Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Articles of the Week
Safe Schools, Gender Non-Conformity, and Common Sense. Kevin DeYoung. North Carolina is currently embroiled in its own little controversy about the definition of gender and its implications—for us, about public bathroom use. Up in Michigan, a similar situation is brewing with regard to “creating a safe space” for LGBTQ students. In a certain sense, of course, we support creating “safe spaces” (see our recent post here). But as DeYoung points out, some of the proposed reforms in Michigan would do just the opposite. For the sake of safety and motivated from a position of love, we need to exercise wisdom and common sense as we discuss sexuality.
4 Reasons to Write by Hand (Rather Than Type), Shaunacy Ferro. I (Chris) heard about something like this on a Freakonomics podcast a while back, but this gets at all the same info in a much briefer fashion. I don’t care too much about spelling ability, but the other three benefits here are enormous. What is perhaps most shocking about this is how many people will continue to write and take notes on their computers, even after presented with this evidence. So my passionate plea to you: don’t be like the unthinking masses. Pick up a pen and paper and you’ll be smarter.
Five Things Denominations Need to Learn, Jonathan Howe. Christians are, by our very nature, a communal people. We gather into churches, and those churches gather into societies, networks, task forces, denominations (and on and on). This can be divisive, but it can often be a powerful way of uniting together for the sake of God’s mission. Recently, it’s been more exciting to be a part of many cross-denominational “networks” rather than about denominations themselves. Perhaps it’s time that denominations become more like these young bucks known as “networks.” Howe shows us … how.
Six Foolish Things I Used to Believe about the Ministry, Scott Slayton. One of the more embarrassing aspects of sanctification is looking back on the silly things we used to say, do, and believe. But as Alexander Pope put it, “No one should be ashamed to admit they are wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that they are wiser today than they were yesterday.” So we appreciate Slayton showing us a little of his past folly in regard to the ministry, in the hopes that we might avoid just a smidgen of it.
3 Principles for Talking Politics on Social Media, Samuel James. Many of you, no doubt, would have made this article much shorter: 1 Principle for Talking Politics on Social Media—don’t. And it’s an understandable response. After all, so many of the political volleys we see on Twitter and Facebook are vitriolic and unhelpful. But perhaps there’s a way of engaging political issues on social media in a way that helps others and honors Christ. This article is a great start in that direction.
On The Lighter Side
Even the most misplaced sense of confidence can carry you pretty far if it’s a strong sense of confidence. Go boldly, my friends.
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.”
