Faith, Fiction, Friends: Saturday Good Reads

One of the most popular memes on social media has been “2016 was the worst year ever.” Well, no. If you lived in London in 1666, you might have said that with more justification (London burned). Or 1919 – the year tens of millions of people worldwide died from the Spanish Flu. To keep things in perspective, consider Max Roser’s history of global living conditions in five charts.

N.T. Wright is an Anglican bishop and writer who’s grown quite popular in the U.S. But his latest book is causing some controversy. And did you know that Benjamin Franklin was not only the American publisher (and friend) of George Whitefield but also had a deeply religious sister?

I’m not one for evolution vs. creation controversies, but an article by an Australian scientist on what was found in Wyoming pricked my interest. See “When Continents Collide.” And while we're talking about controversial subjects, Scot McKnight has some lessons for progressives, and progressive Christians, to learn from the election of Donald Trump.

Tim Challies has made an interesting observation about Christian authors. Male Christian authors tend to write for both men and women. Female Christian authors tend to write for women.

Do you know who Edward Stratmeyer was? If you read The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and the Hardy Boys, you know who he was.

Alistair Humphreys has traveled the world, and then came up with an entirely different approach to travel – microadventures. And he started in his home country of Britain.

Poetry

With Which the Waters Swarmed – Amanda Butler at Altarwork.

Christmas Crow – David Wright at Curator Magazine.

Brain Case: In Forty-Eight Fluid Ounces – Mary Harwell Sayler at Chest Medical Journal.

How a Poem Happens: "Overtime" by Brian Patrick Heston – Brian Brodeur.

Endings – Lise at All the Words.

North Conway – Chris Yokel.

Life and Culture

American Studies: A Sad Tale of Academic Decline – Charles Lupfer at the John William Pope Center.

When Continents Collide – Dr. Andrew Snelling at Answers in Genesis.

Can This Political Union Be Saved? – Megan McArdle at Bloomberg View.

A History of Global Living Conditions in 5 Charts – Max Roser at Our World in Data.

Four Lessons Progressives Can Learn from Trump’s Election – Scot McKnight.

Faith

When He Came to Himself – Rick Wilcox at Literary Life.

On Laughter and More – Dr. Steven Garber at The Washington Institute for Faith and Vocation.

Ben Franklin’s Calvinist Sister – Thomas Kidd at Evangelical History.

N. T. Wright's The Day the Revolution Began: A Few Reflections – Dane Ortland at Strawbery-Rhubarb Theology.

Reviving the Biblical Doctrine of Work in America – Hugh Whelchel at the Institute for Faith, Work, & Economics.

Art and Photography

Fifty Shades of Pink and Pink Passion -- Tim Good at Pixels and National Geographic / Your Shot.

Writing

I’m Complementarian and I Read Books By Women – Tim Challies at Informing the Reforming.

Curious George and the Nazis – Kimberly Cook at The Lion of Design.

Your Writing Platform: What’s the Definition of Platform (and Do I Really Need One)? – Ann Kroeker.

Ed Stratmeyer: King of the Children’s Series – Marguerite Peterson at The New Antiquarian.

An Introduction to MicroAdventures – Alastair Humphreys