by Ben Howard Reads of the Week 1) Telling Tulsa's Story by Jennifer Luitweiler "A young African American man stepped onto an elevator on May 31, 1921. Dick Rowland, likely on a break from his shoe shine job, had planned to use the restroom on the fourth floor of the Drexel Building. He and his colleagues had restricted access to public facilities; this was the one they were permitted to use . He probably took that trip twice a day every day, but on this Monday, what happened next lit the city of Tulsa on fire." 2)Jennifer Knapp and the Long Road Back by Addie Zierman "But that night at the concert, Jennifer Knapp gave me something else: a soundtrack to my heart’s greatest questions and hopes. She was singing about struggle. About failure. About grace, mysterious and beautiful." 3)When Every Knee Bowed by Natalie Trust "The priest paces the aisle during his homily and engages the crowd in ways that are much different from my priest, but he says the familiar words and I settle into the celebration. He tells us we are gifts, we are the reason for the season of Christmas, and my breath snags on my heart because I’ve never heard words said quite like this before." 4) The Year of the Minivan by D.L. Mayfield "nothing can ever be easy, is what i say in my bitter hours, as i fight my way through another day of chaos, as i long for routines and results, never fully expecting either. my next baby will not be grown in my belly, my next baby will be baptized into sorrows that took me decades to find. the next bend, the next year, will only further explore the broken aspects of my neighborhood, my city, my government." 5)When Church Is Like a Party by Ed Cyzewski "Balloons aren’t the most sophisticated element for a party, but they act as a signal: we’re celebrating, this is a PARTY. Every kid in our church associates balloons with a party. They danced and sang and threw balloons around. It was just as wild as any party with over 50 young kids turned loose with a pile of balloons." Honorable Mention Losing Mandela by Kelley Nikondeha Architecture of Thought by Carol Howard Merritt I Chose the Tears by Richard Beck Tweets of the Week "I don't eat junk food because I'm sad or I crave comfort. I eat it because it tastes so good & I'm weak." - @MrJakeJohnson "I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon. I’ll let you know." - @JimGrayOnline
"If you don't apathetically say 'go sports' to friends who like football, how will they know you went to a liberal arts college?" - @DaveHorwitz On Pop Theology Week in Review The Things That Keep Us Apart: A Review of Disunity in Christ by Charity Erickson "Christena Cleveland’s Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart is a lovely piece of writing. It’s humorous—always a welcome surprise in Christian literature!—and very smart." Bonfire of the Vagueries by Ben Howard "My grandpa and I had a deal when I was in college. He would give me books to read and have me write a book report. In return, he would give me $100. Needless to say, this was a pretty sweet deal, not to mention an innovative way for a grandparent to help out financially during what can otherwise be some lean years. But there was a slight catch: All of the books were by motivational speakers." Song of the Week "Red Clay Roots" by Laura Stevenson & The Cans
Peace, Ben You can follow On Pop Theology on Twitter @OnPopTheology or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OnPopTheology. If you'd like to help us pay the bills, you can donate via the button on the right of the screen.
Contact us at onpoptheology [at] gmail.com. You might also like:
"As a millenial, I’ve lived most of my years in our so-called 'post-racial' American church. Yet my earliest and most painful experiences of racism have all occurred in the church – at the hands of sincere Christians. And unfortunately, my stories are consistent with the stories of many other people my age and younger." 2)Silver and Gold by Ben Bishop
"I’m tired. Weary of bearing witness to the violence we human beings
rain down on one another. There are days when I feel wrung out like a
washcloth, sick to death of trying to talk to scabby drunks holed up
alone in their trashed apartments swilling mouthwash because it’s the
cheapest way to dull the pain of life. What good am I doing? I’m tired
of picking up one starfish at a time and throwing it back into the
ocean." 3)5 Reasons I Am Reformed by Nate Pyle
"For many, their understanding of Reformed theology stems from certain Calvinist voices. So when they read the above they may question if I am really Reformed. The short answer is, 'Yes.' Reformed theology is broad and diverse. What is typically represented by John Piper, Mark Driscoll, and Albert Mohler is one stream of Calvinism, but is not representative of all Reformed theology." 4)The Legacy of Thomas Szasz: A Meditation on Mental Illness and Metaphor by Richard Beck "Szasz argues that mental illness is a social fiction that is used to
mask moral conflicts within society. Crudely, behaviors we don't like we
label 'ill.' Behaviors we like we label 'healthy.' We then use the
medical profession, backed up by the state, to regulate social behavior."
