Water Polo With A Trident and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

by Ben Howard

Reads of the Week 

1) All Oppression Shall Cease: A Feminist Theology of Power by Suzannah Paul
"Our world has a jacked up relationship with power. If we're Christians, we might admit that our world has a sinful relationship with power, and as a Church, we are chief among sinners."
 
2) Boys and Dolls: A Father's Response by Micah Murray
"This is why boys, in Sesame Street and in real life, should play with dolls. Not because there’s no difference between boys and girls, but because boys and girls both need to learn to be gentle and caring and compassionate as well as strong and adventurous and brave."

3) How [Not To] Respond to Abuse Allegations: Christians and Sovereign Grace Ministries by Rachel Held Evans
"Yes, we should withhold judgment unless the defendants are proven guilty. But what we can judge, and what we should flatly condemn, is Sovereign Grace Ministry’s repeated efforts to evade any external investigation into these allegations."

4) No Beauty Without Ash: The Paradox of True Christian Art (or, Getting Ready for Easter) by Brandon Ambrosino
"The challenge of creating work that is authentic to a proper Christian aesthetic is one of balancing beauty and ash."


5) Unlikely Allies and Not That Kind of Christian by Bo Sanders
"The reality is that this is Christianity. I don’t mean following the teaching of Christ or something – I mean that Christianity is product, a brand and an institution at some level. It’s no use saying ‘that is not real Christianity’. It is Christianity. It’s what Christianity has become."

Honorable Mention

Metro-Evangelicals and Their Organic Produce by Keith Miller

Erratic Fire, Erratic Passion: Poem Assembled from Metta World Peace (aka Ron Artest) Quotes by Jeff Parker

Michelle Alexander: Jim Crow Still Exists in America by Fresh Air on NPR 

Line of the Week

"ESPN's coverage of the Pope's departure has been disgraceful." - Daniel Fienberg (@HitFixDaniel)

On Pop Theology Week in Review

Bad Music Theology: "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift 
A quixotic quest to turn bad music into mediocre theology.

God is NSFW
Hinduism, Song of Solomon and sex.

Rick Warren Tips and the Darkest Timeline
What happens when I explain #RickWarrenTips alongside my self-critical internal thoughts?

Prayers to a Dark God
A visit to Prague and a conversation with Rainer Maria Rilke

Community and Nostalgic Zombies
The value of remembrance and the danger of nostalgia.

Song of the Week

"I Can't Wait" by Star & Micey

Peace,
Ben 

You can follow On Pop Theology on Twitter @OnPopTheology or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OnPopTheology.

 Contact us at onpoptheology [at] gmail.com