This Week’s Good Reads

Here are some interesting articles I found from around the web, maybe you’ll find something here worth reading too:

1) “Are Real Men Heroes that Never Play Video Games?” by Alan Noble

I find the common Evangelical trope on Gender roles tired and frustrating. Conceptions of manhood are far more cultural informed than they are Biblically. I wrote about this for Relevant Magazine a while back, but Alan Noble, as usual, has written a brilliant piece on it for Christ and Pop Culture. He offers balance to the common perspective, particularly as it was recently relayed by Eric Metaxas.

2) “Help! I Married an Introvert” by Stephen Miller

I appreciate the idea behind the article. Having married an introvert too and having often been frustrated by our differences I need to remember some of the concepts here.

3) “The Value of Small Group Diversity” by Wes Molebash

The SOPC offers us some incentive to think about the value of diversity in small groups. This is something I want to continue encouraging our small groups at Cornerstone to embrace.

4) “The Problem of Pornography” by Heath Lambert

I was really disappointed with this article from The Journal of the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Lambert offers seven reasons for why men look at pornography, all the motivations overlap with each other, all have to do with sex, and seem somewhat shallow. Furthermore, Lambert takes issue with one book on the subject which states that the motivations behind why men look at pornography is related to their brokenness. Lambert responds by saying that such a view makes men “effeminate.” Lambert writes, “If they do not receive this love they respond in sinfulness until their leaky love containers are repaired and filled up. When the solution to pornography is finding a way to fill up your neediness, the result is passivity…Such passivity leads to (and can be equated with) effeminacy because the call to biblical manhood is the call away from passive withdrawal and a summons to active engagement with God and others.” This I find absolutely asinine. Effeminacy should not be understood as passive withdrawal, there’s not Biblical reasoning here. Overall there are far better resources on this subject than Lambert’s article in JCBMW.

5) “The Psychopath Test” by Ed Welch

Welch reviews the popular new book The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson.

6) “Is Generation Y a ‘Game-Changer’ for Housing?” by Kris Hudson

Hudson gives some preliminary reflections on recent research discussing the future impact (or lack there of) of Millennials on the housing market. Many of the same points made by those who’ve investigated Generation Y’s impact on the car industry are found here as it relates to the housing industry. I find this sort of thing interesting.

7) “Radical Christianity?: A Call to Legalism or a Cause to Live?” by Ed Stetzer

Stetzer responds to the views of a number of people, most recently Anthony Bradley, on the new legalism behind the “radical” and “missional” Christian movements. Stetzer suggests more careful wording. The legalism, he says, is not inherent within the radical Christian movements, and certainly not what David Platt, Francis Chan and others have sought to instill. He believes we need more radical Christians, but that such “radicalness” is more an issue of the heart than one of specific actions. The failure of some is to equate radical Christianity with doing specific things and insisting that everyone do those exact things. Radical Christianity, he says, can be displayed in a myriad of ways, but should most definitely be pursued. I appreciate the balanced perspective, and think there’s much within this debate that is worth chewing on.

8) “Love Letter to a Lesbian” by Jackie Hill

Hill shares her own struggle with homosexuality and how she became a Christian, and how she has continued to struggle with her views on sexuality. This is a very good piece featured over at the Desiring God website. Whether you are one of my friends struggling with homosexuality or not this is a piece worth reading.

9) “10 Things Most American Don’t Know About America” by Mark Manson

I do not agree with all that this author says, some things strike me as a bit naïve. But I think overall this can be a good reminder that the world does not revolve around America. WARNING: this contains language that some will find offensive.

10) “The Ethics of Extreme Porn: Is Some Sex Wrong Even Among Consenting Adults?” by Conor Friedersdorf

The Atlantic is intriguing. The author is clearly not a conservative, and does not seem to write from within a Christian worldview. A back-and-forth exchange among a number of different authors is summarized here by Friedersdorf. The debate is whether consent is a sufficient moral determiner. Friedersdorf warns that undervaluing consent is dangerous. He says it that the degrading and disgusting pornographic displays of some are far better than the rape supported in ages past. But that strikes me as a false dichotomy; silly to compare one evil to another and say one is better than the other. Both are awful! What makes this piece interesting, however, is that Friedersdorf concludes, much like us, that no, consent is not enough to determine morality. That is both encouraging and surprising. WARNING: the piece is, at one point, a bit graphic as it describes a particular porn shoot in San Francisco (it simply states the facts without detail, but they are revolting facts nonetheless, so be forewarned).

11) “Just Another Evening of Dreams” by Ed Welch

Welch illustrates how we can think about and interpret our own dreams by giving us two examples from his own life. Ultimately he concludes this: Dreams are odd. And in their oddness we do not need resolute conclusions about them. If we do take a stab at interpretation, it will probably not be life changing.

12) “Why the Rising Social Awareness in the Church Should Encourage Us” by Justin Holcomb

This was such an encouraging piece that applauds the interest of the church in the issues of social justice, and yet also reminds us to keep a proper balance. Well worth your time.

13) “Tragic Worship” by Carl Trueman

Trueman argues that the problem with most modern worship today is that it is not entertaining enough. Particularly, he is concerned that the church do a better job of utilizing “tragedy” in our worship. A fascinating piece, and as usual, Trueman is thought-provoking.

14) “Everybody’s A Little Bit Racist: Why Being Called Racist Is Not The Issue” by Dianna E. Anderson

This is an important piece to reflect on. Ultimately, I appreciate Anderson’s point that the conversation doesn’t end when we acknowledge that each of us has racist tendencies, rather the conversation ends when we refuse to acknowledge them and address them.

15) “Facing Truth” by Andrew Peterson

Peterson writes a powerful piece that reminds us to be honest about our own “sicknesses,” and the recognition that we need Jesus more than we sometimes admit.