“The Weekend Wanderer” is a weekly curated selection of news, stories, resources, and media on the intersection of faith and culture for you to explore through your weekend. Wander through these links however you like and in any order you like.
“The results of the Breonna Taylor investigation” – I texted and talked with a lot of my African American friends this week who were both anxiously awaiting the verdict from the grand jury trial in Louisville and then devastated with the outcome. For those who don’t know the timeline of this case, take a look here. For a sense of what many black Christians were looking for in relation to the killing of Breonna Taylor read John Allen Randolph’s article “The Long Fight for Justice: A Freedom Narrative from Louisville.” Adam Russell Taylor’s piece at Sojourners, “No Justice for Breonna Taylor: The Indictment Didn’t Even #sayhername,” written after the announcement of the verdict, describes the festering wound many continue to grapple with. David French, in “The Awful Realities of the Breonna Taylor Case,” reflects on how this verdict raises questions of safety in our homes and calls for reviving the importance of the Fourth Amendment.
“Is Judge Barrett’s ‘kingdom of God’ different from Obama’s?” – A lot of recent attention has focused on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg this past week and what that means for the Court, the Presidential election, and nominees for the highest court. One of the leading candidates for nomination is Amy Coney Barrett, a committed Roman Catholic and conservative. In the midst of a series we are walking through at Eastbrook on the kingdom of God, I found this piece on what the kingdom of God means to different people in the political realm thought provoking. (On a related topic, you may also enjoy Russell Moore’s article, “The Supreme Court Needs to Be Less Central to American Public Life.”)
“The Church as a Political Force” – I’m thinking about faith and politics a lot right now both because of our current teaching series on the kingdom of God, but also because I want to equip myself and others with a thoughtful and biblical understanding of faith in the public square. Here is Peter J. Leithart on this topic, giving specific attention to the book of Acts and the ministry of Paul. The last paragraph of this article is a very clear and helpful description of the tension and opportunity. (If you’re interested in this topic, you may want to consider joining us online this Monday night at 7 PM (CST) for Dr. Vincent Bacote’s lecture at Eastbrook, “The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life,” followed by Q&A.)
“Your Preaching Is Not God’s Work. You Are God’s Work.” – Todd Hunter has always been an important voice on evangelism, spiritual formation, and ministry. Here he offers some important insights for preachers as part of his own change of mindset based on a conversation with an invaluable mentor. Preachers, we need to learn and re-learn this lesson.
“Gaslighting” – Here is Alan Jacobs on the overuse or misuse of the term “gaslighting” and why it does not always apply or make sense in its contemporary use. “One of the more pernicious quirks of English usage to arise in the past few years is the employment — by a remarkably large number of people, it seems to me — of the term ‘gaslighting’ as the default explanation for disagreement. Nobody just disagrees with me anymore, they’re trying to gaslight me.”
“Here Are The 50 Books Nominated for 2020 National Book Awards” – Everyone probably knows that I am a book guy. I love reading (although I didn’t as a child) and was an English literature major in college. Well, one area of interest for me is book awards and seeing what books are nominated for awards and why. I always find a book or two that captures my attention (plus a few that I wonder how they made it to the list). Here is the latest list of the National Book Award nominees for 2020.
Music: Julianna Barwick (featuring Jónsi), “In Light,” from Healing is a Miracle.
[I do not necessarily agree with all the views expressed within the articles linked from this page, but I have read them myself in order to make me think more deeply.]
Renovate 