{"id":7278,"date":"2023-09-15T15:49:57","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T22:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7278"},"modified":"2023-09-15T15:49:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T22:49:57","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-420","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2023\/09\/15\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-420","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 420"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" 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 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>     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<p>This is volume 420, a number with cultural significance and also two interesting mathematical properties. 420 = 101 + 103 + 107 + 109 = 20 x 21. In other words, it is both the sum of consecutive primes and also the product of two consecutive numbers.<\/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\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/article\/2023\/10\/we-are-repaganizing\" target=\"_blank\">We Are Repaganizing<\/a> (Louise Perry, First Things): \u201cThe supremely strange thing about Christianity in anthropological terms is that it takes a topsy-turvy attitude toward weakness and strength. To put it crudely, most cultures look at the powerful and the wealthy and assume that they must be doing something right to have attained such might. The poor are poor because of some failing of their own, whether in this life or the last. The smallness and feebleness of women and children is a sign that they must be commanded by men. The suffering of slaves is not an argument against slavery, but an argument against allowing oneself to be enslaved. Most cultures\u2014perfectly logically\u2014glorify warriors and kings, not those at the bottom of the heap. But Christianity takes a perverse attitude toward status and puts that perversity at the heart of the theology. \u2018God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong\u2019 is a baffling and alarming claim to anyone from a society untouched by the strangeness of the Jesus movement.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is a remarkable essay about Christianity by a non-Christian. 10\/10 recommend.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2023\/09\/18\/ross-douthats-theories-of-persuasion?utm_source=pr\" target=\"_blank\">Ross Douthat\u2019s Theories of Persuasion<\/a> (Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker): \u201cThis is not conspiracy-adjacent, but I think that nice secular people like you and Sam are sort of blind to some obvious supernatural realities about the world. I think lots of people have good reasons to end up in that kind of territory. And the question I don\u2019t know the answer to is: Why is it so natural once you\u2019re in that territory to go all the way to where R.F.K. is?\u201d He continued, \u201cI spend a lot of my own intellectual energy trying not to let my sort of eccentric views blind me to the fact that the establishment still gets a lot of boring, obvious things right.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I found this interview\/profile of Douthat charming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/christianitytoday.com\/ct\/2023\/september-web-only\/singleness-is-not-sin-young-marriage-church-wedding.html\" target=\"_blank\">Singleness Is Not a Sin<\/a> (Lyman Stone, Christianity Today): \u201cMarriage is instituted for mutual service by spouses and joint service to the next generation. Celibacy is instituted for service to the church (not as a requirement for church service but as a possible aid to it). Widows likewise are commanded to be hospitable and helpful to younger people. Unless singleness is clearly defined as a state that has some purpose oriented toward the good of the neighbor (not just incidentally beneficial but purposively so), it is difficult to understand what possible endorsement the status can be given. It is not sinful, but it is not&nbsp;good.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.graphsaboutreligion.com\/p\/lets-have-a-talk-about-education\" target=\"_blank\">Let\u2019s Have a Talk About Education and Religious Attendance<\/a> (Ryan Burge, Substack): \u201c<strong>I just don\u2019t know how you look at all this data that I\u2019ve brought to bear and conclude that there\u2019s not a positive relationship between education and religious attendance.<\/strong> You most certainly cannot conclude that it\u2019s a negative relationship. That finds basically no support in this data at all. There\u2019s some evidence that the relationship may not be statistically significant, but for me, the regression clears that up. People who are more educated are more likely to be attending a religious service in the local house of worship this weekend than those with a high school diploma or less. That\u2019s what the preponderance of evidence tells&nbsp;me.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A deeper dive than you often find on this topic. Emphasis in original.