Every week I gather together some interesting articles from around the web. Here is this week’s list, check it out:
1. “Evan McMullin on Same-Sex Marriage, CIA, Goldman Sachs” by Yahoo Finance
The Newest Presidential candidate looks the most compelling to me. It’s still early for him, but I appreciated many of his answers in this short interview.
2. “A Controversial Article and What We Can Learn” by Jason Cook, Jemar Tisby, and Isaac Adams
This is a great conversation on racism, both intentional and unintentional. These three brothers at The Gospel Coalition discuss some good intentions that ultimately came off as very micro-aggressive. For those looking to understand racial issues from a black Christian’s perspective this is a good starting place.
3. “Beauty will Save the World” by Hannah Anderson
A wonderful reflection on the power of art and the importance of beauty for transformation. The temptation to simply give in to pragmatics when it comes to injustice, broken systems, politics, and more is real, but art has an important role to play in our grasping of deep concepts of justice, right, and true. Check out this wonderful article from my friend Hannah.
4. “Men, Shame Has No Place in Your Accountability Group” by Krispin Mayfield
Shame “doesn’t necessarily motivate a change in behavior, but it does galvanize a better plan to hide it.” In order to really help one another fight the sin of lust, and particularly pornography, Mayfield suggests we must first deal with the shame that keeps us from confessing it. He does a great job of here of making his case and even concludes with three suggestions for how to address it.
5. “Lay Aside the Weight of Moodiness” by Jon Bloom
Desiring God has a great article on thinking theologically about our “bad moods” and how we can and should address them. While he acknowledges that sometimes there may be biological/biochemical causes, we must also be willing to acknowledge potential spiritual causes. Our moods are often related to what we think about and believe. So, here he outlines that relationship and what we can do about it.
6. “Why Straight Women are Marrying Each Other” by Abigail Haworth
This is a fascinating article on the Tanzanian practice of older women marrying younger women in order to maintain control of their land after their husbands die. The marriages described here are not the same as the same-sex marriages we know in the West, but the reflect something of a cultural alternative to isolation and deprivation. I can’t help but wonder if something more akin to friendship covenants in the west would have a similar positive effect.
Pastor Dave Online 