Indeed, curved yellow fruit!

(HT: Don Johnson)

Dan Kimball‘s got a great post.

Karen’s Pentecost prayer and reflection.

Chaplain Mike’s issues with evangelicalism.

Mark Thursdays and read Jim Martin’s “Ministry Inside.”

Allan Bevere discusses “mediocre pastors and churches.”

Bill Donahue on leadership that kills.

Before you use the word “Constantinian” read this piece by John Sanidopoulos.

Brett’s list of redemptive films.

Jesse Rice on redeeming technology.

Tony Jones on redeeming apophatic statements about God.

:mic provides a good reminder about “content and context.”

Mark has a fun one on Harvard.

We did the post on megachurches, which got more than a little response, and Bill Black at Onesimus Online takes the whole thing to task … a very good response. I will repeat the big idea that I think the study actually shows: most of the criticisms against megachurches can’t be proven by the evidence.

John Stackhouse on the Armageddon Factor: Part one, part two, and part three. I recently read a study by someone at one of the military academies that urged people to be aware of American dispensational theology because of its influence on American policy.

Kindle — I see more and more of them.

And they’re getting cheaper.

But are they better than the iPad?

Anyone want to weigh in?

1. A brilliant argument for table fellowship.

2. Bonnie Miller Rubin in the Chicago Tribune: “In 1960, 77 percent of women and 65 percent of men had acquired certain traditional markers of maturity by age 30: leaving home, completing school, full-time employment, marriage and family. In 2005, the figure had plummeted to 27 and 39 percent, respectively, according to the MacArthur Research Network.”

3. Bruce Fleming, prof at US Naval Academy: “We have two choices. One is to shut down Annapolis, West Point and the other academies, and to rely on R.O.T.C. to provide officers. Or we can embrace the level of excellence we once had and have largely abandoned. This means a single set of high standards for all students in admissions, discipline and academics. If that means downgrading our football team to Division III, so be it. We also need a renaissance in our culture. We need to get our students on board with the program by explaining our goals and asking for feedback from cadets, graduates and the armed forces at large. Now, we’re just frustrating the students and misleading taxpayers.”

4. Moshe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus, dies and Ruth Tucker tells his story.

5. Elizabeth Scalia, at First Things, on abortion and the decision at a Catholic hospital that led to excommunicating a nun: “Putting it more simply: aborting the child results in one certain death–not a “near” event, but a sure-thing; what the world might call a “win-lose.” Allowing the child to live, and supporting the mother with all due diligence throughout the pregnancy mayresult in the death of one, (another “win-lose”) or both, (a “lose-lose”) but because of that qualifier, “nearly,” and because even the best doctors cannot wholly insure or predict any outcome, there is also the possibility that no one will die, that both mother and child will live. A “win-win.””

6. Elena Kagan’s undergrad thesis was on American socialism: “In any case, there is no question that Kagan wrote not a propagandistic celebration of socialism’s heyday but a judicious account of its self-destruction–with the hope that the left might learn from past mistakes.”

7. AOL trying to reinvent itself, and is gradually doing just that: “AOL is quietly receding from its old subscriber model — 35 million Americans got Internet service from AOL in 2002, but fewer than 5 million do today — yet the company is reaching far more people through its content, which Nielsen ratings say attracts the seventh-largest audience of any Web brand.”

8. Mark Zuckerberg: “We have heard the feedback. There needs to be a simpler way to control your information. In the coming weeks, we will add privacy controls that are much simpler to use. We will also give you an easy way to turn off all third-party services. We are working hard to make these changes available as soon as possible. We hope you’ll be pleased with the result of our work and, as always, we’ll be eager to get your feedback.”

9. Brad Hirschfield: “While other biblical texts and traditions could be introduced into the debate on immigration, based on those verses bearing directly on the issue, the path forward is actually pretty clear: how one got here is largely irrelevant, though the obligations that must be assumed in order to stay are significant. Biblical “immigration policy” was not about maintaining the purity of the community or fear of withholding the benefits of membership, but it was quite clear about the obligations that needed to be met to enjoy the privileges (not rights) of such membership. It would be quite a step forward to see people actually look to that model for guidance instead of simply thumping their Bibles to prove that which they already believe anyway.”

10. David Brooks on the French vs. British Enlightenment, with Edmund Burke representing the Brits: “Today, if you look around American politics you see self-described conservative radicals who seek to sweep away 100 years of history and return government to its preindustrial role. You see self-confident Democratic technocrats who have tremendous faith in the power of government officials to use reason to control and reorganize complex systems. You see polemicists of the left and right practicing a highly abstract and ideological Jacobin style of politics.