This week we marked our one-month anniversary as a newsletter with issues on abortion and just war, the life and work of Ron Sider, the religious history of soccer, and the wisdom of Ecclesiastes. Elsewhere:
• As she begins work on her next book, I’m excited to see Beth Allison Barr start a new series of posts at The Anxious Bench. First up: how the Bible (and medieval art and piety) show us “the feminine face of God.”
• The newest contributor at Anxious Bench, Adventist historian Lisa Clark Diller, debuted with a post about a scripture that I’m prone to overlook: “The Book of Revelation, and, indeed, most scriptural apocalyptic literature, gives us hope for the future, rather than false romantic views of recreating some past golden age.”
• Karen Swallow Prior suggested that ongoing labor shortages “[offer] an opportunity for Christian ministry: The shortages point to the need in our world for tentmakers.”
• Why aren’t Americans more supportive of public policy measures that would almost surely reduce the problem of homelessness?
• As the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would make same-sex marriage federal law, it’s worth noting just how remarkable it is that such legislation has at least some bipartisan support.
• How much quieter would the world be if all vehicles were electric?
• Both mission and money help explain why some Christian colleges are investing in renewable energy sources.
• According to a new study, COVID vaccine mandates at American colleges and universities saved over 7,000 lives last fall.
• Parents are less confident that they can afford to pay for college, according to a new survey, but most of them — and even more, their children — are sure that college is worth the cost.
• If your child is going off to college this fall, maybe pass along this advice on how to make the best use of their textbooks in those intro-level history courses.
• Jennifer Woodruff Tait thought back to her experience at a liberal arts college: “The contemplation of the great questions of life and the need to make a living are intertwined in inexplicably complicated ways.”
• As a Trekkie, I was sad to learn of the death of Nichelle Nichols, who broke ground as a Black woman in network TV and made history with a kiss.
• And as a sports fan, it was hard to say farewell to Bill Russell, who was so much more than one of the greatest competitors in the history of basketball.
• I missed this last week, but it’s worth adding here: what Airbnb ads reveals about the Midwest.
• Finally, I knew that if I lived long enough, I’d see everyone else realize how good a flavor “dill pickle” is.