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
Authenticity Just Means Faking It Well, Gilad Edelman. Countdown! Only 543 short days until our next presidential election. That means 543 days of presidential campaigning, full of sound and fury. And, as Edelman points out, quite possibly signifying nothing. When it comes to judging political candidates, we are drawn to those who seem “authentic.” But authenticity on the campaign trail is, more often than not, a ruse.
Dealing with the Shock of an Evangelical Terrorist, David French. Few phrases should unnerve Christians more than “evangelical terrorist.” Yet, in the wake of the Poway synagogue shooting, the phrase no longer seems as outrageous as it should. What are Christians to make of a man who was able to articulate the gospel clearly, while still holding to an ideology of white supremacy and violence?
Reflecting on Rachel: Why She Mattered, Ed Stetzer. “What Rachel did, and what so many others in our churches are (sometimes silently) doing, is more common than most know: she questioned what she had been taught and what she was seeing. Doubts, questions, and concerns are part of every believer’s life, whatever form that takes and at whatever stage of life. And, watching the reaction to her death has reminded me that our churches need to be a safe place for people who wander, and for people who wonder.”
Let the Outrage Culture Help You Share the Good News, Ashley Marivittori Gorman. Any article that kicks off with an apt “Beauty and the Beast” reference warrants a read in my book. Gorman sees an upside to the perennially outraged world we’re living in: The outrage we see on the web makes certain Christian truths more compelling.
Fears About 13 Reasons Why Confirmed, Mary Jackson. There are far too many articles like this—simultaneously unsurprising and tragic. When Netflix’s original series 13 Reasons Why debuted two years ago, depicting a high school girl’s extended decision to kill herself, psychologists warned that the series was glorifying suicide. Now the statistics are in. The result? Teen suicides saw a huge jump immediately after the show’s release.
On the Lighter Side
Treat Your Mother Right, Mr. T. This weekend is Mother’s Day, so listen to Mr. T and treat your mother right!
