Your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Articles of the Week
Are American Christians Really Being Persecuted? Karen Ellis. When it comes to persecution in the United States, there are two competing narratives. One side represents the apocalyptic—and often paranoid—perspective. These people tend to find persecution all over the place, sometimes in the most mundane political happening. The other side sees the first group as the “boy who cried wolf.” The situation in the U.S., they maintain, simply hasn’t risen to the level of using the “p word.” For perspective, it helps to hear what Christians outside our country are saying. What may surprise us is that many of them are already using the “p word” for our American experience. Their warnings are worth listening to.
Six Go-To Sources for Political News, Bruce Ashford. If you’re going to the same website for all of your news, chances are you’re missing quite a bit. And if you’re relying on social media for your news (yes, we know you’re out there), you’re missing even more. Stay informed, read outside your comfort zone, and think critically about what the newsies are shouting at you. Ashford, one of the Summit’s directional elders, shares a handful of his go-to sources so you can think deeply about the news, even if you’re pressed for time.
Five Lessons for Serial Daters, Phillip Holmes. It’s that time of year, when young and vibrant students descend on their college campuses, “free from parental accountability and looking for love.” While Christians aren’t likely to buy into the hook-up cultures at these colleges, they too may be thinking more about romantic chemistry than molecular chemistry. For those students (and for those of us who pastor them), Holmes has some hard-won life lessons.
Keeping Faith without Hurting LGBT Students, Alan Noble. Many conservative Christian colleges do not let their students be in same-sex relationships as part of their school’s code of conduct. This restriction has recently come under fire in California, where many have argued that these schools are unjustly discriminating. Noble argues (1) that the government should protect the religious liberty of these schools, but also that (2) the schools need to approach those with same-sex attraction with much more compassion. Religious freedom and protections for LGBT students are not at odds.
10 Public Speaking Tips from Charles Spurgeon, Christian George. Charles Spurgeon could do “anything he pleased with his audience,” or so wrote his elocution teacher, James Sheridan Knowles. Spurgeon knew his Scripture well, but he also knew what to do with his voice and his posture. If you preach (or ever plan to), listen to 10 tips from the Prince of Preachers (though you may be able to ignore #9).
On The Lighter Side
Bottomless Pit of Despair, Parks & Rec. There are biblical and wise ways to deal with disappointment. And then there is Chris Traeger’s method.
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.”
