Tag Archives: Huffington Post

Saturday Six-Pack (44)

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Welcome to the weekend and to the Six-Pack. Below is the latest installment of best-of pieces I’ve recently read online.

As per usual, most pieces are faith-focused or ministry-minded; for the rest of them, you get a smattering of who-knows-what!

If you need direction, begin with my two *Picks of the Week*, and move out from there.

For a steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter ( @JasonBandura ) to the right of this post.  Sharp quotes and solid articles are tweeted 3-4 times daily.

Today’s edition:

1) Christopher Hitchens’ Lies Do Atheism No Favours
Salon featured this intriguing piece, by professing atheist Curtis White. It is his call for greater intellectual integrity among those believing in no-God.

2) I Am a Preacher (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
Thank you Jonathan Martin for giving language to some of the bizarre aspects of being a preacher. If you are a preacher or know a preacher, this may be enlightening.

3) Here’s Something about the Bible of the First Christians I Bet You Didn’t Know
If you love the Bible, then Peter Enns wants to give you a crash course on this word: Septuagint. Count this as your “something new” for today’s learning.

4) Why Christians Make Miserable Addicts (*PICK OF THE WEEK*)
For the Huffington Post, Heather Kopp says that addiction wields power in some uniquely destructive ways for people of faith. Here’s why.

5) World Crokinole Championships: The Great Paternal Experiment
Ominocity recently featured this piece by my friend Nic Olson, on a most unique road trip.

6) A Brief History of the Demise of Battle Bots
Remember those UFC-for-Robots shows? I possess no skills to create such contraptions, but just enough geekiness to appreciate those who do. Here, from PopSci, is how that odd trend of programming wound toward extinction.

Another Six-Pack served.  Have at it!

May your weekend be full of awareness and enjoyment of the One who loves you deeply. Grace and peace, my friends.

YOUR TURN: Which link above was most intriguing–why that one? Direct others readers to the best of the bunch. Your input makes this post better!

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Saturday Six-Pack (19)

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On a beautiful summer weekend, you are most welcomed to this installment of the Saturday Six-Pack, a collection of stuff I’ve recently enjoyed online.  Most is faith-focused or ministry-geared; the rest is who-knows-what!

If you need help starting, begin at my two *Picks of the Week*, and move on from there.

For a more steady stream of such links, follow me on Twitter to the right of this post.

In today’s edition:

1) Real Churches and Real Pastors
This is a post upon a post upon a post.  Mark Stevens started it by asking, “Are Mega-Churches Real Churches?”  Scot McKnight then added a post of response to the unfair accusations being leveled at mega-church pastors in light of a recent pastor in Singapore being busted for stealing money from his congregation.  Stevens then re-entered the discussion with a response that McKnight posted under the title, “Mega-Church Pastors: A Petersoninan Perspective,” alluding to the far-reaching influence of Eugene Peterson on what pastoring looks like.  I pastor in a nowhere near mega-church, but all of this was relevant to my journey into this role.  Maybe you too. *PICK OF THE WEEK*

2) Can You Separate Jesus from Religion?
As trendy as it is to pit Jesus against religion, the match-up is somewhat misleading, for Jesus WAS undeniably religious.  How are we to understand this relationship if it’s not a cage match to the death?  Alastair Bryan Sterne has a few ideas.

3) Four Cringe-Worthy Claims of Popular Penal Substitution Theology
Penal substitution theology is everywhere.  For decades gone by, it has been the primary lens through which most of western society has viewed and explained what took place as Jesus died on the cross.  In a nutshell, it emphasizes that Jesus died in our place, for our sins, taking our punishment.  This is valid.  However, it is not the only lens that exists for processing Christ’s death.  Many would argue it isn’t even the best one for clarity of the “big picture”.  For the Huffington Post, Morgan Guyton offers this critique of some of the misleading messages that are created by our heavy emphasis on penal substitution.  *PICK OF THE WEEK*

4) Hearing God in Permanent Silence
One believer asks a church for the deaf why they don’t pray for healing.

5) Specific Plans Do Not Always Help
For anyone who is geared toward productivity-pursuits and goal-oriented living and list-making, this article, from Psychology Today, may speak into your never-ending quest.  You don’t just need plans; you need the right kind of plan.

6) More Connected and Never Lonelier
Chaplain Mike shares a snippet from Stephen Marche’s article, “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?”  The entire article, from The Atlantic, can be read here.

Enjoy your weekend, friends, through renewing yourself and reverencing God.