{"id":7862,"date":"2025-12-12T19:13:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T03:13:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7862"},"modified":"2025-12-12T19:13:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T03:13:44","slug":"tgfi-volume-534-unfulfilled-hopes-and-why-the-esv-is-overrated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/12\/12\/tgfi-volume-534-unfulfilled-hopes-and-why-the-esv-is-overrated","title":{"rendered":"TGFI, volume 534: unfulfilled hopes and why the ESV is overrated"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><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<\/p><p>You\u2019ve heard of TGIF? This is TGFI: Things Glen Found Inter\u00adest\u00ading<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Fri\u00addays I share articles\/resources about broad cul\u00adtur\u00adal, soci\u00adetal and the\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal issues like\u00adly to be of inter\u00adest to Chris\u00adtians in col\u00adlege. Be sure to see the expla\u00adna\u00adtion and dis\u00adclaimers at the bot\u00adtom. I wel\u00adcome your sug\u00adges\u00adtions, so if you read some\u00adthing fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading please pass it my way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This week was espe\u00adcial\u00adly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to nar\u00adrow down to just 7 top-lev\u00adel group\u00adings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/newsletter.oalannoble.com\/p\/hoping-for-rightly-ordered-desires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hop\u00ading for Right\u00adly Ordered Desires<\/a> (O. Alan Noble, Sub\u00adstack): \u201cOne of the most dif\u00adfi\u00adcult truths to inter\u00adnal\u00adize in this life is that you are not promised all that you desire, even when your desires are right\u00adly ordered. For exam\u00adple, you may desire friend\u00adship or a spouse or chil\u00addren or a job, and none of them are giv\u00aden to you. Or at least, not on the time\u00adline you expect. Each of these are good desires, and when you desire them right\u00adly (not exces\u00adsive\u00adly, not before God, not as idols, not self\u00adish\u00adly), they are <em>good <\/em>things to desire and work towards. But God, in his per\u00adfect will, does not promise to give us all our earth\u00adly desires.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/lawliberty.org\/bureaucratizing-faith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bureau\u00adcra\u00adtiz\u00ading Faith<\/a> (Stephen Eide, Library of Law &amp; Lib\u00ader\u00adty): \u201cThose con\u00adcerned about anti-Chris\u00adt\u00adian bias often frame the FBO [faith-based orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtions] ques\u00adtion as a reli\u00adgious lib\u00ader\u00adty mat\u00adter. That fram\u00ading only clar\u00adi\u00adfies whether reli\u00adgious groups <em>can<\/em> con\u00adtract with gov\u00adern\u00adment. It\u2019s less help\u00adful in deter\u00admin\u00ading whether they <em>should<\/em>. In gen\u00ader\u00adal, an orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion spir\u00adi\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly moti\u00advat\u00aded to serve the poor may take pub\u00adlic mon\u00adey to do so, as long as it doesn\u2019t dis\u00adcrim\u00adi\u00adnate based on sect and doesn\u2019t use tax\u00adpay\u00ader dol\u00adlars to evan\u00adge\u00adlize. But evan\u00adge\u00adlism is pre\u00adcise\u00adly how FBOs reach some peo\u00adple failed by sec\u00adu\u00adlar pro\u00adgrams.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I real\u00adly liked this essay. Lots of great insights.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/classicallyanglican.substack.com\/p\/to-be-honest-im-struggling-with-the\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">To Be Hon\u00adest.. I\u2019m Strug\u00adgling with the ESV<\/a> (Loren\u00adzo Figueroa Cusick, Sub\u00adstack): \u201cThe ESV has been revised the fol\u00adlow\u00ading times: <strong><em>2001, 2002, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2025.&nbsp; <\/em><\/strong>And when it is revised, it always claims to be sim\u00adply mod\u00adest changes to bet\u00adter improve \u2018accu\u00adra\u00adcy and clar\u00adi\u00adty\u2019 (accord\u00ading to Cross\u00adway). We can applaud when a Bible pub\u00adlish\u00ader wants to make the Bible even bet\u00adter for its users. Where it gets weird is the fact that they don\u2019t iden\u00adti\u00adfy (like the NASB, for exam\u00adple) when they do revise it. They don\u2019t label it the <em>ESV2001, ESV2002, ESV2007<\/em>, etc. This leads to sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtions where the Bible in your library or church bag is dif\u00adfer\u00adent from the one used by the church.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The ESV is a per\u00adfect\u00adly ade\u00adquate trans\u00adla\u00adtion \u2014 but some of the peo\u00adple who love it love it way too much. I pre\u00adfer the NIV and the NET (which each have their own draw\u00adbacks, because no trans\u00adla\u00adtion is per\u00adfect).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/sorry-liz-gilbert-married-women-are-increasingly-happiest-of-all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sor\u00adry, Liz Gilbert, Mar\u00adried Women Are (Increas\u00ading\u00adly) Hap\u00adpi\u00adest of All<\/a> (Sophie Ander\u00adson and Brad Wilcox, Insti\u00adtute for Fam\u00adi\u00adly Stud\u00adies): \u201cThere\u2019s only one prob\u00adlem with the pro\u00adgres\u00adsive case against mar\u00adriage and fam\u00adi\u00adly for women: It\u2019s com\u00adplete\u00adly wrong. Today, mar\u00adried women live longer, earn more, and report more mean\u00ading in their lives, com\u00adpared to sin\u00adgle women. They are also marked\u00adly hap\u00adpi\u00ader than their sin\u00adgle peers, accord\u00ading to recent research by psy\u00adchol\u00ado\u00adgist Jean Twenge and col\u00adleagues.