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 - The Church's Great Malfunctions - Miroslav Volf - Christianity Today (Long Read)
Miroslav Volf is a professor at Yale's Center for Faith and Culture. In this article from 2006, he proposes two malfunctions of the church. The first malfunction, reducing the faith into a "system of propositions to be believed or as merely a set of energizing and healing techniques to be practiced." Instead, Volf calls for a sort of reviving the faith as a way of life, for all parts of life. The second malfunction, is what Volf calls "violent faith." It is the failure of the church to work for the "common good" but instead has resulted in violence. "The cure for religiously induced violence," writes Volf, "is not less faith but more faith - faith in its full scope, faith enacted with integrity and courage by its holy men and women, faith pondered responsibility by its theologians."
Thought provoking article that is well-written and challenging.
#2 - What Every Candidate Could Learn From JFK - Jeffrey Frank - The New Yorker (Short Read)
"Kennedy, in a world at least as dangerous as today's, understood that words matter." Comparing Kennedy's interactions with Khrushchev with today's candidates' language describing Vladimir Putin, Jeffrey Frank beautifully illustrates Kennedy's attention to the language he used. Another well written article with an important conclusion for candidates from both parties.
#3 - The NFL's Virtual First-Down Line Explained - Vox.com (3:48 - Video)
I remember when the "virtual first-down line" appeared on TV and I remember a few of us baffled and asking if it was a giant elastic band stretched across the field. Then I remember feeling really stupid. If you've ever wondered how the "virtual first-down line" works, here is a short video explaining its' history and how it happens.
#4 - The Danger of Partisan Christianity - Jesse Carey - Relevant Magazine (Short Read)
"Too often, broad labels discourage thoughtful dialogue in favor of political groupthink. And for Christianity, the stakes are especially high. When a political affiliation becomes conflated with a faith position, the message of the Gospel can become mixed with the message of political party." In an election year, it would be foolish to think we could avoid discussions on politics and faith. Carey's article challenges the notion of political affiliation and religious devotion. A good reminder of how we should approach election season as followers of Jesus.
#5 - The Slow Work of the Heart - Kevin Sneed - Personal Sermon (42:55 - Video)
The Twitterfied World.
Persimmons.
The Secret of the Easy Yoke.
Steph Curry.
And Hunger.
All topics I discuss in my most recent sermon. The Slow Work of the Heart, is the process of discipleship. It is the process of slowly growing in Christlikeness, and learning to become the type of person Jesus calls us to be. Would love your thoughts...