Every week 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!
**"Short Read" = 10 Minutes or less. "Long Read" = 10 Minutes or longer.**
#1 - On Being Strangers in a Strange Land - David Gushee - religionnews.com (Short Read)
Written prior to Trump's inauguration, Gushee reflects on the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump (who he adamantly and admittedly disagrees with) and his pitfalls of wrongly growing too comfortable with President Obama (who he aligns himself with). Gushee challenges the ways that the church has succumb to the temptation of political power. He writes, "What if the Anabaptists and their successors were right, that the best posture of Christians toward any state is to reclaim that New Testament understanding that we are “exiles” (1 Peter 1:1), strangers in a strange land, situated in a particular earthly nation but at home nowhere on this earth?" Being a Christian myself that aligned and support much of President Obama's policies and found myself believing in Obama the person, I found the article apropos to my own feelings as I reflect on the first 100 days of President Trump. A challenge for myself, as a Christian, to continue in a healthy posture of resistance to any empire/political power, be it Obama's or Trump's version. The church functions best as a prophetic alternative to political powers.
#2 - Statue of Homeless Jesus Startles Wealthy Community - NPR - (Short Read)
This story is from 2014, but I recently came across it. In Davidson, NC, Timothy P. Schamlz installed his bronze statue of Jesus as a homeless man asleep on a park bench. The impact of the image in the wealthy neighborhood startled a few, as they wrestled with the image of Jesus as homeless. It is a provocative reminder of the way in which Jesus aligns himself with the marginalized.
#3 - Building Empathy and Solidarity Through Story - Mike McHargue - Sojo.net (Short Read)
Central to empathy and justice is being able to view the world through another's experience. The more different someone is from ourselves, the more we must be able to enter their social location to feel their experience. "Stories can place you in the shoes of someone else," writes McHargue, "not just wizards or starship commanders, but people with different life experiences in this world." In this article, McHargue (or Science Mike for those familiar with his work) argues that this is the power of story, to enter into solidarity by experiencing others stories. In an increasingly hostile cultural moment, I believe McHargue's argument is an important one.
#4 - S-Town (7 Chapter Podcast)
From the same creative team behind Serial and This American Life comes this fascinating 7 chapter podcast centering around the life of John B. McLemore who lives in Woodstock, Alabama, or affectionately named by John B., "Shit-Town Alabama." Through masterful story-telling of the troubling life of John B., S-Town explores global problems from the context of a rural southern town. In doing so, S-Town holds in tension the reality of our current global reality with intensely localized implications. This tension provides the listeners an opportunity to experience a small piece of Southern life. Mystery, story-telling, and the exploration of a troubled life create an entertaining listen and commentary of our cultural moment.
#5 - Bono & David Taylor: Beyond the Psalms - (Long Read - 5 Part Short Video Series)
David Taylor, a professor of theology and culture at Fuller, sits down with Bono to discuss the Psalms. In 5 short videos Bono discusses how Christian music/worship has often cheapened art and the depth of the Psalms. He argues we must revive our understanding of the Psalms as brutally honest and prophetic art. Art that must come from the depths and full range of emotions and human experience; because this is exactly what we see unfold in the Psalms. A fascinating figure giving a bit of insight behind his own artistic process.