An Ecumenical Ministry in the Parish of St Patrick's Catholic Church In San Diego USA

米国サンディエゴの聖パトリックカトリック教会教区におけるエキュメニカル宣教

Friday, June 12, 2015

The Galli Report ~ June 12, 2015

The Galli Report newsletter
June 12, 2015
Tricking Kids into Reading Good Literature
Wondering what to give your kids or grandkids to read to instill in them a love of reading? Maybe some Charles Dickens or Mark Twain or Charlotte Bronte? Problem is, if you don't pick well, they'll get the impression that good writing is boring and they'll never come back. Stefan Beck has a solution:
The best crime writing is excellent prose at the sentence level, and while it may not be up to the standard of a Melville or Twain (what is?), at least it handily surpasses the best-written [young adult fiction]. . . . If kids today need to be tricked and conned into reading something worthwhile, something as morally instructive and beautifully written as it is entertaining, then these bloody, crazy books ought to enjoy pride of place in every school library in America.
Transgender and the Bible
Transgenderism remained a hot topic this week, at least at CT online, with tremendous traffic for two pieces. We featured a personal testimony about dealing with a family member who transitioned, and a piece about the psychological dimensions of gender dysphoria. Theology was implied in both pieces, but not made explicit. We're working on that as we speak. But in the meantime, here is Peter J. Leithart's bracing theological take on the matter.
We're Living in an Era of Peace!
That's hard to believe, but that is one compelling conclusion reached by this fascinating animated documentary. And it has a point, relatively speaking. It's one of those moving graphics that gave me a number of "that's amazing" and "aha" about World War II and today's wars.
The Meaning of Mowing
It's a prosaic act, one which Jonathan Franzen said was "among the most despair-inducing of human activities." Nick Ripatrazone begs to differ, and helps us grasp the beauty of cutting grass in lines alternative light and dark: "[the] stripes and patterns were forms of revision, our home made new." Ripatrazone takes us on a literary tour of grass, lawns, and mowing, mixing in his own mowing history. Some of us attend weekly to this mundane task that nonetheless remains a source of pride: "[Most days] I simply head out to the lawn with the same source of pride that I bring to words. I want the lawn to look nice because it is ours."
One More Thing
Some of you subscribe to this to learn when I've posted something new. Here's the latest, reminding us that the traditional view of marriage is the overwhelming view of Christians present and past.
Grace and peace,
Mark Galli
Mark Galli
Mark Galli
Editor, Christianity Today

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