Remembering 9/11:
Over the past year or so, I have been grateful for the photographical contributions of boston.com. The pics from Ground Zero are astonishing.
Social Issues:
The New York Times article, Soaring Poverty Casts Spotlight on 'Lost Decade,' quotes Harvard economics professor, “This is truly a lost decade...We think of America as a place where every generation is doing better, but we’re looking at a period when the median family is in worse shape than it was in the late 1990s.” The article discusses how the poverty level in America continues to increase.
To shed more light on the subject however, The Heritage Foundation has conducted a study to define what the census actually means when they say that a family is impoverished. The results of the study were published in an article entitled What is Poverty in the United States Today? The article discusses what the media and other officials have defined and identified as poverty and what poverty actually entails. An overgeneralized summary would be that the average "impoverished" American home may struggle to make ends meet, but they are struggling to pay for things like cable TV and air conditioning while putting food on the table.
Education:
Homeschool Blindspots is a great post by Josh Harris. He is really reposting and commenting on an article by Reb Bradley in the Virginia Home Educator Magazine. I would suggest all homeschooling parents read this.
Michael Horton of the White Horse Inn gives the reasons why he advocates Classical Christian Education. One of the comments I appreciate is, "The Classical Christian Education takes full advantage of the way children learn. It goes with the grain instead of against it..." This is about a 3 min video and worth your time.
Electronics:
If you know me, you know that I am a sucker for gadgets. Unfortunately, I don't make enough money to like them too much! But, with the new iPhone launch just around the corner (probably in early October) I figured this article, 5 Ways to Dump Your Old Handset Before the iPhone 5, may be of some help.
Books:
Here is the book, Justification and Regeneration by Charles Leiter. I have not read this book, but because it is being offered for free by Challies, I am inclined to trust that it is solid.
The God Who Is There by D.A. Carson is a good primer for those seeking a fuller understanding of both Biblical and Systematic Theology. Each chapter carries a different predication to the subject phrase "The God Who Is..." This helps the reader keep the different attributes of God as well as the different phases of redemptive history under a single thematic umbrella. The book is not as tidy, nor as thorough as I would like; but it is very informative, simple and manageable. While Carson skims past the minor prophets, he does spend a good bit of well deserved time in the Pentateuch. I would say that this is a decent book for students of the Bible to have on their shelf.
The Envy of the World by Ellis Cose is a book about being a black man in America. While Cose does not address the issue from a distinctly Christian perspective, he does do a wonderful job describing the black experience in an honest, transparent, informative and clear way. "Being black in America," says Cose, "is a very complicated thing....Though this may be the best time ever to be a black man in America, you only prosper if you make it through the gauntlet. And that gauntlet is ringed with bullies armed with ugly half-truths with which they will try their damnedest to beat you to death...Your best chance at life lies in rejecting what they - what much of America - tells you that you are, perhaps rejecting, in the process, ideas you have harbored for most of your existence of what it means to be black and male."
Cose also discusses the culture's desire to emulate and even admire the uncivilized, strong, wild child identity of the black male. Many white folks are especially desirous to leave the stereotypically structured, boring, educated, goodie-goodie life for the more untamed life of the hood. The irony is that emulation and admiration is not ontologically the same as being black. People can stop imitation when it becomes inconvenient. The black man cannot.
The stereotypes have ironically and tragically become too often actualized. Therefore, while America may envy the black male, she is more likely to meet that black male on the streets with anxiety instead of admiration. I appreciate this book greatly. The perspectives that I have gained from this book have caused me to both repent and rejoice - repenting of my own racism, and rejoicing because of the blessing we have in America in the black culture.
Music:
Don't forget about the Holy Culture Drop CD. Here is a great article from Rapzilla about the project. In short, download the album for free here. Burn it to a CD. Print out the artwork. "Drop" it into someone's hands who needs to know Christ.
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