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, when it comes to reading, “Eat the fish and spit out the bones.”
Articles of the Week
How to Be More Public with Your Faith, Tim Keller. Recent surveys of religious affiliation show that the need for personal evangelism in the United States has never been greater. And yet Christians have never been more reticent to share their faith than today. It’s no secret why: As Keller notes, sharing our faith in today’s society is more dicey than ever. In an atmosphere of passionate relativism, Christians need to share their faith with astounding patience, courage, and thoughtfulness.
Workism Is Making Americans Miserable, Derek Thompson. For many Americans, our work has taken on all the weight and freight of religion—promising identity, community, even transcendence. Unsurprisingly, our jobs aren’t up to the task. How did we get here? And where’s the exit ramp from this miserable highway?
God Is Not Silent About Sexual Assault, Katie McCoy. “The Bible neither covers up nor ignores sexual assault. God’s law shows how the Lord takes up the cause of the victim and the vulnerable. There is one passage in particular, Deuteronomy 22:23-27, that safeguarded women who had been violated from being unjustly blamed or not believed. Among God’s people, He established a pattern that protected the survivor from being silenced, marginalized, and discredited. In ancient Israel, these laws established a pattern, an ethical framework by which God’s people could discern specific situations. And like all of God’s laws, they reveal the heart and character of the Lawgiver.”
We Shall Not Weary, We Shall Not Rest, Richard John Neuhaus. Simply put, this may be the most beautiful and powerful pro-life speech ever given.
We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until every unborn child is protected in law and welcomed in life. We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until all the elderly who have run life’s course are protected against despair and abandonment, protected by the rule of law and the bonds of love. We shall not weary, we shall not rest, until every young woman is given the help she needs to recognize the problem of pregnancy as the gift of life. We shall not weary, we shall not rest, as we stand guard at the entrance gates and the exit gates of life, and at every step along the way of life, bearing witness in word and deed to the dignity of the human person—of every human person.
Girl, Get Some Footnotes: Rachel Hollis, Hustle, and Plagiarism Problems, Katelyn Beaty. Rachel Hollis is back with Book #2: Girl, Stop Apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals. Her first book (Girl, Wash Your Face) took the world by storm, spreading a message that promises to inspire women to achieve their dreams. Unfortunately, as many have pointed out, Hollis offers about two minutes of inspiration, followed by nearly immediate exhaustion. As Beaty points out, Hollis’ prescription doesn’t deliver on the liberation it promises. (That, and it borrows from a lot of pop wisdom that Hollis doesn’t even acknowledge.)
On the Lighter Side
Time Travel, Nate Bargatze. “If I could go back in time, I’m not sure I could make a difference at all.” (HT Mike Leake)
