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A La Carte (4/23)

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Kony 2012 in Numbers – This post, which also includes an infographic, discusses Kony 2012 as a phenomenon (rather than talking about the ideology of the campaign). Studied from a social media perspective, it’s a complete triumph.

Extreme FOMO – “We are living in an era of extreme FOMO, more commonly known as Fear of Missing Out. As the tweets, Facebook status updates, check-ins, Instagram photos, and Tumblr posts pour in, it can start to feel like your friends, coworkers, and even your frenemies lead lives that are infinitely more interesting than yours. Social media is a blessing and a curse that way.”

Malls – “These land-devouring, car-dependent malls were invented 60 years ago, with Seattle among the pioneers. Now they are in terminal decline. There was a better idea in Kansas City, but unfortunately it was eclipsed by our mania for malls.”

Introducing The Stranger – Last week I mentioned that Leland Ryken was beginning a series discussing literature. This post introduces Camus’ The Stranger and gives us the kind of format Ryken will be using as he goes through various books. It looks like a promising series.

Pastoral Reflections on Homophobia – This is an article worth reading.

Why Do Old Books Smell? – It’s distinctive, isn’t it, that old book smell? This video explains it.

One may live as a conquerer, a king or a magistrate; but he must die as a man. –Daniel Webster


  • The Great Man and the Local Church

    The Great Man and the Local Church

    There is a way of telling history that focuses on the impact of the few great figures that rise up in any generation. This “great man theory” says that history can best be understood when we focus on the dominant figures of the time. History, it says, turns on the actions, decisions, obsessions, and natural…

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    A La Carte (April 29)

    A La Carte: The absence of opposition / Life and death are in the power of the fingers / Preaching Goliath’s sword / This piece of land / Sin wants us isolated / Foolosophy / Kindle deals / and more.

  • A Book Unlike Any Other

    A Book Unlike Any Other

    The Bible may be a book, but it is a book unlike any other. The Bible is inspired—breathed out by God and in that way perfectly reflects the mind and will of God. The Bible is also complete, sufficient, inerrant, and infallible. Because the Bible is all these things and so many more, it is…

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    Weekend A La Carte (April 27)

    A La Carte: How to talk to your teens about Taylor Swift’s new album / Soft discipleship / Why doesn’t God make his existence more evident? / Three ways God is working through your suffering / Jesus didn’t come to make any nation great / and more.

  • Free Stuff Fridays (21Five)

    This week the blog is sponsored by 21Five, a new Canadian Christian bookstore. In recent years, many Christian bookstores across Canada have closed their physical and online doors. This is disappointing for believers, as many of the best products come from abroad and can be costly or complicated for Canadians to bring home. There are…

  • New and Notable Books

    New and Notable Christian Books for April 2024

    It is surprisingly difficult to find a list of Christian books that have been released in any given month—especially if you want that list to be filtered by books released through particular publishers. That’s one of the reasons why I close each month by coming up with my list of New and Notable books. I…