A Moving Essay by Joyce Carol Oates on Home

Last updated on: March 2, 2010 at 9:30 pm By Owen Strachan

From Smithsonian magazine, and via The New Yorker, comes this elegant meditation on the concept of home from writer and Princeton University professor Joyce Carol Oates. We are, Oates says, inextricably bound to place: Writers, particularly novelists, are linked to place. It’s impossible to think of Charles Dickens and not to think of Dickens’ London; impossible to think of James Joyce and not to think of Joyce’s Dublin; and so with Thomas Hardy, D. H. Lawrence, Willa Cather, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty,... Read more

The Crusades, Church Architecture, and Liberty University’s Strangest Student

Last updated on: February 27, 2010 at 8:06 pm By Owen Strachan

Hunter Baker has a post up at Evangel on Rodney Stark’s new book on the crusades, God’s Battalions. Here’s what he says about the book by way of description: Rodney Stark’s God’s Batallions is an outstanding book designed to help the educated reader (not only the academic reader) understand the Crusades. You know the routine. You want to talk about Christianity and the village atheist wonders just how you are getting past the horrors of the Crusades and the Inquisition.... Read more

Shocking News: Men Are in Trouble

Last updated on: February 25, 2010 at 2:11 am By Owen Strachan

Add these to your already extensive “Men Are in Trouble” files. My thanks to Mark Rogers for the first two. First, “Lean Years” from David Brooks of the NYT: Over the past few decades, men have lagged behind women in acquiring education and skills. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, at age 22, 185 women have graduated from college for every 100 men who have done so. Furthermore, men are concentrated in industries where employment is declining (manufacturing) or... Read more

Public Speaking, Sarah Palin, and “Accidental” Plagiarism

Last updated on: February 19, 2010 at 6:16 pm By Owen Strachan

I know some folks saw this video a while back, but I just came across it again and almost fell out of my chair laughing. It’s the “boom goes the dynamite” segment from a poor Ball State sportscaster, and it is ridiculously funny. Note: Brian Collins sounds like a good guy. Read the updated story. Poor guy didn’t get a single date from the whole thing. ***************** Speaking of talking in public, this Men’s Health featurette has some useful tips... Read more

New Essay by William Lane Craig: Arguments for God

Last updated on: February 16, 2010 at 10:08 pm By Owen Strachan

The Henry Center sponsors a really cool and helpful program called the Christ on Campus Initiative, which produces articles and essays. The series is designed to provide college students and thinking Christians with apologetic resources necessary to meet the intellectual challenges of the day. The editorial team for the series is chaired by D. A. Carson of TEDS. The latest essay is by William Lane Craig, Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, and is entitled “Five Reasons... Read more

Are You Dating a Narcissist? How to Spot “Narcissistic Personality Disorder”

Last updated on: February 11, 2010 at 9:19 pm By Owen Strachan

This just in–you may be dating a narcissist. So said Chicago Tribune writer Heidi Stevens in her piece “Are You Dating a Narcissist?”. “Narcissism is an epidemic in our society,” argues Lisa Scott, author of “It’s All About Him: How to Identify and Avoid the Narcissist Male Before You Get Hurt” ( CFI, 2009). “Our culture breeds it.” Here are the nine signs that signal a person has fallen prey to “Narcissistic Personality Disorder” (you can’t make this stuff up). ... Read more

Books on Tap: Morley, Wax, Carson, Cole, Beale, and The Essential Edwards Collection

Last updated on: February 9, 2010 at 8:12 pm By Owen Strachan

I’ve received some books recently, and have a minute at present to quickly pass on word about them. I’m no expert on any of the books or subjects covered below, but I do love books, and it’s fun to try to let others know of possibly edifying works. First, Patrick Morley’s Pastoring Men came out not too long ago (Moody, 2008). It looks like a helpful book for practically solving a quandary many church leaders face: how do I engage... Read more

HBU’s The City, David Brooks, and the Urban Woodsman

Last updated on: February 5, 2010 at 8:25 pm By Owen Strachan

The City has just published its latest issue in ZMags. If you have never used this web program, check out the site. It’ll take you a minute, but it’s pretty cool. Also, if you are a thinking Christian, sign up to receive The City for free from Houston Baptist University. I read every page in the latest issue, and found a ton of food for thought. ************ David Brooks just published a piece worth reading on the value of sports... Read more

Church Fight Clubs: Good or Bad Idea?

Last updated on: February 3, 2010 at 8:37 pm By Owen Strachan

The New York Times just published an article entitled “Flock Is Now a Fight Team in Some Ministries” that bears looking into. It profiles evangelical “fight clubs” and quotes a number of pastors and young men who participate in them. Here are some key quotations: Mr. Renken’s ministry is one of a small but growing number of evangelical churches that have embraced mixed martial arts — a sport with a reputation for violence and blood that combines kickboxing, wrestling and... Read more

How to Tell Who the Best Employees Will Be–From Soccer

Last updated on: February 2, 2010 at 8:38 pm By Owen Strachan

This is a fun tidbit about how one CEO figures out who could and could not be a good worker and leader in his company. He plays soccer. Here are the qualities he looks for when he plays (and hires): One is reliability, the sense that they’re not going to let the team down, that they’re going to hold up their end of the bargain. And in soccer, especially if you play seven on seven, it’s more about whether you... Read more