Saturday Good Reads

Just when you think political life in American couldn’t get more bizarre, it does.

We all (supposedly) know fake news when we see it, unless it agrees with our own political beliefs. Then it must be true. David Uberti at the Columbia Journalism Review raises a better issue than fake news – and that’s bad journalism. Virtually all our mainstream media have done bad journalism from time to time (most notably and recently the Washington Post and the story about alleged Russian hacking of the electrical grid). But bad journalism is a lot older than the recent election cycle (remember the video that supposedly caused militants to attack the U.S. ambassador in Benghazi?)

Samuel James has some thoughts on Christian publishing, and the great opportunity there is right now. John Schmalzbauer at Cardus talks about the loss to evangelicalism of the shutting down of Books & Culture Magazine.

I’ve read (and reviewed) Hilary Mantel’s saga of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. What I didn’t know was how Mantel’s past played such a large role in those historical novels. Patricia Snow at First Things has a rather sobering account.

Good poetry, wonderful photographs, and Nick Pitera does a one-man Les Miserables that is just stunning.

Writing

Thoughts on Christian Publishing – Samuel James at Inklingations.

9 Things You Should Know About J. R. R. Tolkien – Joe Carter at The Gospel Coalition.

7 Writing Tips from Charles Spurgeon – Lucid Books.

The Devil and Hilary Mantel – Patricia Snow at First Things Magazine.

The Color of the Sunset – Jay DePoy at Altarwork.

Faith

Inevitable Side Effects of a Church Growth Ministry Model – Harry Reeder at Reformation 21.

A man recently broke into my church. Good on him – Giles Fraser at The Guardian (Hat tip: J of India).

Christ is mine forevermore (hymn) – City Aflame.

What We Need to Learn from the Early Church – Tim Keller at The Gospel Coalition.

Confession Regarding an Election – Loren Paulsson at World Narratives.

5 Things the Seeker Movement Got Right – Jared Wilson at For the Church.

Why We Need Less “Honesty” and More Worship – Mike Leake at Borrowed Light.

Life and Culture

Focus more on fighting bad journalism, less on fake news – David Uberti at Columbia Journalism Review.

The Life and Death of Evangelicalism’s Little Magazine – John Schmalzbauer at Cardus.

Poetry

Sonnet – Brian Kohl at Curator Magazine.

Ode to a Winter Urn – Tim Good at Pics, Poems, and Ponderings.

Prayer in Public Schools – Sally Clark at Altarwork.

What They Never Tell You – Shawn Smucker.

Art and Photography

Spoon of the Golden Ratio – Jack Baumgartner at The School of the Transfer of Energy.

Your Other Neighbors – Rick Wilcox at Literary Life.

On a Cold, Dark Morning – Tim Good at Pics, Poems, and Ponderings.

Zion Church, Revisited and Around Zion Lutheran – Chris Naffziger at St. Louis Patina.

Nick Pitera: One Man Les Miserables

Painting: Woman Reading a letter, oil on canvas (1660-1662) by Gerard ter Borch; Royal Collection, London.