Brad Pitt Sticking His Tongue Out and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

It is what I said it was.

by Ben Howard

Reads of the Week

1) God Needs a Hobby by Alex Pappademas
"Don't cry for Dan Harmon. Yes, he's still the most famously unemployed writer in television. Yes, two people who are not Dan Harmon are now running Community, the cult sitcom Harmon created in 2009 and was fired from by NBC three years later. But things are looking up."

2) When There's Always Another Story by Elora Nicole
"Slowly, the questions started. Why did I hate sex? I waited. It was supposed to be amazing, right? We were supposed to have these incredible nights of passion. Friends would make quips about being married and enjoying the “perks” and I would smile, nod and join the conversation knowing I was lying. I didn’t get the perks. I hated the perks. The perks made me cry."

3) On Meditation, or, I Don't Particularly Like Organ Music by Shaney Irene
"I'm sitting here in a Catholic church. It’s not particularly large or particularly ornate. Apparently I got here just in time, as the lady who was watering the flowers when I came in just told me she’s locking the doors and asked me to make sure they close behind me when I leave"

4) Inside the Battle of Hoth: The Empire Strikes Out by Spencer Ackerman
"The war machine built by Emperor Palpatine and run by Darth Vader is a spectacularly bad fighting force, as evidenced by all of the pieces of Death Star littering space. But of all the Empire’s failures, none is a more spectacular military fiasco than the Battle of Hoth at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back."

5) There is a Difference Between Liberal and Progressive by Bo Sanders
"So please believe me when I say that there is as big a difference between Liberal and Progressive and there is between Evangelical and Emergent."

Honorable Mention

What Are We Being Saved From? Ourselves by Tony Jones

Christianity, Community and Side Effects by Al Cedeno

The Jeopardy! Teen Tournament Just. Got. Real. by Rembert Browne

Line of the Week

"I really wish Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John were still around so they could sue The "Gospel" Coalition for libel." - Zack Hunt (@TheAmericnJesus)

On Pop Theology Week in Review

Style and Substance: When Church is Like a Dunk Contest
What happens when the church becomes all about flash and flair? It misses the point.

Life Imitates Art Imitates Life: Why Broken is Compelling and Normal is Boring
We wouldn't trade our lives for those of TV characters, so what makes them so fun to watch?

I Remember the Ashes
An Ash Wednesday reflection on my first experience with Lent.

Faith As Measured By Camels
We need to use what we know, to try and understand all the things we don't.

What Oppression Looks Like
A black man between the ages of 18 and 25 is more likely to be in prison than employed. This is what oppression looks like, and I am part of the problem.

Song of the Week

"Holy" by Frightened Rabbit

Peace,
Ben

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