What I’m Reading: Articles and Essays

Last updated on: May 21, 2010 at 2:06 pm by Amy Julia Becker

What I’m Reading: Articles and Essays 2010-05-21T14:06:00-04:00 Amy Julia Becker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Please forgive the formatting of this post–blogger is sometimes out of control, or at least out of my technical capabilities! Still some articles worth reading:

“Red Family, Blue Family,” New York Times, May 9, 2010. This is a great op-ed exploring abortion, teen pregnancy, family values, and the sexual revolution. A quote:

“Liberals sometimes argue that their preferred approach to family life reduces the need for abortion. In reality, it may depend on abortion to succeed. The teen pregnancy rate in blue Connecticut, for instance, is roughly identical to the teen pregnancy rate in red Montana. But in Connecticut, those pregnancies are half as likely to be carried to term. Over all, the abortion rate is twice as high in New York as in Texas and three times as high inMassachusetts as in Utah. So it isn’t just contraception that delays childbearing in liberal states, and it isn’t just a foolish devotion to abstinence education that leads to teen births and hasty marriages in conservative America. It’s also a matter of how plausible an option abortion seems, both morally and practically, depending on who and where you are.”

Along related lines, “Poverty and the Pill” New York Times, May 20,2010. Nicholas Kristoff relates statistics about birth control around the world. A quotation that demonstrates the significance and complexity of the issue:”If contraception were broadly available in poor countries, the report said, more than 50 million unwanted pregnancies could be averted annually. One result would be 25 million fewer abortions per year. Another would be saving the lives of as many as 150,000 women who now die annually in childbirth.”

“What Did Jesus Do?” The New Yorker, May 20, 2010

This article provides a helpful summary of contemporary scholarship surrounding “the historical Jesus.” With that said, I disagree with the conclusions of many of those scholars and with this article. It is helpful to read it in conjunction with Scot McKnight’s “The Jesus We’ll Never Know” from Christianity Today’s April issue. McKnight argues that historical Jesus scholarship inevitably recreates the Jesus it wants to discover.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

May 21, 2010

What I'm Reading and Watching: Cutting for Stone and The Painted Veil

Next Post

May 24, 2010 The Sweetness of God: Thoughts on Graduation, Book Deals, and Answered Prayer

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Articles Books Disability Down Syndrome Faith family Perfectly Human Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 September 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz