Why should we stop using ‘millennial’ as a derogatory term? What can Hogwarts teach us about friendship? How does our understanding of culture connect with missions? And what does it mean that “love bears all things”?
Get answers to these questions and more from Samuel James, Laura Thigpen, Keelan Cook and Shane Pruitt in today’s #FaithandCulture Reading.
It’s Time for Christians to Stop Using ‘Millennial’ as a Derogatory Term
We often divide ourselves according to our generations — Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, etc. But in this article at Relevant, Shane Pruitt warns us about the dangers of using generational terms in a derogatory manner. He writes,
So, maybe as the Church, its time for us to stop falling into the definitional traps and generalizations of generations, and start walking in the truths of how Scripture views all ages, as people! Instead of complaining about the future generations, let’s do what the Bible commands us to do — love God, love people and make disciples. Read More>>
What Hogwarts Can Teach Us About Friendship
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its publication. In this article, Samuel James reflects back on the Harry Potter books and finds a surprising ingredient to their success — J. K. Rowling’s depiction of friendship. He writes,
Why were the Harry Potter stories so wildly successful? What was it about them, as opposed to hundreds of other ‘young adult’ novels, that embossed onto the consciousness of a generation? Why are we celebrating the 20th anniversary of their US publication with the same kind of enthusiasm as if the books were published last Christmas? Here’s one theory. The Harry Potter books have become cultural touchstones because they are not really about magic, or heroes, or even good vs evil. They are really about friendship. Friendship is the rosebud of American culture. Its the thing universally acknowledged as necessary and good, and the one thing that every mechanism of our daily life in a flat, atomized society violently resists. Particularly for readers of Harry Potter who were the first to grow up in a culture shaped by the internet and social media, the friendships depicted in the novels seem almost like a shameless daydream. Hogwarts is the epicenter for a kind of intimacy and interdependence that, for many of us, exists only in such fairy tales. Friendship — the kind that ties together Harry, Ron, and Hermione — is rare. Read More>>
Bearing with One Another
What does it mean that “love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7)? Laura Thigpen explains in this article at out sister blog, Women’s Life. She explains,
Bearing with one another is not easy, though. Our sins mar our efforts to live righteous lives like potholes on a smooth road. It’s easier to walk away from relationships than it is to reconcile them. Praise be to God, He did not see us as something to be done away with, but children to be reconciled to Himself! Christ told His disciples that their love for one another would tell the world that they were followers of Christ. Read More>>
Culture: Palace or Prison?
Why is it important for missions minded Christians to understand culture? Keelan Cook addresses this question at The Peoples Next Door. He writes,
Our way of viewing the world colors your understanding of everything around you. You have blind spots, and knowing that should change how you approach the most important things in your life as a Christ follower. Try and peel back the curtain on your culture. What are the presuppositions that guide your way of viewing the world? Read More>>
What are you reading this weekend?
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