Saturday, April 28, 2012

Articles of the Week - April 28

I originally had over twenty-five articles starred in my Google Reader from this week. I realized today that many of them were addressing the same issue (namely, the student loan debate), so I cut a few. Besides those, there are a handful on my favorite subjects: cultural literacy, education policy, and ministry.

Claire Needell Hollander: “Teach the Books, Touch the Heart” (The New York Times, April 20)
Teaching English simply for test preparation rather than to develop a love of literature is a mistake.

Thomas L. Friedman: “Down with Everything” (The New York Times, April 21)
Has America gone from a system designed to prevent anyone in government from amassing too much power to a system in which no one can get enough power to do anything?

Ray Pritchard: “Chuck Colson’s Motto” (Keep Believing Blog, April 21)

Sherry Turkle: “The Flight from Conversation” (The New York Times, April 21)
We use technology to keep one another at distances we can control: not too close, not too far, just right: the Goldilocks effect.

Lindsey Minerva: “Caring for God’s Creation on Earth Day” (World Vision Blog, April 22)

Rachel Sheffield: “Why States Should Hop Off the National Standards Bandwagon” (The Foundry, April 23)

Mike Brownfield: “Do You Know What the Constitution Really Means?” (The Foundry, April 24)

Kevin DeYoung: “What’s Wrong with Theistic Evolution?” (Christian Post, April 24)
Why can’t we say Adam was a real person and the first person to know God, but not the only human on the planet?

Editorial: “Trust, But Verify” (Chicago Tribune, April 25)
It will be up to the aldermen, and the rest of the city, to make sure the promises of the Chicago Infrastructure Trust plan are kept.

Perry Noble: “Four Problems the Church Has GOT to Deal With” (Christian Post, April 25)
At the end of the day, people are not asking about the five points of Calvinism, the trichotomy or dichotomy of the Spirit, or the peccability/impeccability of Christ!

“Bit Rot” (The Economist, April 28)
The world is losing its ability to reconstruct history. Better regulations could fix that.

Mike Brownfield: “Washington Needs a Lesson on Student Loans” (The Foundry, April 27)

Russell D. Moore: “Beyond a Trickle-Down Liturgy” (Christian Post, April 27)
I don't know about you, but I'm tired of trickle-down liturgy. What I mean by that is music that is designed and marketed somewhere, makes it on Christian radio or other media, and then becomes familiar enough that people start singing it in church.

W. David. O. Taylor: “Discipling the Eyes through Art in Worship” (Christianity Today, April 27)
The visual arts can play a powerful role in worship – if we look closely enough.

Editorial: “Momentum for School Choice” (Chicago Tribune, April 28)
(Except in Illinois)

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Articles of the Week - April 21

Here are this week's picks. There are quite a few articles about trends in the institutional church, and an interesting article on new music.

Lindsey Burke: “What Does the Supreme Court Think About Washington’s Education Overreach?” (The Foundry, April 16)

Rob Deemer: “How to Define (And Evaluate) 21st Century Music” (New Music Box, April 13)

Chuck King: “Breathless” (Knowing the Score, April 16)

Sarah Pulliam Bailey: “Q & A: Ross Douthat on Rooting Out Bad Religion” (Christianity Today print edition, May 2012)
Why the New York Times columnist wants to see America return to its confessional roots.

David Weinberger: “New Research Confirms that Spending Cuts Stimulate the Economy” (The Foundry, April 17)

Audrey Barrick: “Youth Ministries Teaching Behavior Modification, Not Gospel?” (The Christian Post, April 17)
Ministry leaders are seeing a major problem among youth groups – an emphasis on behavior modification over the Gospel [sic].

Gordon T. Smith: “The New Conversion: Why We ‘Become Christians’ Differently Today” (Christianity Today web-only, April 18)
Evangelicals are undergoing a sea change understanding when it comes to this pivotal moment in the believer’s life.

Owen Strachan: “‘God is Not a Genie in a Bottle’: Ways We Misuse the Bible” (Christianity Today print edition, April 2012)
Why Eric J. Bargerhuff says we must avoid twisting Bible verses for our own advantage.

