CHICAGO, IL (October 12, 2018) – 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.
Where Have all the Sad Songs Gone
The article notes the scarcity of musical lament in Protestant churches. It is an important discussion, especially since the Scriptures give far more attention to lament than do praise and worship songs. But the issue isn’t a new one. The sad songs haven’t been around for a long time.
From the article: “The current top 100 songs listed by the Christian song-licensing organization CCLI include scores of praise and worship songs—but only a handful that explore the hurting side of the human condition, the lamentations of the faithful. Many Protestant churches have lost the habit of singing songs of lament. So when something goes wrong, they don’t have familiar songs to express emotions of grief, sorrow and regret.”
Tech Workers Now Want to Know: What Are We Building This For?
Technology by itself is ethically neutral, but how it is applied is not. Until recently, tech workers tended to be content to design and build systems. Now they are asking questions about ethics, and there aren’t easy answers.
From the article: “‘You can think you’re building technology for one purpose, and then you find out it’s really twisted,’ said Laura Nolan, 38, a senior software engineer who resigned from Google in June over the company’s involvement in Project Maven, an effort to build artificial intelligence for the Department of Defense that could be used to target drone strikes.”
Should We Celebrate or Despair Over Spotify?
In the ten years since it was founded, there’s no doubt that Spotify has changed the music landscape as people choose to stream music rather than own it. In this article, two music editors debate whether Spotify has been better for consumers or for artists. One thing that can’t be argued: the industry will never be the same.
From the article: “If I compiled the off-record remarks from my interviews over the past decade, the majority would concern Spotify—namely how much artists hate it. ‘Please don’t put that in,’ they panic after slagging it off. ‘I really need it to support my new album.’ And they do: Spotify is a kingmaker.”
It’s Complicated: Dating Without Texting
Sometimes it is good to focus on one individual’s story in order to explore a broader issue, and this article is an excellent example of that. The author shares how the decision one couple made to not text each other during the day improved their relationship—and raises issues that go far beyond dating.
From the article: “With texting off the table, I found I could live my own life much more easily. I’d just made a career change and had a new block of free time. I was eager to use that time exactly how I wanted: reading, writing, eating, cooking and exploring my city on my own time. I was excited to be dating someone new, but I didn’t want that to overtake this crucial downtime for me, which I was using to gain clarity on the direction and purpose of my own life.”
Predator Credits Synced with the Full House Theme
It’s just fun, and we can all use more fun these days. It also makes you wonder how people make these connections.
