What I’m Reading: Articles and Essays

Last updated on: May 14, 2010 at 2:08 pm by Amy Julia Becker

What I’m Reading: Articles and Essays 2010-05-14T14:08:00-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

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I’ve decided to start another weekly Friday feature, which will simply be a list of articles I’ve read in the past week that seem relevant and interesting to the topics I otherwise discuss on this blog. I won’t comment at length here, but I will provide a sentence or two so you can know if you’d like to read further:

“The Big Spill” from TIME, May 17. A helpful look at the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and how it should influence our national energy policy. But the most striking part of this article: “Nigeria–a petro-state that produces more than 2 million bbl. of oil a day (a little more than 10% of U.S. daily consumption)–has spills equal to that of the Exxon Valdez about every year.” Let me quote that again: “has spills equal to that of the Exxon Valdez about every year.”

“The Last Babylift: Adopting a Child in Haiti” from The New Yorker, May 10. Unfortunately, unless you subscribe, you can only read the abstract online. Still, I recommend it for its history of international adoption, reflection upon the state of affairs for orphans in Haiti, and for the thoughts about religion (Christianity in particular) and ethics that arise.

“The Science of a Happy Marriage” from The New York Times, May 10. Researchers have discovered a “fidelity gene.” Is faithfulness simply a matter of biology? I’ll be writing more about this next week.

“Doctors Sterilize Uzbek Women” from The Sunday Times, April 25. Against their will and without their consent, doctors in Uzbekistan are sterilizing poor women in order to control population growth.

“Faithful Presence: An Interview with James Davison Hunter” from Christianity Today. James Hunter speaks of cultural change and Christianity from the perspective of faith and sociology. If you’ve ever wondered whether and how your life matters, reading this interview (and then his book) might be a good place to start.

“As Different As We Think” from Books and Culture, March/April. A personal reflection on the differences between Catholics and Protestants. I found myself in both descriptions, which confirms what I have said for year: “I am denominationally confused.”

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