The stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what we feel shape our emotional and ethical reality, which of course is the great psychological function of literature and the reason why art can function as a form of therapy.
The Illusion of Respectability, by Allen Guelzo
Our mission is simple. And it means death to one of our greatest lusts.
What do Recent Campus Protests Mean? NYT, WSJ, CHE, and IHE Disagree
As anger over race relations leads to rallies, sit-ins and several prominent resignations of administrators, experts consider the messages, the tactics and the backlash. Four opinions.
Are Doomsday Approaches to the Loss of Faith Among Millennials Accurate? by RJS
Headlines scream … Ex-Christians, Young Adults Leaving the Faith, A Generation of Dropouts, Quitting Church, the Rise of the Nones. We are on the verge of a crisis with faith and the faithful in retreat. Could we be the last Christian generation or have we exaggerated a catastrophic problem?
Religious ‘nones’ are not only growing, they’re becoming more secular, by Michael Lipka
Religiously unaffiliated Americans are younger, on average, than the general public to begin with, and the youngest adults in the group – that is, those who have entered adulthood in the last several years – are even less religious than “nones” overall.
How should Christians handle a rapidly changing culture? by Michael Gerson
The early centuries of the Christian church, which included periodic persecution, were also a period of explosive growth, due (in part) to the communal compassion that distinguished believers.
The surprising institutions that refuse to drop the liberal arts, by Jon Marcus
As mainstream universities and colleges cut liberal-arts courses and programs in favor of more vocational disciplines, and the number of students majoring in the humanities continues to decline, unexpected types of institutions are expanding their requirements in the liberal arts with the conviction that these courses teach the kinds of skills employers say they want, and leaders need: critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication.
David Oyelowo on Why Christians Can’t Abandon Hollywood, by Tyler Huckabee in Relevant
The blockbuster actor with unflinching faith has a fresh vision for Christianity in film
Creative Courage for Young Hearts: Picture Books Celebrating the Lives of Great Artists, Writers, and Scientists, by Maria Popova
Jane Goodall, Julia Child, Pablo Neruda, Marie Curie, E.E. Cummings, Albert Einstein, Ella Fitzgerald, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Frida Kahlo, and more.
How ‘Faith-Based Film’ Became a Dirty Term, by Emma Green in The Atlantic
Hollywood is getting hip to the Christian box-office boost, but the directors of movies like Captive don’t want to be lumped in with the religious flops of the past.
Build Pockets of Stillness Into Your Life, Maria Popova’s ‘Do Lecture’
Reflections on “Brain Pickings” at age 7: How Maria Popova’s ‘little labor of love’ newsletter became a source of such great joy for her and her 7 million readers!
Forget Trump and Clinton: Zombie Movies Offer Best Political Lessons, by Daniel W. Drezner
Why Zombie movies and TV shows may teach students more about politics than candidates in this year’s debates.