It appears that all my news gathering algorithms were no match for the slow news cycle of a long weekend. Nonetheless, we have a great list for you:
- Worship leaders of all makes and models convened at Calvin College last week to sort out the music of the last six decades.
- Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen, and T. D. Jakes were among the authors caught in last week's showdown between Hachette Book Group and Amazon.
- Richard Dawkins: "I would describe myself as a secular Christian in the same sense as secular Jews have a feeling for nostalgia and ceremonies." The author was presenting the first volume of his memoirs and made the remark in response to a comment from an American minister.
- Interview of the Week (1): How important is reading to the development of spiritual life? Can you be illiterate and be a faithful Christian?
- Interview of the Week (2): The InterVarsity Fall 2014 Catalog is remarkable for its omission of authors of color.
- Last week an opinionated blogger suggested that the meditation practice known as Lectio Divina was "dangerous." Here is an informed response.
- Did a church experience leave you or someone you know abused or burned out? They could be suffering from Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome or PTCS.
- Clobber Verses Department: A rather good attempt at balance in the Leviticus prohibition against homosexuality.
- Essay of the Week (1): Despite their preponderance online, the New Calvinism movement must contend with some serious problems.
- Essay of the Week (2): When navigating your church through times of transition, there is a big difference between change and transformation.
- Essay of the Week (3): The honest, painful story of a couple who made the decision to terminate a pregnancy.
- Despite losing two sons in an Arkansas tornado, a mother affirms the goodness of God.
- If rush hour commuters are taking a short cut through your church parking lot anyway, why not install a prayer box?
- Apologetics Alley: When people you know are hung up on alleged Bible contradictions, here are ten principles to keep in mind when formulating your response.
- After years of silence followed by coming out gay, singer Jennifer Knapp is telling her story in a book releasing through Howard Publishing.
- The cover story of a UK Evangelical magazine proclaims that one's stand on homosexuality has become the new litmus test for orthodoxy.
- The blog, Just a Thought continues its Five Questions series with a survivor of the worst disaster in U.S. Navy history.
- "The fact that all five of the greatest men in the Bible failed so miserably gives me incredible hope and encouragement." The common denominator among Bible greats.
- Recurring Discussion Department: Why American Christians might want to reconsider reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
- For some visionaries, it seems that every time they have a great idea, it only takes nanoseconds for the leadership to say "No."
- Here's a double-header for a pastor whose blog I've been following for a long time: Keeping volunteers on message and avoiding the tendency to "fix" people.
- If you're considering "the ministry," keep in mind that it's not all glamour. Instead, it's mostly nuts and bolts and odd hours.
- Here's a book review that intrigued me. Mission Drift deals with "institutional drift," which happens when organizations become distracted.
- In Canada, the Province of Quebec is re-introducing its controversial euthanasia legislation.
- The last remaining major newspaper reporter dedicated to religion news has had her position terminated after 27 years.
- Okay, admittedly he doesn't update it very often, but infrequently Ed Young still posts at his Pastor Fashion blog.
- The choices may be a little biased, but if you want to balance out all the contemporary bloggers and Tweeters in your day with some classic writing, try The Old Guys.
- Hillsong's "Oceans" ("You call me out upon the waters …") has cracked a record set by MercyMe in 2003 for the longest run on the top of the Billboard Christian Songs Chart.
- CBN News profiles NHL veteran and Stanley Cup Champion Matt Cullen.
- Booked your Christian music festival for the summer? I love the website for June's Atlanta Fest 2014. Find an event near you at the Christian Festival Guide.
Got a suggestion for next week's links? Find the contact page at Paul's blog, Thinking Out Loud or via @PaulW1lk1nson and make some noise by noon on Monday.
