THE ANTLIZT: January 17, 2018

A curated selection of articles of interest from the past week related to Christianity and culture.

News et cetera       

How Americanized Christianity looks to immigrant pastors. ‘perhaps the most significant distinguishing mark of US Christianity is the pervasive individualism that saturates the culture and the church, which differs from the community centered values in other parts of the world.’ (H/T AV) [Christianity Today]

I’ve been tracking with David Bentley Hart’s new translation of the New Testament since it was published. DBH offered a hot take last week. NT Wright chimes in with a review of the translation. [Christian Century]

Everyone is picking sides over the Aziz Ansari story. [CNN] The article that sparked it: I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It was the worst night of my life. [Babe] “I am a proud feminist, and this is what I thought while reading the article: If you are hanging out naked with a man, it’s safe to assume he is going to try to have sex with you.” [NYT] ‘A Memphis megachurch pastor received a standing ovation during a church service on Sunday after he admitted that he had engaged in a “sexual incident” with a high school student 20 years ago in Texas.'[NYT]

Why Woody Allen hasn’t been toppled by the #metoo movement – yet. [Vox]

“How a legal battle over intellectual property exposed a cultural battle over sex, gender roles, and the workplace.” [New Yorker]

Why it might be time to eradicate sex segregation in sports. [ABC]

The Secret to a Happy Marriage Is Knowing How to Fight [NYT]

Eight theses on sex. [First Things]

The poet of light. Christian Wiman writing a kind of tribute about Robert Wilbur, a poet I had never heard of. It’s wonderful. ‘”Obscurely yet most surely called to praise / As sometimes summer calls us all,” Wilbur wrote in his 20s. The wonder here is not simply the pure gift on display — the music and memorability of these two lines! — but the gift given over to wonder. It never flagged. Well into his 80s, Wilbur still attended to “the blind delight of being.”’ [NYT]

Five decades of white backlash. “President Trump is the embodiment of over 50 years of resistance to the policies Martin Luther King Jr. fought to enact.” [Atlantic]

What’s the big deal about CRISPR? [CID Research]

How dirt could save humanity from an infectious apocalypse. [Wired]

How death got cool. “Death is hot right now, and upbeat gatherings in cemeteries are just a small part of the trend. One of the chief desires of our time is to turn everything we touch into a reflection of who we are, how we live and how we want others to view us – and death is no exception.” [Guardian]

Music