This Weeks Good Reads

These were some of my favorite articles from the week:

1) “Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield” by Claudia De La Roca

This interesting interview with the creator of The Simpsons reveals more than just the locale of Springfield. In the interview Groening talks about his own relationship with the fictional family and the ways in which his life and theirs intertwined. My love for the show (read obsession) made this a great article.

2) “Gabe Lyons Calls the Church to Integrate Faith and Work” by Owen Strachan

This is an interesting interview with Lyons, the creator of Q Ideas. In it Lyons talks about the importance of having a theological vision of vocation. I’d definitely check it out.

3) “The Thomas Kinkade You Didn’t Know” by Joe Carter

I am no fan of Kinkade’s artwork. I agree with pieces like this one,  which highlight the blindness and theological fallacies of his work. But this is an interesting piece by Carter that presents us with some earlier work of Kinkade, it’s very different from his commercial success pieces. Check it out.

4) “Ross Douthat (and others) on Why Christianity Has Declined in the US” by Tim Keller

While not an official review of Douthat’s forthcoming book, this post interacts with his thesis. In a very thought analysis of the work and of comparable authors Keller posits that the church has been found in “perfect storm of trends, factors, and forces that have led to its decline in the U.S. This is a good introduction to what will, no doubt, be an important book.

5) “Joan or John?: A Dilemma in Christian Ethics” by Russ Moore

This piece from the most recent issue of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Magazine discusses a growing reality for churches and pastors across the nation. The reality of gender reassignment surgeries means that more and more people we come in contact with may have had this work done, and as some come to Christ the church will have to be ready to help them and answer their most pressing and obvious question. Kudos to Moore for tackling this gritty subject.