A Happy Alabama Fan and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

by Ben Howard

Reads of the Week

1) Love That Swerves by Shannan Martin

"All hell broke loose when we adopted a 19-year old convicted felon and welcomed him into our home. The problem wasn’t him, or at least he wasn’t the biggest problem. The problem wasn’t us, or at least we weren’t the biggest problem."

2) We Should Listen to Louis C.K. by Cindy Brandt

"I’m not sure if Louis C.K. is religious or not, but he has incisively touched upon a profound truth – if we do not allow ourselves to go to the deep, dark place, we deny ourselves the fullness of life and survive with superficial satisfaction. If church is to be a place where we invite people to meet with God, we must provide a space to plunge past  the urges to placate those initial nagging thoughts of sad, and immerse ourselves in full-blown lament."

3) Losers, Amish, and the Reign of Christ by Nadia Bolz-Weber

"I think this imago dei, this image of God, creates in us a longing for what is real and beautiful and redemptive. And even as we are drawn to self-preservation and the game of winners and losers, there is something in us that always knows it’s all a lie."

4) When It's the Worst Thanksgiving Ever by Bethany Suckrow

"Instead of counting our blessings, Thanksgiving feels like a cruel cliche rubbed into our pain like salt on a wound. Instead of rearranging furniture for the Christmas tree, we find ourselves making room for a hospice bed. Instead of bringing everyone together for the big feasts of our childhood, we’re planning for a funeral."

5) Mark Driscoll's Plagiarism Witch Hunt by Christian Piatt

"Yes, I know it is Thanksgiving. So maybe I am feeling a little bit more generous than usual. But even I am not beyond offering some grace and compassion toward Mars Hill Pastor Mark Driscoll,  especially when I think he is being treated unfairly."

Honorable Mention

5 Reasons I'm Glad I Was Raised Evangelical by Rachel Held Evans

When All We Give is to Our Imagined Poor by Krista Dalton

Crossing Borders in the Church: On Embracing Undocumented Immigrants by Matthew Soerens

On Pop Theology Week in Review

An Announcement About the Future of On Pop Theology by Ben Howard

"Things have been a bit quiet here over the last few weeks. You may have noticed."

Song of the Week

"The Oncoming Storm" by Legs Nose Robinson (because who doesn't love a Doctor Who tribute band featuring On Pop Theology's own Jesse Moon)

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 support what we do, you can donate via the button on the right of the screen.

Contact us at onpoptheology [at] gmail.com.  

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Aspirational Lemons and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

"Perfect for orange juice"

by Ben Howard

Reads of the Week

1) The Patron Saint of Poop: How My Kids Fell in Love with the Saints by David R. Henson
"We talked about poets, and teachers, and priests, and prophets modern and ancient. We talked about the women and men who lived holy lives. We learned about Christianity together, not through repetition of doctrine or theology or Christology but through seeing it in practice by people like us, our brothers and sisters in faith from all over the world."

2) Where's the Sanctuary? by Jamie Wright
"Because, in that moment, I remembered so vividly being the girl with her face pressed against the glass, broken and hurting, crushed by the weight of a world I couldn't seem to navigate. It was desperation that sent me out in search of a place of Rest and Peace and Nourishment. I was hopeless and shameful. I was starving for Love. I was lost and wandering."

3) When Too Many Things are Happening by Jason Boyett
"There have been times when I relished this back-and-forth exchange of ideas. I got involved. I spouted my opinion. I took sides and linked up and stepped into the sound and fury. But more than ever, when it feels like too many things are happening, I find myself just wanting to step away, to do myself a favor."


4) Christian Memory or Why I Don't Want to be Like the Early Church by Krista Dalton
"The problem is that this portrayal is an idealized constructed memory, neglecting the every day experiences of the community, fraught with issues and complications just like any other social group. Veiled in the text are those needy persons who aren’t cared for,  internal group dynamics of division and disagreement, and those who identify as Christians not included in the master narrative. Thus, to say we want to return to 'the ways of the Early Church' is not return to a tangible community but to an idyllic memory."

5) Stop Telling Me What is Anti-Christian by Christian Piatt
"While I affirm the right of any Christian to boycott a product, show or the like, and even to explain why in the public square, I’m weary of the heavy-handed tendency of Christians to slap the “anti-Christian” label on anything they find objectionable."

Honorable Mention

Remembering Will Campbell by Andrew Cohen

The Authority of Apology by Nadia Bolz-Weber

Immodesty All Over the Map by Rachel Marie Stone

Line of the Week

"Hey, look, it's hard growing up in a statistically stable house with opportunity and economic security." - Sean Randall (@RandallSD)


On Pop Theology Week in Review

Confessions of a Hopeless Romantic: The Bachelorette and Online Dating by Ben Howard
"I don't just want love and a wife, I want a story, and a good one at that. I want one of those stories that you tell your kids for like eight years and becomes the basis for a hit sitcom on CBS."

