Friday in the wild: October 3, 2014

I haven't done a Friday in the Wild for a few weeks, so while it might look like I'm playing catch-up, it is in fact a doozy of a week. Lots of interesting stuff to share. So, without further ado:

Come Reason posted this about the rise in relativism in Christian youth:

This kind of thinking is how tyranny is born. If one cannot tell another his actions are evil, then they will continue until those that would dare to oppose immorality are themselves labelled as immoral. . . . And now, the kids we send to college hold not the belief that they cannot stand their moral ground, but that they should not stand their moral ground, because to do so is itself an immoral act!

[Read The Epidemic of Relativism Among Christian Youth]

Woe unto anyone who declares woe unto anyone.

I wouldn't agree with every point in Jonathan Leeman's list of issues with multi-site churches, but a number of them certainly did ring true. For example:

Multi-site churches which use video preaching unwittingly communicate that singing is more significant for Christian growth and closer to the heart of worship than hearing God's preached Word. After all, how many multi-site churches stream their music over video from a central location? A church wouldn't dare import the music, it's thought. People need to engage with a live band. People need their music authentic, personal, enfleshed. But preaching? Apparently, it can be imported from afar. . . .

In an age which wants authenticity and reality, multi-site is ironically anti-incarnational: it divides Word from flesh.

[Read Twenty-Two Problems with Multi-Site Churches]

I have remarked from time to time that with all the hype over David Platt's book Radical, I'd like to write a book titled Ordinary about the countless everyday Christians who live a comfortable, suburban existence where they grow in grace and knowledge of the faith, serving faithfully in their churches and raising their children in the fear and admontion of the Lord, yet nonetheless leaving their mark on the Kingdom of God. Augustine is rightly renowned as a father of the Church because of his zeal as a theologian and an apologist for the faith. But his mother, Monica, is also renowned: for nothing more (and nothing less) than tirelessly praying for Augustine's conversion for 17 years.

Alas, it appears Michael Horton has beaten me to it. He even stole my title!

This from The Late Frank Turk gave me some inspiration on how to flesh out my old Sunday-school lesson on Philemon that I've been intending to revamp for re-use.

I'm a big fan of leftover pizza—just not leftover cold pizza. (Burn him! He's a witch!—Ed.) Usually I just pop a slice or two into the microwave and wait for the cheese to start bubbling again. But according to the R&D department at The Art of Manliness, that may not be—shock! gasp!—the best way to reheat it.

Also from The Art of Manliness: "Gird up your loins" is a biblical idiom meaning, basically, "act like a man." This being the Internet, however, it was only a matter of time before someone created an infographic explaining exactly how to do it!

Justin Taylor recently wrapped up a blog series in which he asked a number of prominent Christian academics and leaders what novel every Christian should consider reading. The answers were many and varied, as you would expect. As a result, I've added works by Walker Percy, Mark Helprin, Michael Chabon, and others to my to-read list: authors that I very likely never would have otherwise considered.

At the Out of the Ordinary blog, Rebecca Stark reposted an old post of hers about "putting God in a box":

What these arguments don't take into account is this: Our God is a talking God. He has chosen to communicate to us, telling us about himself. Yes, God is incomprehensible and free, but he also has a a definite nature. And he's chosen to communicate truths about who he is in language we can understand. God can't be put in a box, but in his Word he's given us big hooks to hang our hats on as we seek to know him.

[Read Of God, Boxes, and Hooks]

My feeling on the subject is somewhat less theological, but more concise: "You can't put God in a box" really means "Don't contradict what I imagine God to be."

If you've read this blog for awhile, you know that I'm no stranger to the fine art of chicken wings. So I loved reading "Everything You Need to Know About Chicken Wings" just for its own sake. I already bake my wings rather than fry them (not having suitable equipment for deep-frying chicken), but some of the sauces look promising, too.

Finally, a bit of school-related schadenfreude, courtesy of the UW Imprint. Two years ago, the Waterloo administration announced that they would not renew the lease on Federation Hall, formerly the largest student nightclub in Canada, until the mid-2000s when the Federation of Students revamped it into a space for banquets and the like. It seems students still feel like the building was stolen from them, and so last month when UW Food Services asked for suggestions for renaming the building, some of the responses were less than positive. Speaking for myself, the last time I set foot inside Fed Hall was in 1990 in my second year (my first second year—technically I was registered in second year a total of four times), around which time I discovered that the Bomber was a more interesting venue for imbibing. So meh. On the other hand, over the course of my school career, I estimate I dropped $90 into Fed Hall by way of compulsory student fees, so I think the Food Services people are getting their comeuppance.

That's it, till next time. Share and Enjoy!