Your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Video of the Week
How to Talk on the Phone (Without Sounding Like an Idiot), Blimey Cow. You’ll have to get over this fella’s slightly . . . shall we say, Jack Sparrow method of delivery. (He’s twitchy and perhaps a touch too enthused.) But what he has to offer here would transform the average phone call. As one who despises calling people on the phone, I (Chris) found this illuminating. Next time you call me, know that I’ll be smiling. Literally.
Articles of the Week
Nine Marks of an Unhealthy Church, Kevin DeYoung. Sure, it would be easy to come up with a whole lot more than nine. But DeYoung puts his finger on an important group of bellweathers—signs that are easy to spot, but that many people wouldn’t recognize as red flags. If you see these creeping into your church, it’s time to call the doctor.
The Secret Shame of Abortion in the Church, Julie Roys. “One in every five women who gets an abortion identifies as evangelical… And according to Christian ministries working with this population, a vast majority of them will never reveal their secret. In interviews with about a dozen post-abortive Christian women, I heard each say they deeply regret their abortions and experienced profound emotional and spiritual trauma as a result. Without a place to confess and seek recovery, women who’ve had abortions remain shackled by fear, grief, and guilt.”
Who Should Raise Your Children? Trevin Wax. It sounds like a silly question. And it should. But it was a real debate in 1935, between a brilliant atheist and an equally brilliant Christian—Bertrand Russell and G. K. Chesterton. Wax takes a look at the debate, and brings it forward into the twenty-first century. This is a helpful primer for the way Christians should view public debate and natural law, whether talking about child-rearing or any other public issue—marriage, immigration, economics…the list goes on.
Six Reasons Sexual Predators Target Churches, Tim Challies. “It is terrible but true—sexual predators target churches. In the mind of a predator, a church offers a compelling target and, too often, and easy target. I recently worked my way through On Guard by Deepak Reju and learned that there are at least 6 reasons why sexual predators specifically target churches.”
On The Lighter Side
How to Sound Smart Even When You’re Saying Nothing, Will Stephen. They’re on to me…
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.”
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