{"id":7896,"date":"2026-01-23T18:26:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T02:26:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7896"},"modified":"2026-01-23T18:26:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T02:26:50","slug":"tgfi-volume-539-a-free-book-plus-schrodingers-cat-draws-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2026\/01\/23\/tgfi-volume-539-a-free-book-plus-schrodingers-cat-draws-closer","title":{"rendered":"TGFI, Volume 539: a free book plus Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s cat draws closer"},"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<\/p><p>You\u2019ve heard of TGIF? This is TGFI: Things Glen Found Interesting<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues likely to be of interest to Christians in college. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions, so 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=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegospelcoalition.org\/reviews\/josephus-jesus-new-evidence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I Might Owe My Students an Apology About Josephus<\/a> (John Dickson, The Gospel Coalition): \u201cFlavius Josephus was a Jewish aristocrat (AD 37\u2013100) who witnessed firsthand the great Jewish war with Rome.\u2026 I\u2019ve taught about Josephus\u2019s life and works for more than 20 years\u2014first in secular settings like Macquarie University and the University of Sydney, and now at Wheaton College. But <em>Josephus and Jesus: New Evidence for the One Called Christ<\/em> by T. C. Schmidt, associate professor of religious studies at Fairfield University, has forced me to rewrite my lectures\u2014and it might just have changed my mind. It seems that a controversial passage about Jesus\u2019s resurrection might be original after&nbsp;all.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A donor has sponsored free PDF downloads of the book the above review is about. You can get your copy at <a href=\"https:\/\/josephusandjesus.com\/purchase-page\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/josephusandjesus.com\/purchase-page\/<\/a> (follow the link on the page to a free download, it will take you to the OUP book website where you\u2019ll need to click the PDF link above the abstract and save it to your computer after it opens in your browser tab). This is a great deal \u2014 the book retails for $130!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>My hope for all is that the scholarship in the book gives you even greater confidence that your hope in Christ is firmly grounded.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aaronrenn.com\/p\/dying-to-give\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dying to Give<\/a> (Justin Powell, Substack): \u201cMoney doesn\u2019t carry the same power in every decade. Most families give it at the stage of life when it accomplishes the least. A dollar at 25 can change a destiny. A dollar at 55 barely moves the needle.\u2026 The families who steward wealth well think longer, plan earlier, and talk more openly. They treat resources as something to be shepherded across generations, not hidden behind emotional walls or released only after the funeral. And because of that clarity, their children make wiser decisions, earlier, with better outcomes.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stephstiner.substack.com\/p\/a-gen-z-guide-to-fixing-your-doom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a gen z guide to fixing your doom-pilled brain<\/a> (Steph Stiner, Substack): \u201cwhenever i hear a young person confidently assert that humanity is cooked, my first instinct is to ask for their screen time report. because, yes, if you spend more time scrolling than you do participating in real life, it\u2019s actually quite reasonable to conclude that we\u2019re hanging on by a thread.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lack of capitalization in original. The author appears to be 0% Christian, but offers some very practical wisdom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I appreciate the above article so much that I looked for some of her other content and this one was also solid. <a href=\"https:\/\/stephstiner.substack.com\/p\/a-gen-z-guide-to-enjoying-dating\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a gen z guide to enjoying dating<\/a> (Steph Stiner, Substack): \u201ca wise woman once said never to go grocery shopping while you\u2019re hungry, or you\u2019ll end up with a cart full of junk food. or maybe i made that up? who\u2019s to say. regardless, the principle still stands: don\u2019t date while you\u2019re desperate for someone else to fulfill you, or you\u2019ll end up with nothing but high cortisol.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/marginalrevolution.com\/marginalrevolution\/2026\/01\/morally-judging-famous-and-semi-famous-people.html?utm_source=feedly&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=morally-judging-famous-and-semi-famous-people\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Morally judging famous and semi-famous people<\/a> (Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution): \u201cI know some reasonable number of famous people, and I just do not trust the media accounts of their failings and flaws. I trust even less the barbs I read on the internet. I am not claiming to know the truth about them (most of them, at least), but I can tell when the people writing about them know even less.\u2026 If by any chance you are wondering how to make yourself smarter, learn how to appreciate almost everybody, and keep on cultivating that&nbsp;skill.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/wikipedia-editors-are-helping-iran-rewrite-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia Editors Are Helping Iran Rewrite History<\/a> (Ashley Rindsberg, The Free Press): \u201cAn investigation into Wikipedia editing patterns reveals a yearslong, coordinated campaign to sanitize the Islamic Republic\u2019s human rights record. According to a 2024 <em>Times<\/em> investigation, entries have been systematically edited to downgrade Iranian atrocities.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wikipedia is a case study in nerd naivete, and I speak as one of the previously-naive nerds. If you create something influential, people will seek to co-opt that influence. That means that whatever rules you create will be gamed. Wikipedia is still useful, but you have to know that it is rife with agenda-driven editors. Virtually everything religiously, politically, or morally charged is being edited so as to give you a biased perspective.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-026-00177-9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s cat just got bigger: quantum physicists create largest ever \u2018superposition\u2019<\/a> (Elizabeth Gibney, Nature): \u201cA team based at the University of Vienna put individual clusters of around 7,000 atoms of sodium metal some 8 nanometres wide into a superposition of different locations, each spaced 133 nanometres apart. Rather than shoot through the experimental set up like a billiard ball, each chunky cluster behaved like a wave, spreading out into a superposition of spatially distinct paths and then interfering to form a pattern researchers could detect.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wng.org\/articles\/the-lure-of-rome-1767834305\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The lure of Rome<\/a> (Emma Freire, World): \u201cWhen young Protestants move to Washington, it\u2019s usually not long before they start meeting smart, influential conservatives who believe Rome is the one true church. Like many of her peers, Smith began to ask herself: Should I swim the Tiber? Roman Catholics exiting their church are disproportionately driving declining rates of Christianity in America. And far more Catholics convert to Protestant denominations than vice versa. But you wouldn\u2019t know it if you looked only at places like Washington and some influential university campuses. A small but vocal group of Protestants is converting to Catholicism\u2014and in even smaller numbers to Eastern Orthodoxy. They tend to be ambitious, highly educated, and well connected.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>I believe I have mentioned this before, but I intend to write a defense of low-church Protestantism for XA sometime. It may wait until I finish my doctoral studies, though.<\/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=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/2026\/01\/kpop-demon-hunters-christian-gospel-evangelism-korean-pop-culture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 Helped a Missionary Talk About Jesus<\/a> (Jennifer Park, Christianity Today): \u201cThe Korean and Korean American Christians CT interviewed appreciate how <em>KPop Demon Hunters<\/em>\u2019 widespread acclaim has enabled them to share the gospel more effectively.\u2026 Introducing Christ to people in the Muslim-majority Southeast Asian country has also felt easier thanks to increasing interest in Korean culture, Park said. Once, his church held a summer event in its courtyard where a short-term missions team from South Korea taught local youth simple K\u2011pop dance moves and how to cook Korean dishes.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/stanfordflipside.com\/2026\/01\/lorem-ipsum-finally-translated-and-it-is-shockingly-problematic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lorem Ipsum Finally Translated, And It Is Shockingly Problematic<\/a> (Stanford Flipside)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/pentecostal-church-doesnt-notice-riot-is-occurring\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pentecostal Church Doesn\u2019t Notice Riot Is Occurring<\/a> (Babylon Bee): \u201cChurch membership at Golgotha Holy Fire Victory Pentecostal was reportedly overjoyed at the influx of visitors who joined them to speak in strange tongues, shove each other, and roll all over the floor. Church leadership called it the most successful service they\u2019d ever&nbsp;had.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As a Pentecostal this made me laugh. Normally with the Bee I just read the headlines. The text of this one has got some zing as&nbsp;well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/20\/arts\/design\/christian-speed-painter-vanessa-horabuena.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">President Trump\u2019s Chosen Artist? A Christian Speed Painter.<\/a> (Zachary Small, New York Times): \u201cThe painter, Vanessa Horabuena, spent the next 10 minutes making an image inspired by the Shroud of Turin, contouring Jesus\u2019s eyebrows and nose from a yellow cross that she initially painted at the center of her black canvas. The president returned to the stage, promised to sign the artwork himself, and the painting was quickly auctioned for $2.75 million to a couple who promised to split their donation between St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital and the local sheriff\u2019s department. The artwork\u2019s sale easily set a new benchmark for speed painting, a once-obscure competitive art form that has gained popularity over the last decade in Southern beauty pageants, Midwest corporate events, basketball halftime shows and church gatherings.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you\u2019ve never seen someone do this live, it\u2019s actually quite stunning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/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>You\u2019ve heard of TGIF? This is TGFI: Things Glen Found Interesting On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues likely to be of interest to Christians in college. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions, so if you read something fascinating please pass \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2026\/01\/23\/tgfi-volume-539-a-free-book-plus-schrodingers-cat-draws-closer\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cTGFI, Volume 539: a free book plus Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s cat draws closer\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":"","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":[124,211,133,281,333,329,338],"class_list":["post-7896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-generosity","tag-middle-east","tag-physics","tag-roman-catholic-church","tag-wealth","tag-wikipedia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-23m","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7896","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=7896"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7898,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7896\/revisions\/7898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}