This Week’s Good Reads

Some choice selections from around the web:

1) “Methodists Keep Stricture on Homosexuality” by Laurie Goodstein

Last week’s United Methodist Church convention ended with a surprising vote not to allow openly gay ministers to pastor in the UMC. The vote of 61 to 39 to keep the current strictures in place is largely due to the influx of conservative African pastors. This is a big move to stay steer this ship back towards Scripture and we should pray for our brothers and sisters in the UMC.

2) “New York and Christianity” by Eric Metaxas

An interesting look at the reality of Christianity in the Big Apple. Eric Metaxas looks at both the presence of Christianity within NYC and the faith’s movement towards urban missionary work globally.

3) “Andy Stanley, the Church, and Homosexuality” by Matt Rawlings

My pastor had some thoughtful reflections on the bruhaha surrounding Andy Stanley’s glaring omission of a comment on homosexuality, and that of a few other theologians.

4) “The Campus Tsunam” by David Brooks

This is a really interesting piece by Brooks on the shifts happening in higher education towards an online educational model. Brooks reflects on the potential value that such a shift could have for committed students and universities. I think the dangers are obviously great, but I think Brooks is right. The potential pros in favor of this shift are very encouraging.

5) “The PhD Now Comes With Food Stamps” by Stacey Patton

I hope plenty of people will read this and will stop making ignorant comments about people on welfare or those receiving government assistance. As Ms. Bruninga-Matteau says, “The stereotype does not reflect reality.” We can really resonate with this article and the reality is that we have a major proble in both economics and in higher education that must be addressed!

6)”Invitation to a Dialogue” by Cheryl Greenberg

This letter to the editor is a wonderful note on the value of a liberal arts education. As an English teacher I love this piece and agree with her support, like this gem: What does one need to succeed, even flourish, in such a market? The ability to think creatively, read critically, construct effective arguments using persuasive evidence, write clearly, remain flexible and look at issues with an open mind. These are skills taught best in broad liberal arts settings — even in majors like philosophy or zoology.