Wonder on the Web

Links to amazing stuff

For the Word Nerds

If you were taken with this issue’s cover story (or if you—like us—have a penchant for grammar and usage), you might be a word nerd. Have we got a show for you: A Way With Words, a podcast in which two etymologists discuss developments in language and pop culture, play word puzzles, and field questions from listeners about the history of words and phrases. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted to know about regional English dialects—with the added delight of hearing them warmly answer the phone, “Hello, you have A Way With Words!”

Navigating the 13th Century

And now for a total immersion into the 13th-century technology that developed cartography. What’s most amazing is the precision of its product: “so accurate that ships today could navigate with it.”

Forgiving ISIS

A couple of issues back, our editor offered reflections on how we respond to the horrid acts of a group like ISIS. What feels almost impossible is to extend grace to the perpetrators of this kind of evil. Hear the gospel from a 10-year-old Iraqi refugee whose family fed ISIS violence:

Asked about her feelings toward those who drove her from her home, Myriam wondered why they did this. Then she said: “I will only ask God to forgive them. Why should they be killed?”

Scroll down to watch the whole video. From the mouths of babes . . .

Smell that Rain?

Scientists at MIT have revealed how the distinctive smell of a rainstorm, petrichor, works. And in this slo-mo video, you can watch the whole thing go down.

Is Your Lexicon On Fleek?

Speaking of our God-given creativity with language—if you pride yourself in being up on the new slang, here’s a quiz from The New York Times that’ll show your true colors.

Also in this issue

The Behemothย 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.

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The candidateโ€™s message at an October 7 memorial rally was popular among Christian supporters.

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Heaven Is A Homeplace

Hurricane Helene devastated the land I love. My pain points me toward what’s to come.

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We Have Never Been Deplorable

A new book critiques elitesโ€™ incurious accounts of the American right and illuminates their complicity in our social breakdown.

You Are the Light of the Public Square

American Christians can illuminate our countryโ€™s politicsโ€”if we engage with moral imagination, neighborliness, boldness, and humility.

Where Ya From?

From Pain to Empowerment with Orsika Fejer-Baas

Orsika Fejer-Baas shares her story of resilience and overcoming domestic abuse.

The Bulletin

October 7, 2023 Remembrance with Yossi Halevi

The Bulletin remembers the tragic events in Israel on October 7, 2023 and the year of turmoil that has followed.

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