Purewow for the week:
To paraphrase David Dark, MLK Day is the last truly Christian holiday we have left; one that has not been repurposed for commercialism. A few of our favorite MLK reads included this one about learning from strangers by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, along with Ed Stetzer’s “Race Matters: Unity in Christ Triumphs Over Misunderstanding.” And this: A church in New York chose to honor the day by turning weapons into farm equipment in true Isaiah form: “They will beat their swords into plowshares.” (2:4)
Notes on Blindness, the dramatization of audio recordings made by theologian John Hull as he was going blind, is painstakingly beautiful. Hull asks: To what extent is loss of the image of the face / tied up with loss of the image of self / and with the consequent feeling of being a ghost/ or a mere spirit?
“Notes on Blindness” was conceived as three distinct chapters, each exploring a central theme of the diaries. The first of these focuses on the role of the visual in memory and the construction of the self. The second explores John’s struggle with acceptance and the question of whether he’ll ever be able to truly find peace with blindness. The final chapter is a celebration of sensation — Johnʼs first glimpse of the “riches” of blindness and the nuances of nonvisual perception.
Without any architectural training, Justo Gallego Martinez spent 53 years of his life as the sole designer, engineer and constructor of this cathedral in Madrid. What would it take for someone to write up a David/Solomon parallel. . . please?!
The tagline to Patton Dodd’s former blog is “writing since the 2nd grade.” Patton, the launch of your new site OnFaith, dedicated to covering all things religious and spiritual, is one of our favorite things you’ve done since your 8-year-old establishment.
An important argument for generational generosity in our faith communities. Actually, an important argument for grandmas in general:
We are your grandmother’s church. And your great-grandmother’s church. And your great-great-grandmother’s church.
Wealth addiction . . . is it a real thing? The tale of one man bleeding money.
Naomi Wolf’s article, The Porn Myth, unveils the surprising result of a pornographized world. This is us calling it a religious issue. [Warning: some graphic language]
For most of human history, erotic images have been reflections of, or celebrations of, or substitutes for, real naked women. For the first time in human history, the images’ power and allure have supplanted that of real naked women. Today, real naked women are just bad porn.
Critical feedback: How one author has learned to survive the world of writing and self-promotion by avoiding the comments section. #TROLLERS GONNA TROLL
As promised, James K.A. Smith’s response to last week’s Imagining the Kingdom review, “Irreducibly Embodied.”
Was the Good Samaritan able to look up from his facebook notification to help the passerby? The Pontifex thinks we need slow down our media intake in order that we may be present.
Lastly, before you pull the “those colonialist, proselytizing missionaries” card in your next criticism of Christendom, read this surprising discovery published in Christianity Today.
WHAT WERE YOU READING THIS WEEK?