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.desiringgod.org\/articles\/oh-slay-the-wicked\" target=\"_blank\">\u2018O Slay the Wicked\u2019: How Christians Sing Curses<\/a> (Greg Morse, Desiring God): \u201cDo we ever say anything uncomfortable in the presence of evil \u2014 or worse, do we even care? The psalmists did. We accuse them of cruelty; they accuse us of a twisted sentimentality. We accuse them of not considering man; they accuse us of not considering God.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Recommended by a student.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/tgc-podcast\/id270128470?i=1000627158325\" target=\"_blank\">Before You Share Your Faith! How to Be \u2018Evangelism Ready\u2019<\/a> (Matt Smethurst, The Gospel Coalition): a 16 minute podcast recommended by a student. I liked the content, the delivery was less gripping than I expected. Worthwhile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.astralcodexten.com\/p\/book-review-elon-musk?utm_source=%2Finbox&amp;utm_medium=reader2\" target=\"_blank\">Book Review: Elon Musk<\/a> (Scott Alexander, Astral Codex Ten): \u201cI think Elon Musk is 1\u2011in\u20111,000 level intelligent \u2014 which is great, but means there are still 300,000 people in America smarter than he is. I think he wins by being 1\u2011in-10,000,000 intense.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This review is full of fascinating stories. 10\/10 recommend if you have any interest whatsoever in Elon&nbsp;Musk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\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\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/determined\" target=\"_blank\">Determined<\/a> (SMBC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/everyone-whos-ever-worked-anywhere-ever-comes-forward-to-allege-their-boss-created-a-toxic-work-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\">Everyone Who\u2019s Ever Worked Anywhere Ever Comes Forward To Allege Their Boss Created A Toxic Work Environment<\/a> (Babylon Bee): the text on this one is gold. Worth reading in addition to the headline.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JomboyMedia\/status\/1700564992213316092\" target=\"_blank\">UNO Reverse<\/a> (brief twitter video)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gocomics.com\/pearlsbeforeswine\/2023\/09\/12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sharks<\/a> (Pearls Before Swine)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/christianity-forced-to-close-its-doors-after-atheist-points-out-that-they-still-eat-shellfish-and-wear-mixed-fabrics\/\" target=\"_blank\">Christianity Defeated After Atheist Points Out That They Still Eat Shellfish And Wear Mixed Fabrics<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2023\/09\/02\/smart-chastity-cage-emails-passwords-location\/?mrfhud=true\" target=\"_blank\">Maker of \u2018smart\u2019 chastity cage left users\u2019 emails, passwords, and locations exposed<\/a> (Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, TechCrunch): \u201cA company that makes a chastity device for people with a penis that can be controlled by a partner over the internet exposed users\u2019 email addresses, plaintext passwords, home addresses and IP addresses, and \u2014 in some cases \u2014 GPS coordinates, due to several flaws in its servers, according to a security researcher.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Everything about that opening paragraph is making me&nbsp;laugh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ig-nobels-prize-2023-3f34e020cfb9154c240dfef7c076f177\" target=\"_blank\">Repurposing dead spiders, counting cadaver nose hairs win Ig Nobels for comical scientific feats<\/a> (Lisa Rathke, AP News): \u201cCounting nose hairs in cadavers, repurposing dead spiders and explaining why scientists lick rocks, are among the winning achievements in this year\u2019s Ig Nobels, the prize for humorous scientific feats, organizers announced Thursday.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/date-with-taylor-swift-off-to-rocky-start-as-she-already-writing-something-in-her-song-idea-book\/\" target=\"_blank\">Date With Taylor Swift Off To Rocky Start As She Already Writing Something In Her Song Idea Book<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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:\/\/theglendavis.substack.com\/\">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. This is volume 420, a number with cultural significance and also two interesting mathematical properties. 420 = 101 + \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2023\/09\/15\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-420\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 420\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":"My weekly roundup of fascinating tidbits from around the internet. Enjoy!","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":[124,170,235,120,195,112],"class_list":["post-7278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-devotional","tag-evangelism","tag-famous-christians","tag-gender","tag-marriage"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1To","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7278","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=7278"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7281,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7278\/revisions\/7281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}