Monday, July 7, 2014

Offense Taken and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

by Ben Howard

Reads of the Week

1) Dirt is Resurrection and God is a Bad Farmer (Homily for the Parable of the Sower) by David R. Henson

"That’s the scandal of this parable. God is throwing seeds around like an intoxicated fool at the bar buying another round of drinks that she can’t afford. There’s no limit to the extravagance, to the generosity and love. What kind of farmer sows seeds on the hard path? What kind of farmer plants in the thorn bushes? What kind of farmer tosses seeds among the rocks? What kind of farmer wastes so much? The kind of farmer who doesn’t believe in hopeless causes."


2) Homeless Jesus by Juan Lopez


"It’s so easy to have a personal relationship with a Christ you never see. I worship this God as I sit in traffic, I’ve spent hundreds of dollars buying the right music. I’ve bought all the best inspirational books. I’ve attended many enlightening conferences. I pay my tithes faithfully and I’ve seen him bless me abundantly. At least that how I justify the extra pounds I’ve gained since I got married. Meanwhile the debt piles on and I keep pretending I’m walking with Christ."


3) The American Dream: Hobby Lobby, Pro-Life Ethics, and Me by Hannah Ettinger


"But what’s more, it’s the result of a complex network of decisions and chess moves by the conservative Christian right set in play for more than 20 years. And I haven’t thoroughly read all the details in the ruling and the dissent by Ginsburg (bless her), but this is personal and I know enough to get myself into a little trouble talking about it, and I need to talk about it."


4) The Most American Way to Watch Soccer by Valerie Dunham


"Only in the United States is soccer obscure. Only in the United States are we generally indifferent. And only in the United States could a group of fans turn one of the world’s most accessible games into a carefully guarded gated community. If anyone in that bar was watching the game against Germany like an American, it was the small group of people watching in the corner who thought they were unique for doing it."


5) The Treasonous Love of Jesus (A 4th of July Reflection) by Zack Hunt


"But even in the real world, where we are fortunate enough to not live under a foreign conqueror, our faith has become so infused with patriotism that the notion that a person can’t serve two masters – both God and Uncle Sam – is treated like heresy. And we have become so wedded to our politics that we’re blind the countless ways our love for America comes into direct conflict with our love for Jesus."


Honorable Mention

For the Love of Liturgy by Bronwyn Lea


The Graffiti That Made Germany Better by Andreas Kluth

Saint Darwin by Richard Beck

Why Wright is Wrong (Part 3) by Heath Bradley

Love is Not a Bad Thing by Emily Maynard

I Still Believe in a White Male God by Micah Murray 

Tweets of the Week

"I can turn beer and wings into obesity. Your move Jesus." - @AngelaEhh

"4-year-old: What’s a cubicle?

Me: It’s a place liberal arts majors go to be sad." - @XplodingUnicorn


"If the bald eagle sees his shadow on the 4th of July, there's six more weeks of America." - @michaeljhudson


Song of the Week

"I Wanna Get Better" by Bleachers


Peace,
Ben

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