A Few Good Reads

“Stupid is the New Smart”

Daniel Flynn writes about our culture’s downplaying of culture and learning. He particularly laments trends in education and library that elevate video games and YouTube to the level of reading good books. “People are too lost in the virtual life. They have lost track of how to live the real life. New amusements have not made old distractions obsolete. Americans spend more than two and a half hours every weekday watching television. The figure has risen since the advent of the digital age. By way of comparison, Americans spend about twenty minutes per weekday reading and about fifteen minutes “relaxing/thinking.” How we spend our leisure time is largely a waste of time.”

“The Osteen’s Donald Sterling Moment”
A YouTube clip of Victoria Osteen saying we don’t obey God for God, we obey God for ourselves has been making the rounds this last week. Hans Fiene finds the general response to the clip encouraging and hopes it opens people’s eyes to the larger issues with Joel Osteen’s ministry. “Like Sterling’s TMZ tape, yes, Osteen’s comments are bad. Yes, the 37-second clip is a rambling mess born from almost incomprehensible Biblical ignorance. Yes, I hope these comments cause Osteen disciples to seriously reconsider their devotion to the most mega of America’s megachurches. But if these words succeed in toppling the Osteen empire, isn’t it a bit anticlimactic when the Osteens have said a thousand things that are even more theologically indefensible during their time at Lakewood Church?”

“Fifty Shades, Twilight, and Teaching Women to Desire Abusers”
With the Fifty Shades of Grey movie on the horizon, Joe Carter asks what we are teaching young women by promoting this series. He points to sociological studies about the behaviors of young women who have read all three books in the trilogy and appeals for us to steer young women in our culture in a different direction. Walking through some specifics of this series and Twilight, Carter shows that we are actively encouraging young women to pursue men who have abusive personalities. “Social science continues to show us the connections between normalizing abuse and risks for young women — a connection that shouldn’t be surprising to Bible-believing Christians. The question is, what are we going to do with the information? Are we willing to do what it takes to expose the pop culture apologias of predatory violence, or will we join the choir of voices telling young women they can find satisfaction by surrendering to an abuser?”

The Pastor’s Kid
Barnabas Piper’s book The Pastor’s Kid is currently free on Kindle. I read this book yesterday and am working on a post about some things I learned. This will be helpful for any pastor or church leader.

Knowing Scripture
I mentioned this book last week as one of ten books that have stuck with me through the years. R.C. Sproul outlines how to read the Bible and gives some helpful rules for interpreting Scripture.