\u2026 lib\u00ader\u00adal mar\u00adried moms are dra\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly more like\u00adly to say they are hap\u00adpy with their lives, com\u00adpared to their sin\u00adgle and child\u00adless peers.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Relat\u00aded (at least in my mind): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/science\/2025\/12\/10\/study-humans-mammals-monogamy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How monog\u00ada\u00admous are humans? A study ranks us between meerkats and beavers.<\/a> (Vic\u00adto\u00adria Craw, Wash\u00ading\u00adton Post): \u201cPre\u00advi\u00adous work on the role of monogamy in human soci\u00adety\u00adhas relied on fos\u00adsil records or com\u00adpar\u00adi\u00adson of mar\u00adriage norms across cul\u00adtures, Dyble said. His research stud\u00adied the data from human pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions and non\u00adhu\u00adman mam\u00admal species to find rates of full sib\u00adlings, mean\u00ading those born to the same moth\u00ader and father.\u2026 Analy\u00adsis of near\u00adly 2 mil\u00adlion human sib\u00adling rela\u00adtion\u00adships and more than 60,000 mam\u00admal rela\u00adtion\u00adships showed that the pro\u00adpor\u00adtion of full sib\u00adlings in the human groups \u2018clus\u00adters close\u00adly\u2019 with rates seen in social\u00adly monog\u00ada\u00admous ani\u00admals and \u2018con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly exceeds rates seen in non-monog\u00ada\u00admous mam\u00admals,\u2019 Dyble wrote. He said the data showed there was a stark dif\u00adfer\u00adence between groups that were con\u00adsid\u00adered social\u00adly monog\u00ada\u00admous and non\u00admonog\u00ada\u00admous, based on def\u00adi\u00adn\u00adi\u00adtions from a 2013 study by Cam\u00adbridge researchers.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/07\/opinion\/meta-facebook-ruling-algorithms.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pay Atten\u00adtion to How You Pay Atten\u00adtion<\/a> (Ezra Klein, New York Times): \u201cWhat Meta shows me is what <em>Meta<\/em> most want me to see, which is what\u00adev\u00ader their pre\u00addic\u00adtion mod\u00adels believe will get me to spend as much time on their apps as pos\u00adsi\u00adble. The algo\u00adrithms serve the company\u2019s ends, not my ends. If Meta want\u00aded to know what I want to see, it could ask me. The tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy has long exist\u00aded for users to shape their own rec\u00adom\u00admen\u00adda\u00adtions. These com\u00adpa\u00adnies do not offer us con\u00adtrol over what we see because they do not want us to have it. They do not want to be bound by who we seek to be tomor\u00adrow.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A good essay with a poor title. Rec\u00adom\u00admend\u00aded.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.noahpinion.blog\/p\/no-you-are-not-on-indigenous-land\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">No, You Are Not on Indige\u00adnous Land<\/a> (Noah Smith, Sub\u00adstack): \u201cOnce the log\u00adic of land acknowl\u00adedg\u00adments and \u2018decol\u00ado\u00adniza\u00adtion\u2019 is fol\u00adlowed, it leads very quick\u00adly to some very dark futures.\u2026 The gen\u00ader\u00adal prin\u00adci\u00adple here is that instead of a dark world of eth\u00adnic cleans\u00ading in the name of \u2018decol\u00ado\u00adniza\u00adtion,\u2019 we should try to build a bright future where Native Amer\u00adi\u00adcans and the Unit\u00aded States of Amer\u00adi\u00adca exist in har\u00admo\u00adny and coop\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion rather than in con\u00adflict.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rec\u00adom\u00admend\u00aded even if you think you know what it will say based on the title and the excerpt. The arti\u00adcle has some sur\u00adpris\u00ades.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/americanaffairsjournal.org\/2025\/11\/the-making-of-a-techno-nationalist-elite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Mak\u00ading of a Tech\u00adno-Nation\u00adal\u00adist Elite<\/a> (Tan\u00adner Greer, Amer\u00adi\u00adcan Affairs): \u201cThe eco\u00adnom\u00adic, social, and polit\u00adi\u00adcal activ\u00adi\u00adties of the East\u00adern Estab\u00adlish\u00adment were mutu\u00adal\u00adly rein\u00adforc\u00ading pil\u00adlars of a larg\u00ader pro\u00adgram. Mem\u00adbers of the Estab\u00adlish\u00adment used the wealth gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded by new tech\u00adnolo\u00adgies to secure polit\u00adi\u00adcal influ\u00adence, used that influ\u00adence to sus\u00adtain a nation\u00adal mar\u00adket and legal frame\u00adwork geared for yet more tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal expan\u00adsion, and then presided over a con\u00adscious effort to pre\u00adserve and trans\u00admit the val\u00adues of their class to future gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions, ensur\u00ading that the uni\u00adty and dis\u00adci\u00adpline they gained in shared strug\u00adgle would not dis\u00adsi\u00adpate amid pow\u00ader and pros\u00adper\u00adi\u00adty. Through these means, a tech\u00adno-nation\u00adal\u00adist elite guid\u00aded America\u2019s devel\u00adop\u00adment for more than sev\u00aden\u00adty years. Under its stew\u00adard\u00adship, the Unit\u00aded States became the world\u2019s wealth\u00adi\u00adest, most indus\u00adtri\u00adal\u00adly advanced, and most pow\u00ader\u00adful nation: a true tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal repub\u00adlic.