Blogaround

Blood moon total lunar eclipse. Photo taken in Hong Kong. Image source.

1. 11/4 Flashback: Except Steve (November 4) "'Steve' has emerged as a central figure in American theology."

2. The Hardest Sudoku Of Them All: Simon Vs Phistomefel Live (2021) A 2-hour-15-minute sudoku solve video (which was livestreamed). This is incredible.

3. Does Lightyear Prove Wall-E Never Happened? | Pixar Film Theory (November 5) I love this! The Super Carlin Brothers have taken the Pixar theory so incredibly far that now they are asking questions like, "Could this be the reference to the next in-universe Pixar movie to be released? If that's the case, then what would that actually mean? Like, does that suggest that 'Wall-E' never happened on the Pixar timeline?" Completely bizarre questions that only make sense if you've bought into the "Pixar theory" ideology and followed it so many levels deep- but treated like these are the obvious concerns that come up when anyone just simply watches Pixar movies. I love it SO MUCH. I've said before that the Pixar theory is EXACTLY LIKE biblical apologetics. I very much do not believe in the Pixar theory, but it's fascinating seeing how far they can take it- how far away they get from the actual stories told by the actual movies.

The Super Carlin Brothers have taken the Pixar Theory and have gone soooo far off the deep end, and I am here for it.

4. Why Americans living abroad are a voting bloc with untapped political potential (November 6) YES! Very good article! All of this is very true. "That's part of why overseas citizens' turnout is so low, because they don't have that logistical support, and they're on their own with figuring out how and when to vote."

5. How Your Church Can Help With the Housing Crisis (posted November 6) These are good ideas, and in general this should be a role that churches take on. But also, I want to say, this isn't like just a simple "we have extra space so we can let people live here" and you don't put any more thought into it than that. Being a landlord is an actual job. And for people with low income, who are just 1 unexpected expense from disaster, as the landlord you also get pulled into those disasters. Before you become a landlord, you have to educate yourself about how it works, and have a realistic plan about what to do if there are problems. When you get people dependent on you because you provide their housing, it's immoral to stop providing that- even though you're within your rights to evict them- even though you lose money if you let your tenants not pay rent.

So, count the cost.

And yes, the writer of that blog post points out these issues: "It almost goes without saying that congregate living of this nature is going to result in chaos or conflict on some level. As a housing case manager, I came to expect this. Many in the church might not be prepared to deal with the soap operas that result from this kind of living. But isn’t that what the church is called to do—assisting those in need, and helping them to live better lives? To address this, the church could assign a particular deacon to work with the families who live on church property."

Yes, churches should definitely use their extra space to help people who can't afford housing. That's what Jesus wants us to do. But don't do it in a naive way. Do it in an educated way. Count the cost first.

6. The origins of circumcision: Was it a mark of slavery? (July 20) "First, people don’t normally submit to such procedures without coercion. Not initially."

7. In China, Millions of Women Never Learned to Read. Can TikTok Help? (November 4) "'They say it never occurred to them that they could read and write in their lifetimes,' Liu says. 'That’s when it hits me that what I’m doing is truly meaningful.'"

8. Amazing photos of the last Blood Moon lunar eclipse of 2022 (gallery) (November 8) This was so incredible. Here in China, the total eclipse began at 6:18 pm. The moon was rising- I talked to family in the US, and they were able to see the first part of the eclipse but then the moon set for them. Anyway, I saw it, showed it to my kid, it was so incredible.

And if you want to see the 1-hour-43-minute stream of the entire thing: WATCH LIVE: ‘Blood moon’ total lunar eclipse in Asia (November 8)

9. Oh my goodness, this entire thread is SO GOOD:

Purity culture ≠ asexuality.
PURITY CULTURE ≠ ASEXUALITY.

Purity culture is where asexual teens camouflage and asexual adults are increasingly exposed. 🧵🪡

— Ellen Huang (Ell) ♠️🐇🍀☂️ (@nocturnalxlight) November 10, 2022

My favorite part is: "Purity culture emphasizes a virginity-to-consummated-marriage pipeline without preparing anyone for anything."