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 occasional 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.”
Articles of the Week
Rosaria Butterfield Weighs in on “4 Stages of Evangelical Affirmation of Gay Marriage,” Denny Burk. Last week we featured an article from Burk outlining the general trajectory among evangelicals who eventually promote same-sex marriage. One of our readers pointed us to this follow-up piece, in which Rosaria Butterfield helpfully offers another stage.
Eight Pointers for Christians Starting Their Freshman Year of College, Austin Gentry. College is often wonderful, but for a young believer, it can be an environment filled with anxiety. Challenges to Christianity are everywhere. Don’t panic; just get prepared. Gentry is here to help, with lessons learned the hard way.
Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of My Diving Accident, Joni Eareckson Tada. What an incredible testimony to the satisfaction of the gospel. Bound to a wheelchair now for 50 years, Tada has the authority to say that Jesus is better than any suffering in life: “I really would rather be in this wheelchair knowing Jesus as I do than be on my feet without him.” Powerful.
Top Ten Surprises New Pastors Have, Thom Rainer. Okay, so I (Chris) don’t do very many weddings and funerals, which makes number 4 less than relevant. But every other item on this list is not only true but also legitimately surprised me to experience. If you aren’t a pastor, these may help shape the way you interact with yours and pray for him. And if you are a pastor—in the words of one of our generation’s prophets, G.I. Joe—“Knowing is half the battle.”
Why Christians Should Avoid Watching Rape Scenes, Katelyn Beaty. There sure are a lot of graphic rape scenes in contemporary media—from “13 Reasons Why” to “Game of Thrones” (on the television side) to “Room” and “The Birth of a Nation” (on the cinematic side). Christians seem unsure how to respond. On one hand, sexual assault is tragically common in real life, and many victims never speak of it. More transparency is healthy. On the other hand, as Beaty points out, depicting rape scenes via media profoundly harms people, not least those who actually do the acting.
On the Lighter Side
John MacArthur Soars Out of Lakewood Church Rafters to Elbow Drop Joel Osteen, The Babylon Bee. As you can tell from the photograph here, this quite clearly happened and isn’t a satirical story at all. 100 percent true.
