Blogaround

Links not related to the antichrist:

1. A Rickety Closet (July 28, with more discussion here) "If so, some would say that Elliot’s exalted reputation among evangelicals should be reevaluated. I think that they are right, but there is a bigger takeaway here: conservative evangelicals’ own lives testify to the untenability of their teaching. Even their most exalted teachers fail to embody the purity that they themselves demand. And this revelation, quite apart from any one individual’s legacy, is the secret that evangelicals want to keep in their closets."

There is a claim that Elizabeth Elliot (a writer who was very influential in evangelicalism and the purity movement in the 70's and 80's) had some kind of lesbian relationship. We have no way of knowing if this is true, and no details about what exactly happened- but the significant thing is how evangelicals don't want this to be true, don't want anyone to even suggest it or talk about it. 

Part of it is hypocrisy, and part of it is how evangelicals made same-sex relationships such a big huge deal, when they should just be people's own personal business.

2. Olivia Rodrigo - expectations (feat. Chappell Roan) (Official Music Video) (October 16) Hey this is pretty cool, the first verse is straight and the second verse is gay, and it's like, both are treated as normal situations to be in, like it's not a big deal.

3. ‘I’m Not Going to Have Blood on My Hands’ (October 14, via) "A few weeks after my last day, a former coworker sent me a link to ESPN’s website. They had posted an interactive gambling story—a primer on how to gamble on sports. I opened it and it literally made me sick to my stomach. The animations are bouncy and bright; it’s pretty much made for kids."

4. The Most Polarizing Books on Goodreads Aren’t Actually Polarizing (October 20) "A five-star rating can mean “I loved this book.” It can also mean “I love this author,” “I love this series and am excited for the next installment,” or “I support what this book represents.” A one-star rating can mean “This is a terrible book.” But it can also mean “I hate what this author represents,” “I am angry about something the author did,” or even “I am angry that this book isn’t out yet.” A rating, in other words, is not necessarily a rating of the book."

Somewhat related, I wonder a lot about the overall landscape of Patreon and GoFundMe. I bet there is a huge number of Patreons that have $0 worth of subscribers. 

5. Those Democratic fundraising texts you keep getting? They're scams (October 22) Maybe calling them "scams" is taking it too far- they *are* raising money for the campaigns, *but* only a fraction of your donation actually goes to the campaigns. 

Here's their advice on how to donate: "To donate, go to the candidate's campaign site and make your donation directly. That eliminates at least that scam fee. The candidate may ask you to donate to ActBlue: that's a reasonable, not-crooked choice. The candidate may let you donate via a credit card directly, usually through an online card processor like Stripe: If that's available, do that. The processor takes a small fee, on the order of 3-5%, but paying by credit card insulates you from most possible scams."

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Links related to the antichrist:

1. How Trump’s FBI purge saved Lindsey Graham and James Clyburn from a bribery investigation (October 20) "Today, there is no one left to look into Kao’s explosive allegations, as the Trump administration has abandoned any pretense of prosecuting public corruption. The case is dead."

2. A letter from an ICE detention center: A pastor writes from inside (October 14, via) "They are fathers and sons. They are husbands and friends. They are people who are frightened. They are people who make mistakes. They are people who pray. They are people who need lawyers, information, medical care, compassion and sometimes simply another person willing to sit beside them when they believe they cannot keep going. They are human beings."

3. Supreme Court rejects Trump admin’s request to end trans-related care in prison (October 22) Some good news from the Supreme Court, for once.

4. U.S. measles cases more than double what they were last year as outbreak spreads (October 25)