We’ll be taking a blogging break for Christmas, and will see you again Jan. 6. Enjoy your Christmas and New Year’s!
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.”
Podcast of the Week
Can We Trust the Gospels? Jimmy Roh and Peter Williams. When it comes to the New Testament, there are few contemporary names more towering than that of Peter Williams. So, when Dr. Williams tackles questions about the alleged contradictions in the Gospels, we listen. (Also, we would be remiss if we didn’t note that Jimmy Roh was a valued member of our staff team for a while. We’re sad to see him go, but wish him all the best at Midwestern. We hope Midwestern knows what a gift they have!)
Articles of the Week
My Ten Favorite Books of 2019, Trevin Wax. It’s that time of year again! No, not Christmastime. Top-ten-time! Some people may go overboard on the Top Ten lists, but we can’t ever get enough book recommendations. Looking to stock your 2020 reading list? Start with our friend Trevin. (I’ve already put Gladwell’s and McLaughlin’s books on my list!)
Adoniram Judson’s Spiritual Descendants in Massachusetts, Tobin Perry. It is hard to overestimate the impact Adoniram Judson had on the people of Burma (now Myanmar). When Judson arrived there 200 years ago, not a single person in the country was a Christian. Now there are more than 2 million Christians there. And, as Perry recounts here, many of those Christians are now arriving in the United States as refugees, revitalizing churches around the country. It’s a beautiful cycle to watch.
#MeToo, Power Disparities, and Why the Church Is Struggling to Help, David French. “I can’t help but think that the more the church looks at #MeToo through a culture war prism (as another attack on men, for example), the less it will lead, the fewer people it will heal. In culture wars you find an enemy and fight. In spiritual wars, you recognize sin and repent. That’s the value in the Southern Baptist Convention’s anguished self-examination and self-discipline. Repentance sows the seeds of revival.”
How the Loss of Landlines Is Changing Family Life, Julia Cho. Many people reading this will remember a time when homes shared one phone line. But if you’re under 25, you may not have any recollection of this unique era at all. Cho details what made landlines unique—and beneficial—for family life. In trading landlines for cell phones, we’ve obviously gained a lot. But what have we lost?
On the Lighter Side
What Is a Photocopier? Brett Weiner, New York Times. Depositions are exciting! Especially when defining a photocopier! (Be sure to watch to the end. Oddly satisfying.)
