CHICAGO, IL (May 26, 2017) — Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement by the Covenant of any views expressed.
Try This Instead of Trying to Find a Soulmate
The idea of finding your one true “soulmate” can destroy relationships because it places unrealistic expectations on your partner. Nor is it a biblical approach to marriage. The author of this article says J.R.R. Tolkien, who was married to his wife, Edith, from the time they were teenagers to the time she died at 83, expresses it best, and quotes him throughout.
From the article: “Tolkien wrote to his son, ‘Only a very wise man at the end of his life could make a sound judgment concerning whom, amongst the total possible chances, he ought most profitably to have married. Nearly all marriages, even happy ones, are mistakes: in the sense that almost certainly (in a more perfect world, or even with a little more care in this very imperfect one) both partners might have found more suitable mates…. The ‘real soul-mate,’ is the one you are actually married to.”
Snoop Dog Is Working on a Gospel Album
Artists of all genres, including bluegrass, country, pop, and rock, have recorded gospel songs and full albums even though much of the rest of their music and lifestyle was far from what people would call Christian. Should we think of rapper Snoop Dogg as somehow being different?
From the article: “Signs of his leanings towards spirituality were picked up by fans much earlier. He had remixed Pastor Shirley Caesar’s 1988 hit gospel song, ‘Hold My Mule,’ renaming his version the ‘U Name It Holiday Anthem.’ He used Shirley’s ‘I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes’ to get people interested. Caesar herself was very impressed and happy with the rap version.”
A Germaphobe’s Guide to Airports and Airplanes
Rachel Chang is a travel and entertainment writer. She’s also a germaphobe, which makes her work especially difficult. This is for anyone who has ever been disgusted in a public bathroom. Her article includes tips for anyone—even if some may be on the extreme side.
From the article: “Five years ago, I came back from a trip to New Orleans with such a bad ear infection that my doctor said I came close to damaging my eardrum. Even worse: He said … I should never fly with even a hint of a sickness since it could ruin my hearing. That was enough turn me into a germ-fearing traveler.”
Candy Giants Have Spent Years in Court Fighting over Shape of Kit Kat bar
Nestlé and Cadbury have been fighting in European courts for 10 years over whether the “four-finger” Kit Kat bar’s shape is so distinctive that it should be protected by trademark. And you thought the church fights over carpet color or who gets to use the kitchen were silly—well, maybe they are.
From the article: “The British judges that handed down the most recent decision have acknowledged in their own pithy way that cases over a candy bar’s ‘distinctive character’ can smack of absurdism.”
Here also are five things you didn’t know about Kit Kat Bars.
Is the Old Testament Dying?
The general lack of biblical literacy in our culture is partially to blame for misunderstanding about and disinterest in the Old Testament. Then there are all those lists and rules, God-directed massacres, and questions about how literally to take the stories. The upshot: people tend to prefer not to engage the Old Testament at all. There also is the belief among some that the New Testament has superseded the Old. Biblical scholar and author of the new book The Old Testament Is Dying Brent Strawn says church leaders need to do a better job of communicating God’s word.
From the article: “Strawn analyzed 879 sermons published in collections called ‘Best Sermons,’ and found that only 21 percent of those sermons were devoted to lessons from the Old Testament. As for lectionaries, heard in many churches each Sunday morning, the Revised Common Lectionary omits seven books of the Old Testament and severely underrepresents 13 others, Strawn writes. Contemporary worship songs fare no better at inculcating scriptural knowledge.”