Mark Galli: “Andrew Sullivan Says Forget the Church. That’s Like Saying Forget Grace.” (Christianity Today web-only, April 17)
Why Christianity is a many splendored thing.

Jonathan K. Dodson: “Why the Missional Church Isn’t Enough” (The Gospel Coalition, April 9)

Justin Taylor: “An Interview with Duane Litfin on Word vs. Deed” (Between Two Worlds, April 19)

Alex Murashko: “Craig Groeschel Urges Generations to Set Aside Resentment” (The Christian Post, April 21)

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Articles of the Week - April 14

Here are some highlights from my reading this week. Some articles are insightful theological arguments, others discuss the institutional church.

Luiza Oleszczuk: “Should Christians Leave the Church? Polemics with Newsweek Article ‘Christianity in Crisis.’” (The Christian Post, April 6)
“Hipster Jesus” Debate: Was Christianity Destroyed by “Politics, Priests, and Get-Rich Evangelists”?

Tullian Tchividjian: “Law and Gospel, Part 2” (The Christian Post, April 9)
All of God’s Word in the Bible come to us in two forms of speech: God’s word of demand (law) and God’s word of deliverance (gospel).

Oliver D. Crisp: “Vicarious Humanity: By His Birth We Are Healed” (Christianity Today March 2012 print edition)
Our redemption, it turns out, began long before Calvary.

Brittany Smith: “Pastors: It’s Important to Cherish Season of Singleness” (The Christian Post, April 9)
Self-centeredness and idolatry are the two greatest destroyers of marriage, said one pastor at a panel on marriage on dating in Raleigh, N.C.

Perry Noble: “Mistakes I’ve Made When Trying to Make the Right Decision” (The Christian Post, April 10)
When a leader refuses to accept what others at the table are saying there is going to be trouble. This will usually happen because the leader is insecure and needs to be right.

Dennis Byrne: “Seriously? Trashing organized religion for politically opportunistic reasons? (Chicago Tribune, April 10)
The trashing of organized religion because of its involvement in civic discourse is seriously misplaced and politically opportunistic.

Greg Stier: “Angry Nerds” (The Christian Post, April 11)
Is it me, or is there a growing number of theologically conservative preachers, teachers, and seminary students who just seem ticked off all the time?

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Articles of the Week - April 7

I read a lot, and I mean that in both senses of the colloquialism: that is, I read a large quantity of material and I read a large variety of material. Books about my professional field or my personal interests cover my desk, and articles about the same fill my Google Reader feed.

It is to this latter, digital reading list that I am dedicating a new series of blog posts. While the title, “Articles of the Week,” may not turn out to reflect reality, I do hope to somewhat frequently provide a listing of some of the more thought-provoking, timely, or just interesting articles from the various RSS feeds to which I subscribe. Here are this week’s, many of which relate to the momentous events Christians all over the world commemorate this weekend.

Prospero: “Musicians as Entrepreneurs” (The Economist, March 30)

Leroy Barber: “You Don’t Have to Quit to Find Life-Giving Work” (Christianity Today web only, April 2)
Even if you don’t like your job, you have a calling to serve God and others.

Greg Stier: “The Gospel Test: Do Your People Really Know the Good News?” (The Christian Post, April 2)

Kevin DeYoung: “What is the Glue that Holds Your Church Together?” (The Christian Post, April 3)

Al Hsu: “He’s Calling for Elijah! Why We Still Mishear Jesus” (Christianity Today web only, April 4)
"My God, My God, why have you forsaken me" was a cry of vindication, not despair.

John Koessler: “Jesus Disappoints Everyone” (Christianity Today, April 2012 print edition)
Our Savior has come, but we're often blind to his purposes.

Kevin DeYoung: “Go to Dark Gethsemane” (The Christian Post, April 6)

Eric Zorn: “Remembering Your Online Security Question” (Chicago Tribune, April 8 print edition)