Your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading around the web.
Articles of the Week
The Real Problem with Mark Driscoll’s “Citation Errors” (And It’s Not Plagiarism), Andy Crouch. Amidst much of the controversy surrounding allegations of plagiarism in Driscoll’s work, this is an insightful response—both charitable and a good warning for all of us. (Speaking as Pastor J.D.’s research assistant—one of many hats I wear—this is a live issue for us. Many of the posts on this site are collaborative efforts, and we try to make that clear—especially when my work has gone from merely editing to actually composing syntax based on his ideas and teaching. This is a learning curve for us, and we are exploring how to reflect our collaboration with transparency.)
Ten Arguments that Are Less Than Meets the Eye, Kevin DeYoung. “If you traffic the blogosphere, or just scroll down Hootsuite or your Facebook page, you will find these arguments in abundance. And they very often carry the day. But on closer inspection, the reasoning is often much less than meets the eye.” I think my favorite is #10: “We feel bad, so your arguments must be bad.”
Husbands, Wives, Stop Having Sex (Sometimes), Jonathan Parnell. “This is for real-life. This call to serve — and sometimes abstain — goes for both spouses. The effects are felt the moment a husband or wife walks into the bedroom and finds their spouse, whose body is under their authority, not feeling up to par. Maybe this is a surprise, perhaps an unforeseen end to an earlier expectation. Or maybe it’s the 100th night in a row of a debilitating illness.”
Does the White Church Understand Racism or Privilege? Bruce Ashford. This is a provocative article on race and the church, reflecting on the ideas of affirmative action and systemic racism. Much more conversation needs to happen along these lines if we are to reflect the multi-cultural and multi-racial church described in the book of Revelation.
What We Get Wrong About Gift-Giving, Dorothy Greco. “I entered marriage unaware that my gift buying habits reflected anything other than routine capitalistic behavior. But then one Advent season, my husband and I had a ‘disagreement’ centering on my tendency to overbuy (his interpretation) for our three young sons. In the course of that painful debrief, I was confronted with the reality that I did sometimes buy gifts for the wrong reasons. As any of you who are parents or caregivers know, raising kids has a tendency to uncover our insecurities.”
On The Lighter Side
Guide to Using the Office Microwave. Please people, think before you nuke.
