by Ben Howard Reads of the Week
1) My C-Word: An Introduction by Tina Francis
"I didn’t know how to tell my parents. When I finally found the courage to fess up, there was suddenly a distance between us. For the first time in my life, there was an “us” and a “them”—and it was happening in my own home. I didn’t want my parents to think I thought I was better than them, or that they needed to be “saved.” Still, hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop being “braggy” about Jesus."
2) "Look Away, Look Away": Brad Paisley and the Lie of "Accidental Racism" by Katie Grimes
"But symbols, like language, just do not work this way. As Aquinas recognized, intention cannot be severed from impact. Although intention matters, (think of the difference between life-saving amputation and gruesome mutilation) it is not the only thing that matters. Impact also unveils intention. In portraying his wearing of a Confederate flag t-shirt as racially harmless, Paisley resembles a man who brings a bull into a china shop and then insists he did not mean for all those dishes to get busted."
3) Go There by Lyndsey Graves
"This world is designed to keep you where you are. It is stratified and segregated so that you do not have to feel uncomfortable or out of place, to keep you satisfied and sedated so you will not bother the people in power. Do I sound Marxist enough for you to dismiss me yet?"
4) An Open Letter to the Church from My Generation by Dannika Nash
"So, my advice to you, the Church: if you’re looking for some intelligent biblical liberal opinions on the subject, have a little coffee chat with your local Methodist or Episcopal pastor. Christians can be all about gay people, it’s possible. People do it every day with a clear biblical conscience."
5) Too Many Years in Fantasyland: Guns, Kids and Some Strange Reality by Al Cedeno
"Sometimes you don’t need prophets. Sometimes you know exactly what is plaguing your society, and sometimes you fight tooth-and-nail to keep it because of entitlement, and invalid chain Facebook posts, and folk wisdom, and vague 300-year-old prose of dead deists. But mostly you do it out of fear."
Honorable Mention
Bible Files Restraining Order Against Fundamentalism by Lane Severson
Why I Don't Witness to People on Airplanes (A Post in 3 Acts) by Rachel Held Evans
The World of Kuo by Andrew Sullivan
Line of the Week
"I've lost my swagger. It was in my macrame haversack next to a super-sized catalog of orthopedic braces. Haven't seen it since." - Christopher Monks (@crmonks)
On Pop Theology Week in Review
The Beautiful Illusion of Justice
On justice, beautiful things that aren't true, and hope.
Brad Paisley Tries to Heal Race Relations; Fails Spectacularly
Brad Paisley and LL Cool J released a song called "Accidental Racist" and it's exactly as bad as you'd think.
Death and Don Draper
Jesse Baker explores Don Draper, his obsession with death, and the opening of season 6 of Mad Men.
Silver Linings Playbook, Mental Illness and the Church
Rachel Donegan discusses her own struggles with mental illness and asks what the church can do to help.
The Jenga Tower of Faith
Amanda Taylor talks Jenga, faith and sheet cakes that look like the American flag.
Song of the Week
"Pompeii" by Bastille
Peace,
Ben
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