Links to Your World, Tuesday July 1

“It seems that ”sex in the suburbs” is a new trend among young Christian women. Is this the result of feminism breaching the church such that equality with men means sinning against men in the stereotypical ways that men have sinned against women? Is this the result of a divorce culture or women with unhealed “daddy issues?” I’ve been talking to ministry leaders from around the nation and many have noted the same trend. No one can seen to put their finger on the root of the problem. Are women reacting to fact that the evangelical church generally raises boys to be passive? While it’s true that passive, ”nice guys” make great boyfriends because they are often servile and easy manipulated, passive men become the sad husbands that many women eventually grow to resent.” (Anthony Bradley)


“Within the church, parents who readily discussed their struggles with toddler tantrums, mischievous children, or even rebellious teens find it more difficult to open up about adult children who make poor choices and stray from God’s plan. The topic brings pain, disappointment, guilt, and embarrassment. By the time children have reached adulthood, we expect them to embrace the values we’ve tried to convey. When their choices contradict the morals we’ve taught, we question our parenting. Not wanting others to think badly of our children, or of us, we resort to silence — and carry the burden of regret and feelings of failure alone.” (“When Wedding Bells Don’t Ring”)


“Many people throughout the years have criticized Saddleback for using seeker sensitive services. Being seeker sensitive is just about being polite. It’s thinking of people who don’t know Christ before yourself.” (Rick Warren, “Seven lessons from Paul on how to last in ministry”)


Read about our church member, Sherwood Moffett, and his latest trip to Japan with Austin-area high school students.


What Every American Should Know About the Middle East


I forgot to thank Eileen Flynn last week: the religion reporter for the Austin-American Statesman featured my sermon, “The Church of Oprah,” on her blog. Listen to “The Church of Oprah” here.


“Two men who converted from Islam to Christianity went on trial Wednesday on charges that they illegally promoted the Christian faith in Algeria.” (Washington Post story)


Reports on China:

“The next 30 years will be the age of the gospel.” Take 25 minutes to watch the PBS Frontline/World report, “Jesus in China” online. It’s in 2 segments, with 3 additional 2-minute segments from the journalist discussing the report. (And link to my “Jesus in Beijing” review)

Read the lengthy piece in the Chicago Tribune on Christianity’s rapid rise in China: “After centuries of foreign efforts to implant Christianity in China, today's Christian ascension is led not by missionaries but by evangelical citizens at home. Where Christianity once was confined largely to poor villages, it is now spreading into urban power centers with often tacit approval from the regime. It reaches into the most influential corners of Chinese life: Intellectuals disillusioned by the 1989 crackdown at Tiananmen Square are placing their loyalty in faith, not politics; tycoons fed up with corruption are seeking an ethical code; and Communist Party members are daring to argue that their faith does not put them at odds with the government.” This is a neat piece.

“The country's three decades of iron-fisted population planning coincided with a binge in sex-selective abortions (Chinese traditionally favor sons, who carry on the family line) and a rise, even as the country developed, in female infant mortality. After almost 30 years of the policy, China now has the largest gender imbalance in the world, with 37 million more men than women and almost 20 percent more newborn boys than girls nationwide. . . . The one-child policy was instituted in an attempt to hamper the wild growth of the Chinese population. But, in the process of plugging one hole, the government may have left another open. The coming boom in restless young men promises to overhaul Chinese society in some potentially scary ways.” (“No Country For Young Men,” in the New Republic)

Also, read my review of David Aikman's remarkable book Jesus in Beijing (from a September 2007 blog post).

This dude has chalked up the air miles. I’ll get in line with the other bloggers posting the best feel-good clip on YouTube: