Every Wednesday I post a handful of articles, blog posts, videos, columns, books or anything I find interesting and worth your time. Ranging from thought-provoking to funny to ridiculous, most are things I stumbled upon in the past week. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading along!
"Short Read" = 10 minutes or less. "Long Read" = 10 Minutes or longer.
#1 - Bono & Eugene Peterson - Fuller Studio - (21:42 Min. Video)
Inspiring short documentary on the friendship between Bono and Eugene Peterson. Discussing faith, honesty, the human condition, and our propensity toward violence; the conversation is anchored in the depth and beauty found throughout the Psalms. Peterson's depth of knowledge and spirituality paired with Bono's passion and artistic genius creates a perspective on the Psalms worth listening in on.
#2 - The UnChristian Quest for a Christian America - Lee C. Camp - Huffington Post (Short Read)
The integration of nationalism and faith has been a problematic since Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Camp argues the very notion of returning to a "Christian America" is not only historically fictitious; but is also poor theology. The role of the church is not to establish a theocracy in America, but to be the faithful presence of Jesus within a culture by embodying an alternative Kingdom. And this Kingdom is shaped by the way of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.
#3 - Love Stands In the Middle - John Sowers - storylineblog.com (Short Read)
"Ideas," writes Sowers, "can be very self-indulgent. All the while, we remain outside the issue, and quite possibly, outside of our own story. But the great ideas - love, justice, intimacy, reconciliation - require something of us." Sower's short article is a great reminder of the necessity of action, the need to move beyond the ethereal and into true action. It is love that takes action, courage, and tenacity. Great reminder and challenge.
#4 - Strength to Love - Martin Luther King Jr. - Book
Coretta King (wife of MLK Jr.) writes in the foreword, "The struggle to eliminate the world's evils - evils so flagrant and self-evident that they glare at us from every ghetto street and rural hovel - can only occur through a profound internal struggle. By reaching into and beyond ourselves and tapping the transcendent moral ethic of love, we shall overcome these evils. Love, truth, and the courage to do what is right should be our own guideposts on this lifelong journey. Martin Luther King Jr. showed us the way; he showed us the Dream - and we responded with full hearts."
King's work, Strength to Love, is a powerful reminder of the centrality of self-giving love to change the world. It is a brief, yet powerful vision of social change. Maybe overlooked most in the life and work of King, was his powerful eloquence and command of written language. This book demonstrates that superior ability. I place Strength to Love in the top 5 books I have read all-time.
#5 - Contested Convention, Explained - vox.com
With the rising possibility of the GOP primary going to a contested convention, and the potential of this happening on the Democratic side as well, vox.com has compiled a good resource for understanding how the process will unfold.