5) Millennials Need to Know Church MUST Be Boring and Irrelevant by Ed Cyzewski
"Listen, church isn’t a party.
If you’re not slightly bored and a little depressed, then something
is most certainly wrong. You’re all so worried about everything in life
being a grand old time that you never stopped to ask: 'Does everyone
else like going to church?'
No. We most certainly don’t. Does that stop us? Not at all. That’s because it’s not about us."
Honorable Mention I Am A Millennial or When the Gaithers Make Me Cry by Krista Dalton The Color of God by Billy Coffey Listening Dialogue by Marty Troyer Tweets of the Week "Currently testing my theory that a good haircut solves all my software upgrade problems at work. #science" - Emily Maynard (@emelina) "When you look at Twitter's trending topics, it's a lot easier to
understand why they have to write "Do Not Eat" on silica gel packets." - Ashley Feinberg (@ashfein) "I admire your goal, but remember, if you blow it, now Hitler has a time machine." - Alex Baze (@bazecraze) On Pop Theology Week in Review On Pop Theology Podcast: Episode 34 - On Women in Ministry w/ Jen Thweatt-Bates by Ben Howard "This week on the show Ben sits down with Jen Thweatt-Bates, theologian
and moderator of Gal328.org, an organization working for gender equality
in Churches of Christ." Warrior Christ: Why Fox News Should Love Reza Aslan's Jesus by Charity Erickson "A refresher, for those of you who were living in a cave (Sicarii-style) last week: Fox News put the 'most embarrassing interview [they] have ever done' on the internet and, in addition to launching a boatload of delightful snark, it pushed Reza Aslan’s new book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus to the top of Amazon’s best-seller list."
"I
am not a serious human being. I can say that with some certainty
because in the last two days I've tweeted extensively on my war against
the sun and why sharks are jerks."
"Flying
has always helped me put my life back into perspective, which might be
why I waited until now, on a Southwest flight headed west, to begin
writing again." Song of the Week "First Breath After Coma" by Explosions in the Sky
by Ben Howard Reads of the Week 1) In Mississippi, The Mysterious Murder of a Gay, Black Politician by Ben Terris "It’s tempting to think Marco McMillian was killed because of his
race, his sexuality, or because he was running for mayor. The truth is
more elusive." 2) The Lost Shepherd and the Amoral Love of God by David R. Henson "Because as soon as I join the flock, the shepherd is lost. Perhaps we
should think of this parable in those terms, not the parable of the lost
sheep, but the parable of the lost shepherd." 3) When Words Are Without God by Preston Yancey "I was standing in a juice bar. My girlfriend — Ace, as I called her, the
nickname I had given her that night on the harbour under the half-moon
when I told her I loved her — stood across from me, tilting her head to
the left as she watched me from across the bar, my face falling as I
listened to the voice on the other end of my cellphone." 4) It's Impossible to Speak of the Gospel Apart from Power by Ed Cyzewski "The Gospel addressed the powers of our world, but it didn’t address these powers on their own terms." 5) On Being a Locksmith by Nish Weiseth "I told her that finding the key is hard - it's small and obscure and
each key looks totally different for each kid. But that's not even the
hardest part. The worst thing about it is after finding a key that works
for a while, something inside his little brain changes the lock, then
you have to go find a new key." Honorable Mention The Poor and the Fundamental Attribution Error by Richard Beck [ENOUGH] Chicago's Gang Culture Remixed by Natalie Y. Moore I Don't Want to Be a Christian Anymore by Micah Murray Line of the Week "ROME: New Pope to emerge shortly. If he sees his shadow, then its six more weeks of Conclave." - Xianity (@Xianity) On Pop Theology Week in Review Megachurches and Victor the Wrestling Bear: Lessons from the ABA by Ben Howard What do megachurches, Julius Erving and Halter Top Night have in common? God and Meteors by Jonathan Harrison Do you remember when that massive rock of death fell from the sky and exploded in Russia? Jonathan does. On Christian Superstitions by George Elerick Black cats, As Good As It Gets, and the perverse superstitions of Christian religion. A Tale of Two Popes: Catholics, Copts, and the Spirit That Binds Them by Sebastian Faust In the days after the election of Pope Francis I, Sebastian reflects on the election of a different pope. A Little Crazy Behind the Eyes: The Bachelor and How to Date 15 Churches at Once by Amanda Taylor If you're going to be ambivalent about church, isn't it best to blame that on reality TV? Song of the Week "The Fold" by Ivan & Alyosha
