January 13, 2017
What Millennials Are You Talking About?
When
studies report that the millennial generation is less interested in
organized religion or is more skeptical spiritually, it makes
the headlines—as do conferences, for and about such millennials.
But early in January the Jesus party/celebration called
Passion met again, with a boatload of speakers with a decidedly
traditional take
on Christian faith (John Piper, Beth Moore, and others).
You would have thought, given other headlines, that maybe a few hundred
at most
would gather to rehearse the old-time religion. Think 55,000. And this is a group that puts its money where its faith is, sponsoring
some 7,000 Compassion International children this year.
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Unveiling Evil. Again.
One job of history is to
never forget the cruelty we can perpetrate on one another. It's not a happy job to
research or read such events. But it is necessary. I'm referring at the moment to the slow
recovery of the history of China's Cultural Revolution. The title of this book under review should give you an idea
whether you want to read this right now (it does share some unhappy details): The
Killing Wind: A Chinese County's Descent into Madness During the Cultural Revolution.
We can thank a dogged Chinese journalist for almost single-handedly making sure
this history was not lost.
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How Self-Help Helps—and Doesn't
It's easy for people like me
to sneer at the self-help genre. Yes, I admit to having been genuinely helped by some of
them—even one of Robert Schuller's books on "possibility thinking" back in the
day, believe it or not. (We all have our skeletons in the closet). But generally I find
the promises overwrought and the solutions often too simple-minded. That being said, "The Necessity of Self-Help Lit" ably
argues that it serves a purpose, even if in the end, it is grounded on a false view of
human nature and a naïve view of the human predicament.
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If Facebook Were a Hotel
Here's a piece I found funny. But if you're not on
Facebook and therefore don't get the humor—well, maybe you can be thankful for
that.
And a final word from our friend, reminding us of who this God in Jesus Christ is: "From all eternity he is the God of man, the God who is well-disposed to man." - Karl Barth (CD IV 1 page 466) | ||
Grace and peace,
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