The Friday Update - Enough

Happy Friday,

I do not have to be told to love myself or protect my own interests. But I must be continually reminded to love God and value others ahead of myself. And even that does not prepare me for the jarring and unthinkable command to love my enemies.

DAAAA Pope

Yes, the new pope is from Chicago. No, I do not know him. And no — I cannot confirm if he is a Cubs or White Sox fan, but I’m sure he loves Daaaaa Bears.

News Flash

The NYT is reporting on a trendy new fashion accessory emerging out of the intersection of faith and culture. Suddenly it’s everywhere!!! Don’t be left behind. Advertise your with-it-ness by being on the bleeding edge of this trend. The accessory is being referred to as a cross.

Without Comment

1) Per the results of a global study on human flourishing — covered by both Christianity Today and The New York Times — you can’t buy happiness but you can find it in friendships, marriages, community and faith.

2) This 2020 study found that social scientists earn more when they’re attractive, while natural scientists earn more when they’re unattractive.

3) Pew reported that Americans over the age of sixty “now spend more than half of their daily leisure time…in front of screens.”

4) Per the CDC, the average US women is 5’3.5” and weighs 170.8 while the average US male is 5’9” and weighs 199.8.

5) According to this CNN report, California’s economy recently surpassed Japan to become the 4th largest in the world, trailing only the US, China and Germany.

6) In the UK, church attendance among young men is up 5X and among women it’s up 4x. Per this report, over Easter weekend, many churches in Great Britain were so full that they had to turn people away.

Money

1) At a party on Shelter Island hosted by a billionaire hedge fund manager, author Kurt Vonnegut turned to his friend Joseph Heller, the writer of Catch-22, and said, "Joe, our host made more money yesterday than you’ve earned from your famous book over its entire history." Heller simply replied, "Yes, but I have something he will never have… enough."

2) "Money flows effortlessly to that which is its god." Tim Keller

Overheard

1) We’re moving from a culture shaped by institutions to one shaped by digital platforms, the latter being micro-institutions bent on undermining institutions.

2) ​Those who can read books but do not have no advantage over those that do not because they cannot.

3) Human nature wins until revival or misery gets our attention.

4) Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.

Quotes Worth Requoting

1) “Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine - without harming the community. Then they were quickly silenced, but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It’s the invasion of the idiots.” - Umberto Eco

2) “Human beings are the only animals that blush, and the only animals that need to.” - Mark Twain

3) “The claim that morality was obvious was obviously wrong.” - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

4) “To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle.” - George Orwell

WORDS

I’m feeling the loss of a dear friend who passed away unexpectedly. Not only would he have delighted in this collection of English language idiosyncrasies — e.g., 1) “excuse me” but there’s no “excuse” for spelling minute (60 seconds) and minute (small) the same; 2) I’m not content with this content; 3) I object to that object; 4) I need to read what I read again; and 5) I’m going to wind up this post and throw it in the wind — he would have made it better. RIP

The Rest of the Story

I recently heard the back story on the Good Samaritan Experiment, a psychological study in which a handful of seminary students about to preach on the Good Samaritan walked past a person in obvious distress. The experiment was designed to see who would stop to help. I’ve long been haunted by the results. But it turns out there is more to the story, and now I’m even more haunted. You can hear all about it in an Ezra Klein interview with Judith Shulevitz (18:30-21:10). Shulevitz is a cultural critic and the author of The Sabbath World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time.

The Church

Years ago, Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson summarized church history this way: “In the beginning, the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. And, finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.” 

Closing Prayer

“God Almighty, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant us, we pray thee, to be grounded and settled in the truth, by the coming down of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. That which we know not…reveal; that which is wanting in us…fill up; that which we know...confirm, and keep us blameless in thy service; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (Clement of Rome - 18AD - 100AD)

Support The Friday Update