Wonder on the Web

Links to amazing stuff

Healthy Habits of Awesome People

You don't have to be a genius to see divine wonders all around us. But it doesn't hurt. This review in the Harvard Business Review looks at Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. Author Mason Curry examines the schedules of 161 painters, writers, composers, philosophers, scientists, and other exceptional thinkers. The most surprising idea came from Ernest Hemingway: stop when you're on a roll.

Another habit of many geniuses is a daily walk. It apparently has some science behind it, as reported in "Walking Helps Get the Creative Juices Flowing," on the Stanford Graduate School Website.

Graces Small and Large

One thing that fills us at The Behemoth with awe is how God manages to rescue all manner of people from all manner of trouble. Like a bank robber suffering from addiction and depression. Among the lines that made us smile: "Prison is not a place for personal growth. But there were small graces."

Survival of the Beautiful-est

One problem with non-theistic evolutionary theory it provides no place for the beauty of the natural world. We read about how living things adapt to their environments and how the fittest survive. But why is the world so beautiful? "Our Generous God" suggests the world is fashioned not just to meet our physical needs, but to enhance our "desires and pleasures."

The Practical Parrotfish

On the other hand, some beautiful creatures of God can do useful and practical things—like balancing delicate ecosystems. The authors of "Meet the Sand-Pooping, Reef-Saving, Hermaphroditic Parrotfish" would not see God's providential hand in Hawaii's reefs, but we do.

Tattoo Trendsetter

Just when Christians think they are on the cutting edge by getting tattoos, along comes the news "Been there, done that." When? About 1,300 years ago. A tattoo of Michael the archangel was recently found on the inner thigh of a Sudanese female mummy. The Telegraph article notes, "The letters on her inner thigh spell out M-I-X-A-H-A, which is "Michael" in ancient Greek. Researchers say that she probably died around A.D. 700 and lived in a Christian community on the banks of the Nile River."

Also in this issue

The Behemoth was a small digital magazine about a big God and his big world. It aimed to help people behold the glory of God all around them, in the worlds of science, history, theology, medicine, sociology, Bible, and personal narrative.

Our Latest

Expert: Ukraine’s Ban on Russian Orthodox Church Is Compatible with Religious Freedom

Despite GOP concerns over government interference, local evangelicals agree that the historic church must fully separate from its Moscow parent.

News

Ohio Haitians Feel Panic, Local Christians Try to Repair Divides

As Donald Trump’s unfounded claims circulate, Springfield pastors and immigrant leaders deal with the real-world consequences.

Review

A Pastor’s Wife Was Murdered. God Had Prepared Him for It.

In the aftermath of a senseless killing, Davey Blackburn encountered “signs and wonders” hinting at its place in a divine plan.

The Church Can Help End the Phone-Based Childhood

Christians fought for laws to protect children during the Industrial Revolution. We can do it again in the smartphone age.

Taste and See If the Show is Good

Christians like to talk up pop culture’s resonance with our faith. But what matters more is our own conformity to Christ.

The Bulletin

Don’t Blame Me

The Bulletin considers the end of Chinese international adoptions, recaps the week’s presidential debate, and talks about friendship across political divides with Taylor Swift as a case study.

Public Theology Project

The Uneasy Conscience of Christian Nationalism

Instead of worldly control of society, Christ calls for renewed hearts.

News

What It Takes to Plant Churches in Europe

Where some see ambition as key to evangelism, others experiment with subtler ways of connecting to people who don’t think they need God.

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