Your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Video of the Week
Always Ask What They Mean by “God,” Tim Barnett. It seems like a simple enough statement. “I don’t believe God exists.” But as Barnett points out, this simple statement may not be as clear as any of us think. When someone makes a claim like this, best to ask what they mean by “God.” Because chances are, once they start telling you about the “God” they don’t believe in, you’ll agree. The god most Americans don’t believe in is one that we Christians don’t believe in either.
Also, if you’re feeling way nerdy, clink on the link in the article for the “Two Dozen or So Theistic Arguments.” Otherwise, just watch Barnett’s summary:
Articles of the Week
More Than Mere Equality: Identity Politics, Privilege, and Gospel Peace. Jonathan Leeman. Put your feet up and pour yourself a nice cup of Earl Grey for this one. (If you’ll believe it, this is the abbreviated version of the article. Our friends at 9Marks are nothing if not thorough. They have almost filibustered us into submission on the multi-site issue.) But once you’ve gotten yourself situated, this article is worth every minute. It’s a phenomenal look at some of the most pressing questions of our political time: Does “equality” mean equal process, equal opportunity, or equal outcome? What role does group identity play? What exactly is “white privilege?” And most important, How should churches respond biblically? Spend time with this helpful article.
I Wish I Had Done More to Help Poor White People, John Perkins. Wow. Perkins, an African-American icon and civil rights hero (and who preached here at the Summit in 2015!) shows courage and candor here. He confesses the racism that plagued the way he viewed poor whites for years. He paints a picture of the black-white divide in Mississippi in a way that displays sympathy toward all, while also prophetically rebuking all. We pray that many would follow the journey that Perkins has traveled—from distance and anger to closeness and love.
When “The Other Woman” Isn’t a Woman At All, Samuel James. Affairs ruin thousands upon thousands of marriages and families every year. But not every affair comes in the guise of a romantic relationship. Just as alluring is the idolatrous affair of overworking, an affair that is all the more dangerous for our ignorance of it. Most of us have intentional boundaries set up to prevent illicit sex from torpedoing our families. Why not create boundaries to keep work from doing the same? Husbands, don’t cheat on your wife with your job. Maybe you should stop reading this and go take her out. Well, go ahead and finish reading this. But then take her out.
10 Things Sexual Assault Victims Want You to Know, Karen Swallow Prior. These are uncomfortable to read, but absolutely necessary. Sin, after all, thrives in the darkness, so the first step toward opposing the sin of sexual assault is exposing the truth about it. Armed with this truth, the church has a precious opportunity to minister the balm of the gospel hurting souls.
On the Lighter Side
UNC Wins the National Championship … Because Michael Jordan Didn’t Go, Kyle Boone. Last year, UNC lost the NCAA basketball championship on a heart-breaking (or delicious, depending on your perspective) buzzer beater from Villanova’s Kris Jenkins (joy). Instantly, memes of Michael Jordan’s weepy face dominated the internet. This year, UNC finally got that title (congrats to you, Tar Heel faithful). But what you may not know is that they probably won because M.J. was so superstitious that he chose not to go to the finals. Sports, man. Makes people weird.
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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