by Ben Howard Reads of the Week 1) Unstoppable Grace: Thoughts on the Gay Christian Network Conference by Rachel Held Evans "I speak at dozens of Christian conferences in a given year, and I can say without hesitation that I’ve never attended a Christian conference so energized by the Spirit, so devoid of empty showmanship or preoccupation with image, so grounded in love and abounding in grace. As one attendee put it, 'This is an unapologetically Christian conference.'" 2) The Privilege of a Subway Swipe by Krista Dalton "In plainer terms, I am well-read in race, feminism, disability, and gender issues. I follow people from each of these groups in order to learn more. And yet, the simple act of a subway swipe was beyond my privilege purview." 3) When This Is My Best Life Now by Preston Yancey "We were disagreeing about something to do with God and when I saw the crack in your argument that had to do with knowledge or having read so-and-so or such-and-such and I pounced and tore you open and left you gutted. I say this twist of theological knife as if I have always believed it. As if this particular insight or position or belief was woven into me from my making. But it wasn’t. I read it last week." 4) The Heart of Wisdom: Chasing and Rest in Ecclesiastes by Richard Beck "In this sense, then, Ecclesiastes is very much about idolatry, about our attempts to secure meaning and significance through human achievement or entertainments. The idolatrous thirst for yithron--for profit, advantage or gain--is revealed to be vanity. Because life is hebel. We are hebel. Anything we construct and worship is just going to wash away. Our idols will not last." 5) Why I'll Always Be A God Believer (About the Day I Was Going to Die) by Benjamin Corey "I don’t know how to explain what happened in that moment, but I can tell you this: when people talk about being 'born again' I know when that happened to me." Honorable Mention The Body of Christ, the Balloons of Salvation: On Christian Balloon Twisting by Martyn Jones Semon on Baptism, Belovedness, and How God is Like a Duped Teacher by Nadia Bolz-Weber On a Bus Ride of Redemption by Tamara Lunardo Tweets of the Week "Man I hate it when Buddhists get all emptier-than-thou." - @JohnFugelsang
"coming up on the 20 yr reunion of my 10 bday and I'm going to spend it
the same way: begging my dad to rent me a video game at blockbuster." - @_lxnx
"Nothing has ever tried to eat me. I am a bear." - @a_single_bear On Pop Theology Week in Review On Staying Home by Lyndsey Graves "I am back from Georgia, stone-ground grits in tow, looking out my Boston window across the Charles River at Cambridge lights. I wonder how anyone could be lucky enough to live in two such beautiful places." On Pop Theology Podcast: Episode 46 - Vulnerability and Race w/ Grace Biskie by Ben Howard "The podcast is back! For our return episode, Ben sits down with author and blogger Grace Biskie. Their conversation focuses especially on the deep vulnerability of Grace's writing and her thoughts on racial issues stemming both from her childhood in Detroit and her bi-racial identity." The Christmas Story is Sexist and Faith Isn't Nice by Rebekah Mays "The Sunday before Christmas, I attended a church service with my family. The pastor was discussing a familiar passage from Luke 1, commonly known as 'The Annunciation,' where the angel Gabriel came down to Nazareth and informed Mary that she was going to 'conceive and give birth to a son.'" On Breathing by Lane Severson "When I was a child I would sometimes think intently about the process of breathing. When I would do this, it would seem to remove the breathing auto-pilot, so that I had to consciously decide to inhale and to exhale and to inhale again." Bad Music Theology: "Timber" by Pitbull (feat. Ke$ha) by Ben Howard "Every so often I come across a pop song so catchy that I can't stop listening to it, but with lyrics so terrible that I hate myself every time I press play. Such is the case with 'Timber' by Pitbull and Ke$ha." Song of the Week "One Great City" by The Weakerthans
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1) When We Are All Working With Seals and Polar Bears by Preston Yancey "Without regional identity or regional context, the listening for a
common language is harder to do, it is harder to find the shortcuts that
are still echoes of orthodoxy, or harder still to navigate the careful
line between what may be right and true for the church and right and
true for the Church."
2) How (Not) to Speak about Oppression by Marika Rose "There’s a reason why Marx didn’t worry about how the proletariat could
get the bourgeoisie on side, why feminists need men like fish need
bicycles, and why Malcolm X didn’t spend his time trying to win over
white people. But we don’t get to be neutral in the fight for
liberation: there is no Switzerland of the class struggle. So what
happens when we find ourselves on the wrong side of the quest for
justice?"
3) Broadway vs. Community Theater: Why Pastors and Presidents Are Not CEO's by Fred Clark "The point is that the task for a community theater is the opposite
of the task for Broadway. Broadway wants to find and to hire only the
very best possible people for every role. Community theater wants to get
the best possible contribution from every person in the community."
4) I Don't Want Kids by Emily Maynard "I’m afraid that I’m not a real woman because I don’t want to have kids.
