From Paul Krugman: So, in order: 1. The economy isn’t like an individual family that earns a certain amount and spends some other amount, with no relationship between the two. My spending is your income and your spending is my income. If we both slash spending, both of our incomes fall. 2. We are now in a situation in which many people have cut spending, either because they chose to or because their creditors forced them to, while relatively few... Read more

From a reader and sometimes commenter… This family is looking for Bible curriculum for homeschooling children but who are themselves in public schools… but not the ordinary thing: Who has some recommendations? Books to read? Or a curriculum? Both my kids read Scripture for themselves (devotionally), and we talk with them when they have questions. And they hear from me the robustness (I keep coming back to that word) of Scripture and the grandness of the Story.  What we are... Read more

Those Americans who know Bonhoeffer tend to think about the church and theology under Hitler through Bonhoeffer’s experience. That is, harassed, spied upon, arrested, secretly tried, and eventually murdered. Bonhoeffer’s experience was not the norm for German theologians and pastors though neither was it atypical. Other kinds of experiences are known: Some capitulated to National Socialism, to racism, to German culture as a relentless machine of superiority, to technology as the future, to human life as utilitarian, economic success regardless... Read more

Tech Detox: (CNN) — If your smartphone is attached to your hip, your blood flows like a Twitter feed and you’re fairly certain your eyes permanently see through an Instagram filter, then maybe it’s time to disconnect for a bit? A new summer camp aims to help adults take a break from technology for a weekend of being a kid again. “Camp Grounded,”a retreat brought to you by the folks at The Digital Detox, takes place this June near Anderson Valley, Calif. (about... Read more

From The Atlantic: In all, the survey suggests that after years of economic turmoil, most families now believe the most valuable–and elusive–possession in American life isn’t any tangible acquisition, such as a house or a car, but rather economic security. Asked to define what it means to be middle class, a solid 54 percent majority of respondents picked “having the ability to keep up with expenses and hold a steady job while not falling behind or taking on too much... Read more

Alex Murashko: Is your church multicultural? (Is it less than 80% monocultural?) While most churches say they already have or are working on having a multicultural congregation, the majority fall short when it comes to reflecting a diverse community of believers coming together during church services on Sundays, said an expert on multi-ethnic church planting and staffing. “If you were to judge church brochures across America you would say that there is not a multicultural problem in the American church,”... Read more

Here’s a shirt and the company says you can wear it 100 days without washing it. Who even knows. The creators of Wool&Prince are claiming that you can wear their wool button-down shirts for days on end without them wrinkling, smelling or showing any dirt. Frankly, that sounds ridiculous, but maybe? Testers recruited by Wool&Prince all unsurprisingly claim that no matter what they do, the shirts look fresh from the dry cleaner all the time. A video also shows Wool&Prince founder “Mac”... Read more