As well as reading a lot of books, I also read a ton of articles every week. Here are some of the articles that I’ve read recently and have found interesting, helpful, challenging and encouraging. I hope that they will be the same for you, my dear readers…
Can We Reshape Ourselves into Whatever We Want?
“This illusion of sovereign self-creation through consumption still has its limitations. All of us are ultimately limited by a variety of factors that are not always susceptible to transubstantiation by credit card. First, there is the range of goods or lifestyles on offer. The marketplace does not have an infinite number of products for sale. The consumer is not an absolute monarch; as noted above, the marketplace involves a negotiation between supplier and consumer.”
Tutu – Saint or Sinner?
“After his death leaders of both Church and State throughout much of the world queued up to offer their praise. In the UK Boris Johnson, Justin Welby, the Queen, Keir Starmer and many others joined in. It seems as though everyone praised him. And therein lies the problem. When the whole world praises you – including those who hate Christ and his Church – then beware. Jesus foretold that his disciples would face trouble and persecution in this world. He also gave this stark warning – “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets” (Luke 6:46).”
THE PURPOSE OF SUNDAY IS THE RE-EVANGELIZATION OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD
“The sinner’s need for the gospel doesn’t end when he is converted. While the fullness of eternal life is bestowed upon the vilest sinner at that point, he still needs the good news to grow him, mature him, sanctify him.”
The Blessed Curse
“Suffering and pain are part of the curse of living in a fallen, sin-stained broken world. But they can also be an opportunity to learn that pain can be a blessed curse if we run to Christ.”
Justice: The Foundation of a Christian Approach to Abuse
“this paper is arranged into two sections. First, we will examine the claim that Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) is itself a picture of abuse and demonstrate that, properly understood and articulated, PSA is instead a repudiation of the sinful power dynamics that enable abuse and an affirmation of the victim’s longing for justice. In the second section, we will examine 4 ways in which this understanding of justice informs the ways in which Christian communities understand abuse and how they treat victims of sexual abuse.”
That One Common Ache
“We are a funny people: planning, mapping, strategizing. We purchase gym memberships and anti-wrinkle creams, free-range this and organic that, paralyzed by anxiety of our inevitable aging and death, fearful of missing out on a life-changing blurb awaiting us on social media, and agonizing over insufficient retirement funds. So much preparation for worldly things, while prone to disregarding our soul’s eternal future.”
What We Would Be Missing If We Didn’t Have the Book of Acts
“Some of Paul’s letters correspond to each other and the four Gospels overlap, but most of what is found in Acts can be found in no other document. Without Acts there would be no account of fire and wind at Pentecost, no description of Peter’s encounter with Cornelius, no narrative of the rise of the multi-ethnic church in Antioch, no story of Paul’s visit to Philippi, Corinth, or Ephesus, and no account of Paul’s trials in Jerusalem and Caesarea.”
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