Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Articles of the Week
The Gender Conversation We Aren’t Having, Tish Harrison Warren. Warren sets up this interesting article by calling the two predominant views on men’s and women’s roles “rival gangs,” which stings a bit … but is often too close to the truth. Whether you are complementarian or egalitarian, chances are you hold that view with conviction (and rightly so). And when a conviction is held tightly, it’s easy to see those who disagree with you as the enemy. But Warren’s biggest point—and what makes this article a gem—is that our conversation about gender roles, while important, might be distracting us from a different, but equally important, conversation: how can we create a church culture where women thrive?
6 Reasons North Carolina Got It Right, Frank Turek. Public bathrooms have been in the news quite a bit recently—specifically, arguments about who gets to use them. In some parts of the country, legislators have decided that individuals have the right to use bathrooms that don’t match their biological makeup. Here in NC, the decision went the other way, a decision that has gotten NC (and our governor) widely panned as “discriminatory” and “bigoted.” Turek shines some light on the decision, and shows how important it is that North Carolina kept its head amidst a sea of insanity.
5 Necessary Character Traits for Handling Criticism Well, Eric Geiger. If you want to avoid criticism, don’t become a leader. And certainly don’t become a leader in ministry. (Even that might not do the trick, though, to be honest.) So assuming that criticism is inevitable, how can we hear it and learn from it, instead of responding with defensiveness and bitterness? Geiger has you covered. These five character traits aren’t easy, but he’s right that they hold the key to receiving criticism well.
The Pro-Life Movement as the Politics of the 1960s, Richard John Neuhaus. We would like to apologize for taking this long to get around to Neuhaus, who is a hero for both J.D. and myself (Chris). Perhaps no other writer has shaped our view of engaging public life from a Christian perspective more than Neuhaus. Plus, he wrote with wit, flair, and backbone. We could use a few more Neuhauses. In this piece, he points out that the pro-life movement of today is best defined as liberal, because it challenges current practice and convention; while the pro-choice side is, ironically, conservative, trying to protect the establishment status quo.
How to Be a Better Theologian: Tips from 21 Experts, Edmond Sanganyado. Perhaps it should say, “Tips from 20 experts … and Chris Pappalardo.” Yes, full disclosure: I was involved in Sanganyado’s little survey. But the results were fascinating, and well worth sharing. The survey question was simple: “How can a layperson become a better theologian?” And, I might add, this advice would be just as useful for professional theologians.
On The Lighter Side
The 15 “Best” Christian Email Sign-Offs of All Time, Relevant Magazine. I am ashamed to say that I did, for an extended period in college, use one of these email signatures. And not in an ironic way. Thank God for the forward progress of sanctification.
In His grip,
Chris
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.”
