I’ve been in Nashville for Q Ideas – where the evangelical world, NPR and TED Talks meet for four days of 8 minute talks about “the common good.” About one third of the people are pastors, the rest are academics, pols, journalist, entrepreneurs and other marketplace leaders. This year’s talks have included discussion on: the environment, the effects of nationalism, Heffner’s legacy, the upcoming biological revolution, the rise of US exorcisms, reparations, #MeToo and life in our fake-news-post-truth culture.
Quotes Worth Requoting:
- The one perfectly divine thing, the one glimpse of God’s paradise given on earth, is to fight a losing battle and not lose it. G.K. Chesterton
- If each spouse says to the other, “I will treat my selfishness as the main problem in the marriage,” you have the prospect for great things. Tim Keller
- To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to violence. Thomas Merton
Caring for our Inner Garden: Shortly after it came out back in 1985, I devoured Ordering Your Private World. At the time there was not much like it in print. Today, books, articles and blogs about our inner life – and how to organize it – are everywhere. This past weekend we had MacDonald – now 79 years old – speak at a variety of Christ Church events. Here is a link to an hour long interview I did with him in front of our staff and the pastors from a few other churches.
Articles Worth Reading: My goal for this section has been to identify articles worth reading that you may not run across. I keep citing faith-related pieces from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, etc. because I am surprised at what is being printed there. As it turns out, I am overwhelmed by opportunities to do this – such as this week, where National Review has a piece on prayer. Despite the forecasts of those advancing the Secularization Theory, our world grows more religious by the day.
Barna Stats: One of the eight minute talks at Q was given by David Kinnaman, the president of Barna Research. He said many things worth thinking about. I’ll share two:
- Fifty-seven percent of Christians report that they would use violence to defend themselves, although only ten percent think Jesus would approve. (I’m not looking to debate self-defense, I’m simply noting the percentage who describe themselves as Christ-followers but who are not committed to following Christ).
- In this post-truth era: 1) the majority of people now look inward for truth – including truth about news events (as odd as that sounds); and 2) people are more confident in their views than they were in the past.
Thankfulness: Four years ago tomorrow (April 17th) I suffered the dissection that led to a stroke. This past week I visited the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, which is the new name (that goes along with the new $500M building) for what used to be called RIC (the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago). During my visit I was able to thank four of the doctors, nurses and therapists who cared for me. Most tell me that my recovery is among the most significant they have seen. I remain very thankful.
Prayer Requests: This weekend we start a new sermon series – Set Free. It is based on Galatians. I believe it may be one of the more important series I have ever preached. (I am certainly praying to that end).