‘The Sikhs who saved Parmesan’ →

The title says it all. Great read.

‘Where Virtue, Pragmatics, and Mission Meet’ →

Speaking of Greg McKinzie, check out what’s driving his decision to pursue doctoral education:

If this seems heady, well, it will be; it’s doctoral work. But my commitment is to serve the fruit of the ministry of study at the congregational table. What we need, in Churches of Christ at least, is a real hermeneutical alternative to the defunct interpretive habits that haunt us, and that alternative should be rooted in participation in God’s mission. I care deeply about hermeneutics because congregations need to live missionally in the world through the biblical narrative. We need reading practices that help us to embody God’s purposes, both in the interpretive process and in word-and-deed proclamation of the kingdom. Where virtue, pragmatics, and mission meet, we have in view roughly two kinds of interpretive practices:

1. Practices that transform the church—actually making us who we are supposed to be, not just people who affirm the conclusions they are supposed to affirm.

2. Practices that transform the world—actually participating in the restoration of all creation.

If, in the next three years, I can make any contribution in this direction, I will consider myself deeply privileged. I thank God for the opportunity.

Writing That's Worth Reading →

Greg McKinzie has been tearing it up on Scripture and Mission in the few months between his family's move back to the U.S. of A. and starting his doctoral studies in Pasadena.

I’m linking to a great post of his from the beginning of May. It’s exemplary of the type of post you’ll often see on Scripture and Mission, where Greg not only presents original material but also walks his audience through the process of how he got there. I love it.

Of course I enjoy and benefit from Greg’s interaction with the actual material. But more than anything I love his introductory comments (or, in this case, introductory sections). Those who minimize Greg’s contributions because he uses big words and dissects difficult subjects miss an important point. Greg is using his site to teach. He’s not just doing the talking himself, he’s teaching readers how to read the Bible for themselves and draw their own, informed conclusions. In math terms he’s showing his work, which is harder than just persuasively presenting your own position.

Incidentally, Greg is also raising the standard for what is published on “blogs” (the term “blog” for me devalues content, which is why I like to say “website” instead of “blog,” and talk about “writing” instead of “blogging”). In a day and age of cheap information, lists of 27 things (of which YOU WON’T BELIEVE NUMBER 14), and easy solutions, I want to support thoughtful publishing online.

There’s a reason that Greg’s homepage only displays one post at a time. He writes standalone articles. A single post might even have 28 footnotes.

If Greg’s writing is difficult for you to read all the way through, here are a few tips:

• Set aside 15-30 minutes. This isn’t the Internet equivalent of a fun-sized Snickers bar—it’s more like an Argentine steak with a side order of Peruvian potatoes.
• Be ready to learn something. Pull up your dictionary app, or, even easier, make it a habit to 3-finger tap the words you don’t know (this works on OS X. On iOS, you have to highlight the word and tap “Define”).
• Read.
• Then, summarize what you’ve learned in your own words. Consider joining the conversation (on your own site, not Facebook) with a nuanced response.

Good writing is worth reading.

Not Really the World’s Greatest Dad →

Peter Rollins, on honesty and idealizing:

It might seem that the only alternative to idealization is a bland world where parents talk about their child being reasonably attractive compared to other infants, and children buy cards that state, “You’re roughly average in your parenting skills.” But there is also the stance that Freud called “sublimation.” This is where some particular thing/person/cause takes on an absolute value for us, not in wanton ignorance of his/her/its imperfection, but in the very acceptance and even celebration of those imperfections.

Of course I had to wait a few days after Father’s Day to link to this, if only to lessen truth’s sting a bit.

Don’t miss the video at the end of his post. Hilarious.

Down with ‘Depends on Experience’ →

Good post by Vu Le over on Nonprofit With Balls, regarding the common practice of not disclosing salary ranges with job postings:

The expectation for candidates to not bring up the salary until the end is naïve and irresponsible. We need to live and support our families on these salaries; our payment is not a pleasant bonus we get for saving the world.

And:

We in the nonprofit sector must blaze the trail for equity, and not just thoughtlessly follow the ineffective and inequitable practices we inherited from the business world like a bunch of sign-spinning robots. #DownWithDOE. Tweet that, and let’s start to end this practice.

I’ve been following this site for a while, but just stumbled across the story behind the site’s name. It’s worth the three minute read.