The internet blogosphere was awash with interesting interaction this week. As I’ll attempt to do every Friday, here I present what I happened to stumble across.
1. Sis hit the mark with this reflection on marriage. The post reflects the importance of identifying, and finding an antidote to the degrees of separation that can destroy a healthy marriage. Also her post which discusses a typology of men is also worth reading….read more..
2. The blog ‘Found’ provides the church with a valuable contribution to it’s discussion on theodicy, especially in the area of mental health. I consider this topic to be of high importance to the church in the 21st Century. This not only because it reflects my own families bitter struggle in this area. It is also because there seems to be a lack of awareness in the church today about mental health issues. Often this can result in misunderstandings or comments that can discount the struggle, and minimise the painful experiences of those who stumble along, exhausting themselves in prayer before God in this area. I still haven’t worked out my own ideas conclusively on this issue. However, I have found Melinda’s theological reflections helpful and insightful.
3. I was encouraged to watch a talk by Pixar’s Andrew Stanton – the information here is relevant to anyone interested in how art can communicate theology. (Content warning: a crass joke at the beginning)…see the TED talk here…
4. There is a great compilation over at ‘Coffee and Tattoos’. This was made by contributing authors to their blog and expresses their individual views on freedom. (Great ideas…good thoughts).
5. A facebook friend pointed me in this direction: RSA animate gave a rather decent 10min presentation that is underpinned, surprisingly, by theological themes. The video is about what motivates us. They explain how science has concluded that ‘humans gravitate towards a transcendent purpose. The presentation explains how humans are [designed?] concerned about moral responsibility and work better when a higher purpose is involved…therefore leaders need to be ‘purpose maximisers…empowering people means moving beyond the ideology of the carrot and the stick incentive’ …see more here…
6. A friend and old colleague of mine, Adam Gilmour, has made some high quality short films . Also he is currently working on an album of reworked Hymns.
7. If you didn’t catch it, Jewish Novelist Howard Jacobson gives a talk defending Christianity. 10min of WoW (Content warning: contains some bad language).
8. Kudos to Godanalytics who drew my attention to this 30min youtube video of Lacrae. Not being a believer in the false divide between secular and sacred, I found it encouraging to see people talking about it.
