Wisdom for Your Weekend is your regular installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web. Presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with guidance from Pastor J.D., 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.”
While we do not always agree with everything these authors post, we share these resources because we find them challenging and enriching. As we often say around the Summit, “Eat the fish and spit out the bones.”
Articles of the Week
C.S. Lewis on Mere Liberty and the Evils of Statism, David. J. Theroux. You’ll want to find yourself a comfy seat and get the tea kettle going for this one. But if you like political musings or C.S. Lewis, you’ll want to find the time. (And if you like both politics and C.S. Lewis, give Brooke Medina a shout.)
Skillet’s John Cooper on Apostasy Among Young Christian Leaders, George Brahm. In recent weeks, several prominent Christians have “de-converted,” publicly walking away from the faith. The reasons for these individual decisions are complex, but John Cooper (the lead man for Christian rock band Skillet) wisely identifies a broad trend that is invariably at play—Christian celebrity. We’ve got to stop elevating the most relevant people in Christendom to inviolable positions of authority.
Crying in Church, Martha Park. In contrast to the de-conversion stories Cooper mentions (see above), Park’s reflection depicts the candid journey of re-entering church life. It is also a testament to the power of liturgy and religious ritual.
The Age of Comfort TV: Why People Are Secretly Watching “Friends” and “The Office” on a Loop, Richard Godwin. Streaming services now offer us more television options than ever before. Why is it, then, that the leaders on Netflix are older feelgood sitcoms like “The Office,” “Friends,” and “Gilmore Girls”? As Godwin puts it, “Most of us still want to watch half-hour shows about vaguely likeable people in which everything turns out OK.” One theory: We’re increasingly lonely and nostalgic for a more innocent time—or, at least, for a less charged and controversial form of entertainment.
Couldn’t, Wouldn’t, or Shouldn’t: Delegating Without Losing Your Soul, Rory Shiner. Delegation can be a tricky business. At its worst, delegation involves pushing the most annoying and menial tasks to other people. That doesn’t sound very Christlike, does it? But delegation doesn’t have to be a dirty word. In fact, delegation can reflect the humble acknowledgment of our own limits. So how do we strike the right balance? Three words—couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t. Not a bad metric at all.
On the Lighter Side
This is what the internet does right:
Another solid internet find pic.twitter.com/5BozbNsizj
— Frank (@Squirrely_Wrath) August 27, 2019
