The Eclectic Web–2013/05/06
It has been some weeks since we’ve taken our eclectic wandering around the world wide web. I’ve accumulated a number of articles that might be of interest to our readers, so today I thought we should take the time to organize and post them.
Topics:
Parenting – are we over-doing it with protecting our kids?
Catholicism – meet the new pope, same as the old pope
Contemporary Culture/Music – men aren’t singing, a hymn story, a personal testimony about CCM and the participation of conservative evangelicals in a contemporary South African conference
Alcohol – the testimony of a prominent convert, how taste affects desire for drunkenness
Feminism – the law of unintended consequences strikes again
Depression / Psychology – how attending church affects mental health
Parenting
Three Huge Mistakes We Make Leading Kids…and How to Correct Them
We want the best for our students, but research now shows that our “over-protection, over-connection” style has damaged them.
The article discusses what some call “helicopter parenting” or “hovering” over their children. I was recalling to my sister the other day how my brother and I spent a summer day riding thirty miles from town, on our bikes, unsupervised, on a two lane highway from our town to the next closest town… without helmets. We managed to survive this and other adventures. But we never allowed our own children to do such a thing. Times have changed.
Catholicism
Jesus not found outside the Church, Pope preaches
“You cannot find Jesus outside the Church,” [the Pope] said April 23 in the Apostolic Palace’s Pauline Chapel.
“It is the Mother Church who gives us Jesus, who gives us the identity that is not only a seal, it is a belonging,” he declared in his homily.
Contrary to popular perception, Catholicism remains little changed.
Contemporary Culture/Music
Why men have stopped singing in church
It happened again yesterday. I attended one of those hip, contemporary churches — and almost no one sang. Worshippers stood obediently as the band rocked out, the smoke machine belched and lights flashed. Lyrics were projected on the screen, but almost no one sang them. A few women were trying, but I saw only one male (other than the worship leader) making the attempt.
The author of this piece is not against contemporary music in church – he is just noticing a phenomenon. His observations may be an isolated sample, but one wonders where all this new “worship” is leading the church.
A site devoted to hymn histories that might be of interest brings us the story of the author of the hymn, “Come Ye Disconsolate”. The story of Thomas Moore has this touching anecdote:
Thomas Moore’s wife contracted smallpox. Though she recovered, she was so disfigured by the disease that she refused to be seen by anyone, including her husband. In his sorrow, the author wrote a song to assure her of his love, no matter how she looked. After she heard him sing his song outside her room, she opened the door and gratefully fell into his arms.
In my own life, I have taken a journey from listening to what is called Contemporary Christian Music to rejecting that genre of music almost entirely. My own conclusion after years of struggling was that CCM is simply worldly. I want to give my testimony about this significant spiritual change in my life. My hope is that it will cause you to be encouraged if you are of the same persuasion that I am, or that it will cause you to think and re-evaluate your convictions if you are not of the same persuasion. Are you in the struggle now as I was ten years ago, or have you come to the same conclusions I have?
A pastor’s wife offers her testimony of changing her mind about contemporary Christian music.
Mark Dever, C. J. Mahaney, Kevin DeYoung, Ligon Duncan, Bob Kauflin
and
At a conference in South Africa. In spite of the musical conservatism in the churches of Dever and Duncan in particular, they appear to have no difficulty with appearing at a conference like this.
Alcohol
Died: Pat Summerall, NFL Broadcaster Who Replaced ‘Thirst for Alcohol’ with ‘Faith and God’
“My thirst for alcohol was being replaced by a thirst for knowledge about faith and God,” Summerall wrote. “I began reading the Bible regularly at the treatment center, and it became a part of my daily routine. The more I read, the more I felt a void in my life that needed to be filled.”
Interesting testimonial of a public man who apparently turned from alcohol after his conversion to Christ.
Study: Taste Of Beer Makes People Want To Drink More « CBS Philly
A new study says just tasting beer increases a person’s desire to get drunk.
Feminism
School Vote Stirs Debate on Girls as Leaders
In an attempt to improve the chances of electing a girl president this year, the school dropped the single presidency in favor of two co-presidents.
Many more girls did enter the race, all with boy partners. Other teams were made up of two boys. Over the last several weeks, the finalists were winnowed down to one girl/boy team and one all-boy team. …
After the votes were counted Wednesday night, the boys won (the tally was not made public).
Depression / Psychology
Attendance at religious services lowers risk of depression, study finds
A major new study that tracked more than 12,000 Canadians over a period of 14 years has found that regular attendance of religious service offers significant protection against depression. …
“Significantly fewer monthly attenders reported having episodes or a diagnosis of depression,” the authors write. “This … suggests a protective effect of religious attendance.”
Publication of links in The Eclectic Web feature does not imply endorsement of the viewpoint or contents of any of the websites linked. The links are provided as a matter of interest to Christians.