Your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Video of the Week
Can the Religious Right Be Saved? Russell Moore. Earlier this week Russ Moore delivered the “Erasmus Lecture” for First Things (America’s most influential journal of religion & public life). Part autobiography, part cultural analysis, this is an incredibly insightful perspective for Christians today who are still asking, Is there any future for the “Religious Right?” Moore throws some well-deserved haymakers in here, but also offers a way forward. The entire thing is worth your time.
Articles of the Week
Joy Comes in the Morning, but Maybe Not Tomorrow Morning, Barnabas Piper. The Bible says, “Mourning may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Most of us apply that in a rather mundane way: not feeling great? Sleep it off! Things always look better in the morning. And while that may be sound advice, it’s probably not what the psalmist meant by “joy in the morning.” Piper helps us see what he did mean.
Save Your Soul: Stop Writing, Lore Ferguson Wilbert. Not everything in our lives needs to be made public, but there certainly is a lot of pressure to over-share in the name of authenticity. If we’re making our private struggles public too often or without any discernment, not only do we perpetuate a dangerous pattern for others, but we can actually prevent God from doing what he needs to in our darkest moments.
The Scandal of Election 2016, Beth Moore. We promise that we’ll back off from posts about politics soon. But this one is just too good. And it’s not about politics, anyway. It’s about the church being the church during election season. As Moore points out, with all the panic, fear, and rage we—yes, even we Christians—have displayed this election season, we are demonstrating to the world that we trust more in politics than we do in Jesus. Beautifully written and powerfully challenging.
Should We Say, “The Bible Says?” – A Response to Andy Stanley, John Piper. In the ongoing conversation about preaching, the authority of Scripture, and reaching post-Christians, Piper helpfully weighs in. He begins this article by (1) carefully summarizing Stanley’s view and the underlying assumptions, then (2) offers some critical questions about those who follow Stanley’s method, and closes by (3) emphasizing the ways in which we should all learn from and emulate Stanley’s passion.
On The Lighter Side
What’s the Big Deal about Cracker Jacks? Harry Caray. In honor of the Cubs making the World Series (first time since WW2!), we bring you legendary Cubs announcer Harry Caray … who was so scarred by not getting a Cracker Jack prize that it stuck with him for decades. One of his many zingers: “It’s hard to think in laudatory terms of the product.”
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.”
