“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. Disclaimer: 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.

“Dr. Francis Collins | A Christian Perspective on the COVID Vaccines” – I have received a number of questions from Christians about how to think about the COVID vaccines that are being developed. I am thankful I can lean upon the wisdom and insights of medical personnel within our own congregation, as well as those who operate in a larger sphere, such as Dr. Francis Collins. Collins serves as the director of the National Institutes of Health and is also a committed Christian. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this conversation between Dr. Collins and NAE President Walter Kim. If you want to dig deeper into this topic, you may also benefit from the Christian Medical & Dental Associations’ “Navigating Vaccine Ethics” and updates from the Roman Catholic Church in “US Bishops further clarify Church’s position on Covid-19 vaccine.”

“Only Biblical Peacemaking Resolves Racial and Political Injustice” – Here is Justin Giboney at Christianity Today: “Some assume peacemaking requires inactivity or silence in the face of disorder and injustice. But true peace is not passive quiet or the absence of action or the silence of indifference. Biblical peace is shalom, meaning completeness, well-being, and right relationship with God and each other. Silence or inaction amid grave partiality and inequality is not peace. When we mute the poor or rob the victim of voice, we deny peace. Gaslighting or shushing the suffering perverts the wholeness and fulfillment Christianity demands….No other group is better situated to bring healing to this land than the church. There are Bible-believing Christians on both sides of the political spectrum, and outside of politics we have a lot in common. We’re stuck with one another for good. We need each other. It’s time to set our partisan hang-ups aside, make peace, and do justice.”

“God’s many mansions: a guide to the world’s greatest churches” – While I might be one of the first to debate whether the word ‘church’ really refers to the people of God or to buildings, it is difficult not to be fascinated by the wonders of ecclesial architecture throughout church history. In The Spectator, Christopher Howse reviews Allan Doig’s forthcoming book A History of the Church through Its Buildings. Doig includes such treasures as “Hagia Sophia, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the mosque-cathedral of Cordoba among 12 examples of magnificent church architecture.”

“Technosolutionism Isn’t the Fix: Whether a crisis of public health or public safety, is the best response increased surveillance?” – In The Hedgehog Review, Christine Rosen grapples with how the pandemic has eased us into a welcoming of technology into our lives in ways that may not be good. Addressing “technosolutionism,” the notion that engineered solutions should be prioritized in solving human problems, Rosen writes: “It was the very swiftness and uncritical enthusiasm with which Americans embraced an ‘easy’ technological solution to a complicated problem that suggests that we are becoming increasingly comfortable with technosolutionism, and not just during times of crisis. Such acquiescence seems understandable at such times, when uncertainty prevails, but as we continue to struggle to find our bearings, it is worth considering the significant choices we have already made with regard to technological problem-solving, and begin to contend with the consequences.”

“Wilderness Perspective: A monastic ethos for a militant age” – I read this article back in December but returned to it this past week in relation to a recent message on John the Baptist and the wilderness (“The Voice of One Calling Out“). I have often reflected on what God has to teach us in the wilderness of our lives, and am reflecting more recently on what God may need to teach the church more broadly through the wilderness. Patrick Pierson reflects on this at the individual level in conversation with Thomas Merton in this essay in Comment that offers some interesting points, including this: “withdrawal is not an end in itself, but rather an indispensable means for more truly loving our neighbour as ourself.”

“Hundreds reportedly dead after massacre at Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia” – Meanwhile, in another part of the world: “At least 750 people are reported dead after an attack on an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, according to a European watchgroup. On Jan. 9, the Europe External Programme with Africa reported that the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, about 80 miles west of Adigrat, had been attacked, and that hundreds of people who hid inside were brought out to the front square and shot to death. According to Church Times UK, the attack was carried out by Ethiopian government troops and Amhara militia from central Ethiopia. At least 1,000 people were estimated to be hiding in the church at the time of the attack. Locals have said they believe the church was targeted by raiders of the lost ark. The church is thought to contain the original Ark of the Covenant, a sacred golden chest first mentioned in the book of Exodus.”

Music: I. Erickson [featuring Jpk.], “Flowers (Jpk. Remake).”