THE ANTLIZT: February 21, 2018

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

News et cetera       

A glimpse into the life and times of Salt Bae. [NYT]

What “Black Panther” means for Christians. [CT]

Does aid do more harm then good? “This is the same Oxfam that recently blamed capitalism for world poverty and set up deck chairs in Trafalgar square to protest against corruption and tax havens. Now the virtue signallers are hoisted on the shard of their own fallibility. Compared with the emerging sins of our aid agencies, tax havens look almost benign.” [Spectator]

America’s cult of guns. “As a Christian, I’m appalled by the hypocrisy I see among others of my faith, particularly those who are our leaders in government and show eagerness to participate in this cult. They worship false idols in the form of weapons, and turn their back on the teachings of Jesus, who did not equivocate when it came to violence.” [CNN]

The new view of heaven is too small. [CT]

Science’s inference problem: when data doesn’t mean what we think it does.“Over the past few years, many scientific researchers, especially those working in psychology and biomedicine, have become concerned about the reproducibility of results in their field. Again and again, findings deemed “statistically significant” and published in reputable journals have not held up when the experiments were conducted anew. ” [NYT]

You up? College in the age of tinder. [NYT]

The burdensome myth of romantic love. “The Western fixation on romantic love creates a crushing burden for mere mortals. It engenders a powerful myth regarding love, courtship, and marriage: that a fallible human partner can not only share our passions but sate our existential yearnings.” [First Things]

Why are animals more important than unborn humans? A glimpse into the UK’s abortion conversation. [Spectator]

James K.A. Smith reviews Marilynne Robinson’s newest book of essays. “In an age where those who trumpet their Christianity regularly debase themselves to partisan princes, Robinson is challenging intellectual dishonesty on both right and left. Granted, she is sometimes intellectually lazy when she veers into political matters. A kind of literary MSNBCism kicks in whenever Robinson talks about “the Right” (would that she was as careful about conservatism as she is about the Puritans).” [Cardus]

Why Germans drink lots of non-alcohol beer… and win lots of Olympic medals. “While most people see nonalcoholic beer as a responsible replacement for regular beer, Germans often drink it in place of sports drinks after exercise. Beer or Gatorade? No contest.” [NYT]

The case for making cities out of wood. “Our proposal is that we need timber to save us.” [Nautilus]

The joy of an unaccomplished life. [TGC]

Music

Sons of Kemet “My Queen is Harriet Tubman”