Batman Should Have Died by Ben Howard
"It's not that I don't believe in happy endings, it's that I don't believe in endings at all. Real life does not fade to black after the ending, it does not have a lovely epilogue where Harry Potter takes his kids to school, nor does it pan back from a funeral to find the supposedly deceased watching from off in the distance. It just keeps going."

When Winter Comes by Jacob Campbell
"I don’t mean to claim I have the hedge on suffering, but I can truly say I have experienced my fair share. And what I have discovered is that chasing the “If God is good...” rabbit into a bottomless hole accomplishes nothing."


Song of the Week

"Not Ready To Make Nice" by Dixie Chicks

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. 

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On Pop Theology Podcast: Episode 24 - An Interview w/ Christian Piatt

by Ben Howard

Ben and Sebastian sit down with author and blogger Christian Piatt to talk about a variety of topics including the Homebrewed Culture Cast (the Miami Heat to On Pop's Charlotte Bobcats), his critiques of radical theology, his memoir PregMANcy about the birth of his second child, and his new venture, the Heretic's Guide to the Bible. Join us as we get Christian's honest, thoughtful take on these issues and more.

Be sure to check out Christian's blog on Patheos, his books on Amazon, and follow him on Twitter @christianpiatt.

You can download the podcast by clicking here. Or you can subscribe to the podcast by searching "On Pop Theology" in the iTunes music store. If you download the show through iTunes, please be so kind as to rate and review us. We want your feedback and it helps the show to grow.

Also, remember to "Like" On Pop Theology on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @OnPopTheology for all the updates, posts, and links throughout the week.

Finally, if you'd like to stream the podcast, you can do that here: 

Peace,
Ben

If you have any questions, comments, or if you just want to say hi, you can contact us at onpoptheology [at] gmail.com.

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Mister Rogers Thinks You Should Try Harder and the Best Things You'll Read All Week

Reads of the Week

1) When I Believe in the Gospel, Not Your Story by Preston Yancey
"We weaponise STORY as a concept sometimes as a means of hiding behind the fact that we don’t want to face the consequence of being wrong, or being prideful, or dare we actually say it–sinful, out of line, not conforming to the pattern of God’s logic and design that is woven through the complex strands of Scripture."

2) Christians and Humor: Thoughts on Making It Work by Rachel Held Evans
"Satire, or any sort of humor for that matter, is tough to do right.  But it’s too important not to do it at all, and I think Christians in particular can do a better job of using humor as a prophetic, yet disarming, method for sharing with vulnerability, challenging the powerful, and tearing down idols."

3) Dear Dzokhar, I Can't Hate You by Michael Rogers
"Dear Dzhokhar, for all of this, I can't hate you... Today I thought about the fact that you are only 19 ... you are just a kid. You must have been so afraid. You were a victim like so many are victims. You were brought into something you shouldn't have been brought into because you likely didn't and couldn't know any better."

4) I Don't Understand Why You're Single by Leigh Kramer
"When someone seemingly out of the blue tells me, “I don't understand why you're still single,” I wonder why it matters to them. I wonder if they're feeling disconnected due to our marital status difference or if there's a bit of the “grass is greener” effect going on. If I'm not bringing up my dating life, why are they?"

5) Radical Theology: The New "White" Religion? by Christian Piatt
"And the blade cuts both ways; ask one hundred Latino pastors how much they care about Zizek or Derrida when they’re preparing for Sunday worship, or meeting with a family in crisis. I’m guessing you’ll be met with more than a few shrugs or blank stares."

Honorable Mention

Stretching...College, the Mosque and Boston by Melissa Greene

We Are Not That #BostonStrong by Jonathan Fitzgerald

The Church: Are We Accidentally Racist? by Matthew Paul Turner

Line of the Week

"My legs are so white they just bought a pre-owned Subaru." - John Thornton Jr. (@johnthorntonjr)

On Pop Theology Week in Review

Superman: Our Post-Post 9/11 Hero
Steven Lefebvre thinks Superman is the hero for a post-Post 9/11 world.

Roger Clemens and Christian Cliches
On Roger Clemens, coming into a story sideways, and the importance of humility.

How to Write A Controversial Blog Post in 5 Easy Steps
Five easy steps to constructing your very own sub-cultural controversy.

Song of the Week

"Next June" by Magnolia Sons

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. 

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