How to Read More, When to (Digitally) Speak, & Female Ghosts in the Church

Your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.

Video of the Week

A Two-Minute Clip on Same-Sex Attraction That Every Christian Should Watch, Sam Allberry. In a few short words, Allberry is able to explain why we use the phrase “same-sex attraction” (rather than “gay”), how the life of Jesus is relevant to our discussions about homosexuality, and why the Christian message about sexuality is—and always has been—good news.

Articles of the Week

Four Requests for Young Evangelical Writers, Samuel James. I (Chris) would like to add another, perhaps more preliminary request: please learn to write well. James’ requests here, however, assume that you know what you’re doing with words. Fair enough. As you embark on that budding writing career, young Christian, heed James’ warnings. You’re likely to fall into the sins he mentions here very easily, so it’s wise to spend some time tackling them head-on. (Note: this isn’t our Sam James, the missionary who planted Homestead Heights—the church that would become the Summit. But our Sam has done some writing of his own, so pick up his book: Servant on the Edge of History.)

Three Female Ghosts That Haunt the Church, Jen Wilkin. If you’re a male staff member at a church, this is a must-read. (If you’re not on staff or not a man, this is a still-probably-oughta-read.) Wilkin offers a gentle, sharp, and incredibly clever note of correction here. She doesn’t assume that men in the church are intentionally sexist or that they hate women. But she can see what many of us often miss: that many men in the church assume a posture of fear in their interactions with women. We’re walking around afraid of ghosts, and the result is harmful for everyone.

Eight Ways to Read (A Lot) More Books This Year, Neil Pasricha. Nearly everyone we know says they would like to read more. So what does it actually take to get there? You don’t have to read quickly, or be scary brilliant, to read 25 books in a year. You just need to change a few behaviors. I can speak from experience here: you can do this, and you won’t regret it.

10 Thoughts on Speaking (and Not) in a Digital World, Kevin DeYoung. It’s been said that good pastors will have their Bible open in one hand and their newspapers open in the other. The point being that we should always shepherd our people from the unchanging truth of Scripture, but doing so with an eye toward current issues and idolatries. The message we offer, in other words, needs to be both timeless and timely. But as DeYoung points out, that combination can be difficult to maintain when it comes to our “public platform.” How can pastors speak relevantly to their people without being pulled around by current events? Ten very helpful thoughts here.

On the Lighter Side

Mr. Bean rocks the invisible drums. He just does.

Wisdom For Your Weekend is presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from J.D. Greear. This is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”