I’m afraid that people will always see me as lesser and pity me. I hate
when they tease that my biological clock hasn’t kicked in, and imply
that I’m selfish, or that I just don’t understand the beauty of motherly
sacrifice. I do! It’s beautiful for some people, but I want to be me,
not a walking womb. I want to sacrifice in other ways. I want to take
care of the people who are already in the world, not just make new ones!"
5) In Which Words Like "Real" and "True" Mean Things by Sarah Bessey "We use these words like they are freeing or universal or helpful, but
they are forging new chains for a new law. There is no such thing as
“real” woman or a “real” man. If you are a man, you are a real man. If
you are a woman, you are a real woman." Honorable Mention The Sexiest Missionary Wins by Jamie Wright Hope for the Military's Sexual Assault Problem by Lauren Rambo We Need Thicker Skin by Zack Hunt Line of the Week "Fast and Furious 6 looks like if Axe Body Spray were a movie." - Sammy Rhodes (@prodigalsam) On Pop Theology Week in Review
Abusing Each Other for a Good Cause by Deb Winiarski "I didn't like how Karber treated the people
on Skid Row, and I did wonder if he had explained his actions before
shooting the video. But I also realized that it was not the first time I
had experienced that sour, something's-not-right punch in the gut when
watching an awareness ad."
On Oklahoma by Ian McLoud "This is what families do. They hurt together.
They cry together. They help together. They build together. Lord, hear
our prayer."
I'm Probably Wrong by Ben Howard "To be more precise I am probably wrong about
90% of things. Except cake. I'm not wrong about cake. Unless, of course,
I am. In which case I'm wrong about 91% of things."
How is God With Us? by Rebekah Mays "I
have many more friends with less extreme accounts who nonetheless swear
by a voice, maybe audible, maybe not, that directs their
paths." Song of the Week "On My Way" by SHEL (You need to check out this band, they're crazy good!)
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
"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
Reads of the Week God-Shaped Hole by Addie Zierman "We are, all of us, punched through with holes, living with a little bit more emptiness every year. And it’s possible to be filled with the Spirit and still feel the void."
Russell Brand on Heroin, Abstinence, and Addiction by Russell Brand "Without these fellowships I would take drugs. Because even now the
condition persists. Drugs and alcohol are not my problem — reality is my
problem. Drugs and alcohol are my solution." On Rape, Cages, and the Steubenville Verdict by Mia McKenzie "I, unlike many people reacting to today's verdict, am not just thrilled
to death that two 16-year-old boys are going to jail. What they did was
terrible. There is no excuse. They have to be two seriously fucked-up
kids to have done what they did. But what I know for damn sure is that
jail does not fix broken people. It only breaks them harder."
Today's Journey by Grace Biskie "For
this journey, you need camping gear. You need to stop and rest. You need
water because it's taxing and flashlights because it's dark. You need
correct expectations because no one climbs a strenuous mountain
unprepared. But most of all, you need to know that you won't see the
top, the very top until you pass from this life to the next. That
mountain top experience of 100% healing from abuse is not for us in this
not-yet-fully-here Kingdom of God in which we currently reside." When This Is About Piss and the Eucharist by Preston Yancey "When I shook the man’s hand, I met his eyes. They were grey and blue,
touched with a few speckles of brown. I blessed him with the peace of
Jesus and he blessed me with the same. I could smell piss like a cloud
around me when I took my hand away. I could taste it in my mouth, feel
it burn my lungs. I felt nauseous for a moment but stole myself,
settling back into the pew as the offering began." Honorable Mention God is Love by Sarah Moon Find The Thing You're Most Passionate About, Then Do It On Nights And Weekends For The Rest Of Your Life by The Onion Public Shaming is a Better Example of "If it feels good - do it" than Teen Pregnancy by Brene Brown Line of the Week
"Chances Anderson Cooper uses rumors of his being on the 'Jeopardy' short-list as an excuse to grow a mustache? 100%." - Daniel Fienberg (@hitfixdaniel) On Pop Theology Week in Review On Predicting the Future by Ben Howard The church, Back to the Future 2, and why there are always flying cars. Mad Men and the Power of Sin by Lyndsey Graves Human depravity, the destructive power of sin, and the cynically beautiful world of Mad Men. On Macklemore, Webb, and Being Safe for the Whole Family by Ryan Hawk A recovering recording artist explores two musicians, Derek Webb and Macklemore, who have reignited his inspiration for making music.
Slow Justice by Rebekah Mays Nakul Bera, the determination for justice, and the need to make ourselves uncomfortable. The Denominational Dominion Tournament of Championships by Ben Howard We set the rosters for the Anglican Avengers, the Catholic Crushers, the Mainline Marauders, and the Evangelical Evolutionaries. Song of the Week "Go" by Avalanche City
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
