Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading around the web.
Video of the Week
David Platt reflects on his decision to become the IMB’s next president:
Articles of the Week
The FAQs behind the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge,” Andrew T. Walker & Joe Carter. If you haven’t heard of the “Ice Bucket Challenge” by now, then you probably don’t have a Facebook account—or other social media, for that matter. (Which raises the question: why are you reading a blog?) The creative online ALS campaign has gone viral, but many have voiced ethical concerns about the charity behind it. Walker and Carter offer a helpful primer.
When Others Judge…Beware Judging In Return, Staci Eastin. “A while back I went to a meeting. A woman I had never seen before was standing alone, so I went and introduced myself. After we had chatted a bit, she confessed that she was worried about the meeting, because it was clear that the other women there were ‘not her type.’ She then went on to list the reasons why she was different—and superior—to the other women present. The problem? Those women were my friends.”
5 Things Not to Say When Someone Shares, ‘We’re Adopting!’, Natasha Hanneman. The more we emphasize adoption here at the Summit, the more conversations we should be having about the why of adoption. This is helpful—and, thankfully, gracious—article to guide us as we respond to the happy news of our friends beginning the adoption process. I confess: more than one of these statements has left my lips. (Apologies, all!)
Our Thoroughly Modern Enemies, Ross Douthat, NYTimes. “The idea that America’s foes and rivals are not merely morally but chronologically deficient, confused time travelers who need to turn their DeLorean around, has long been a staple of this administration’s rhetoric. Vladimir Putin, Bashar al-Assad and tyrants in general have been condemned, in varying contexts, for being on the dreaded “wrong side of history.” Earlier this year, John Kerry dismissed Putin’s Crimea adventure in the same language Obama used last week: ‘19th-century behavior in the 21st century,’ foredoomed by its own anachronism. These tropes contain a lot of foolishness. Where ISIS is concerned, though, they also include a small but crucial grain of truth.”
On The Lighter Side
“T-Shirt War,” Rhett & Link. Clever idea, creatively executed.
