Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Articles of the Week
Make Time for Books. You’ll Feel Less Busy. Hugh McGuire. You probably don’t believe McGuire. You probably think you simply don’t have time for books. To put it bluntly, you’re wrong. Books are the perfect antidote for the poison of digital stress. McGuire’s got neuroscience to prove it. Perhaps even better, he’s got three rules to help you get back into reading.
When Does Your Religion Excuse You from Doing Your Job? Eugene Volokh. This week’s news welcomes previously unknown Kim Davis to the bright lights of fame—or, more precisely, notoriety. Davis refused to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision (legalizing same-sex marriage), which led to a brief stay at the cozy Carter County Detention Center. Davis’ situation is actually a bit more complex than it initially seems. But all of this raises the bigger question: when is it appropriate to refuse to do your job on religious grounds? Volokh leads the way.
Responding to the Syrian Refugee Crisis, Mitch M. Many people have been asking how the American church can respond to the increasingly tragic refugee crisis in Syria. It’s not an easy situation, but there are several action steps that we can take. Mitch offers three big ones.
The Power of Pro-Life Women, Katelyn Beaty. The refrain is consistent, and has grown louder in recent days: if you care about women, you will support their right to choose an abortion. But as Beaty points out, this is a false dichotomy. She joins the ranks of many women around the country who are appalled at the idea that abortion is fundamental to women’s power.
11 Easy Steps to Repenting on the Internet, Barnabas Piper. There’s some sting in this one! It’s sad that we all know of a Christian leader who has crossed a line he shouldn’t have—an affair, financial hijinks, or some other shameful misconduct. Contrary to how social media might make it seem, the internet hasn’t created more of these failures. But it has changed the way that repentance happens. And not for the better.
On The Lighter Side
The First Time The New York Times Covered 19 Famous Things, Christine Haughney, Mental Floss. “The big change in Fred Trump’s operations in recent years is the advent of his son, Donald.” … “When the new building of The New York Times shall be completed, why would it not be fitting that the space about the edifice be called ‘Times Triangle’ or ‘Times Square,’ though perhaps it may not be a square?’” … “The Japanese characters pronounced ‘Nintendo’ are harder to translate. They constitute a fanciful expression having no precise dictionary meaning either in Japanese or English.” Yes, these are real. And 16 other goodies in here.
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.”
