This Week’s Good Reads

These are some of the most interesting articles that I’ve found around the web this week:

1) “Defining Religious Liberty Down” by Ross Douthat

In this Op-ed piece from the New York Times, Douthat discusses three examples of how western politics have denied the free expression of religion while maintaining that they do not affect the freedom of worship. Douthat argues that these policies are at best dishonest. The free exercise of religion is key to religious belief and therefore these policies are a frontal attack on religion. He encourages the policy makers to be honest about their intent and their beliefs. It’s a compelling piece, even if I think he is making some assumptions about the nature of the Chick-Fil-A hullabaloo.

2) “How To Solve Problems Like Batman” by Mean Farokhmanesh

This is hilarious. Do you have what it takes to think like Batman, or are you just a poser?

3) “The Chick-fi-Asco: Why Boycotts Are Awful” by Alan Noble

An incredibly thoughtful analysis by Noble on how the cultural war being waged around a chicken sandwich is actually counter-productive to the discussion we should be having over same-sex marriage. My favorite quote: Making Chick-fil-A the symbolic battleground for the definition of “marriage” is a poor use of our resources. Are we making a public statement by supporting or boycotting Chick-fil-A? Sure, but only in a coercive and circuitous way. Rather than deal with the issue directly, we’re devoting resources to coerce a company to adopt our values. This method of political activism leaves almost no space for public discussion about the issue, since our “activism” is comprised of buying or not buying a chicken sandwich. The purchase doesn’t convince anyone of the rightness of our cause, just the extent of our power. If we want healthy public political discourse, we need to be encouraging charitable dialogue, rather than economic arm wrestling.

4) “McDonald’s on Chick-Fil-A-Day” by Drew Dixon

Drew writes a thoughtful reflection on how Chick-Fil-A appreciation day may be sending the wrong message to our non-Christian, and especially homosexual neighbors. I couldn’t agree more with what he has written here. Favorite quote: Honestly, I am glad I didn’t stop by Chick-Fil-A this morning because I have no desire to wait an hour for a chicken biscuit when I can get something just as good for cheaper in a fraction of the time. I also want to be cognizant of my neighbor and feel it’s important that we, as Christians, avoid turning absolutely every issue into a culture war of vast proportions. It just feels childish.