts she consulted, she should have sat down with additional scholars with particular focus on colonial history, the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, to better reflect the contention in the&nbsp;field.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/quillette.com\/2020\/10\/06\/forget-what-gender-activists-tell-you-heres-what-medical-transition-looks-like\/\">Forget What Gender Activists Tell You. Here\u2019s What Medical Transition Looks Like<\/a> (Scott Newgent, Quillette): \u201cI write all this as a 47-year-old transgender man who transitioned five years ago. I\u2019m also a parent to three teenagers. Though I admire the good intentions of parents who seek to support their children, I have serious concerns about reckless acquiescence to a child\u2019s Internet-mediated self-diagnosis. Many older transgender folks share these concerns, too.\u201d<\/li><\/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\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TN7s0-FuIEM\">How the Left and Right Fight<\/a> (Awaken With JP, YouTube): five spot-on minutes<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/Zi1RDE8\">How They X\u2011Ray Babies<\/a> (Imgur)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/VmrtQYh\">Bad Decisions<\/a> (Imgur) \u2014 does not start out funny \u2014 stick with&nbsp;it<\/li><li>Title pulled from the comments: <a href=\"https:\/\/imgur.com\/gallery\/56eMG4G\">Can confirm 100% this is authentic Chinese family.<\/a> (Imgur): one-minute video<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/dilbert.com\/strip\/2020-10-07\">Every Group Has A Ted<\/a> (Dilbert)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/pudding.cool\/2020\/10\/kpop\/\">Why are K\u2011pop groups so big?<\/a> (Isabella Chua and Elizabeth de Luna, The Pudding)&nbsp;<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/10\/11\/us\/politics\/babylon-bee-conservative-satire.html\">What \u2018The Babylon Bee\u2019 Thinks Is So Funny About Liberals<\/a> (Emma Goldberg, New York Times): this is real, just feels like it belongs here<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/big-tech-counters-election-interference-with-their-own-election-interference\/\">Big Tech Fights Election Interference By Interfering In Election<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/salt\">Lot\u2019s Wife<\/a> (SMBC)<\/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.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2019\/03\/21\/study-leaving-religion-sex-abuse-scandals-affects-public-health-column\/3224575002\/\">Religion\u2019s health effects should make doubting parishioners reconsider leaving<\/a> (John Siniff and Tyler J. VanderWeele, USA Today): \u201cSimply from a public health perspective, the continuing diminution of religious upbringing in America would be bad for health. This is not proselytizing; this is science.\u201d The Harvard epidemiology professor&nbsp; last made an appearance here back in<a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2016\/09\/02\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-65\"> volume 65<\/a>. First shared in <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2019\/03\/22\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-195\">volume 195<\/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>I cheated when numbering a few of&nbsp;these<\/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":"Some fascinating articles this week - I hope you find a few helpful!","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":[168,125,226,127,272,159,113,172,138,135],"class_list":["post-6350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-america","tag-china","tag-europe","tag-history","tag-intersectionality","tag-justice","tag-lgbtq","tag-racism","tag-religious-freedom","tag-stanford"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1Eq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6350","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=6350"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6354,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6350\/revisions\/6354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}