\u2026 Behind the East\u00adern Estab\u00adlish\u00adment stood a dense web of per\u00adson\u00adal ties that bound its fam\u00adi\u00adlies togeth\u00ader. Many of these ties were con\u00adsum\u00admat\u00aded, quite lit\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly, on the mar\u00adriage bed. Karp and Zamiska are loathe to think in these terms. They write a great deal about the engi\u00adneer\u00ading elite\u2019s wan\u00ading com\u00admit\u00adment to West\u00adern civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion, but they have lit\u00adtle to say about its wan\u00ading com\u00admit\u00adment to rais\u00ading the next gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of that civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion. The East\u00adern Estab\u00adlish\u00adment was self-con\u00adscious\u00adly repro\u00adduc\u00adtive: it built schools, endowed uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adties, and found\u00aded lit\u00ader\u00adal dynas\u00adties. Part of build\u00ading \u2018a shared cul\u00adture \u2026 that will make pos\u00adsi\u00adble our con\u00adtin\u00adued sur\u00advival\u2019 is cre\u00adat\u00ading the chil\u00addren who will sur\u00advive us.\u201d\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Excel\u00adlent. Long but rec\u00adom\u00admend\u00aded. Also, OUCH. The clos\u00ading four para\u00adgraphs of this book review are absolute\u00adly bru\u00adtal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar pro\u00adduced shrewd war\u00adriors \u201cwho under\u00adstood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a sim\u00adi\u00adlar way, we need to become wise peo\u00adple whose faith inter\u00adacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may con\u00adtin\u00adue the tra\u00addi\u00adtion of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chi Alpha is not a par\u00adti\u00adsan orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion. To para\u00adphrase anoth\u00ader min\u00adis\u00adter: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agen\u00adda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agen\u00adda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agen\u00adda. Hav\u00ading said that, I read wide\u00adly (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ide\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal Tur\u00ading test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fair\u00adly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI dis\u00adagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI under\u00adstand\u201d) and may at times share arti\u00adcles that have a strong par\u00adti\u00adsan bias sim\u00adply because I find the arti\u00adcle stim\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with every\u00adthing an author says in an arti\u00adcle I men\u00adtion, much less things the author has said in oth\u00ader arti\u00adcles (although if I strong\u00adly dis\u00adagree with some\u00adthing in the arti\u00adcle I\u2019ll usu\u00adal\u00adly men\u00adtion it). And to the extent you can dis\u00adcern my opin\u00adions, please under\u00adstand that they are my own and not nec\u00ades\u00adsar\u00adi\u00adly those of Chi Alpha or any oth\u00ader orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion I may be per\u00adceived to rep\u00adre\u00adsent.\n\nAlso, remem\u00adber that I\u2019m not report\u00ading news \u2014 I\u2019m giv\u00ading you a selec\u00adtion of things I found inter\u00adest\u00ading. There\u2019s a lot hap\u00adpen\u00ading in the world that\u2019s not mak\u00ading an appear\u00adance here because I haven\u2019t found stim\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading arti\u00adcles writ\u00adten about it.\n\nIf this was for\u00adward\u00aded 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>You\u2019ve heard of TGIF? This is TGFI: Things Glen Found Inter\u00adest\u00ading On Fri\u00addays I share articles\/resources about broad cul\u00adtur\u00adal, soci\u00adetal and the\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal issues like\u00adly to be of inter\u00adest to Chris\u00adtians in col\u00adlege. Be sure to see the expla\u00adna\u00adtion and dis\u00adclaimers at the bot\u00adtom. I wel\u00adcome your sug\u00adges\u00adtions, so if you read some\u00adthing fas\u00adci\u00adnat\u00ading please pass \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/12\/12\/tgfi-volume-534-unfulfilled-hopes-and-why-the-esv-is-overrated\" class=\"more-link\">Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cTGFI, vol\u00adume 534: unful\u00adfilled hopes and why the ESV is over\u00adrat\u00aded\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_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,220,170,112,320,260],"class_list":["post-7862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-america","tag-bible","tag-devotional","tag-marriage","tag-native-americans","tag-social-media"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-22O","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7862","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=7862"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7869,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7862\/revisions\/7869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}