Links To Go (January 24, 2018)

This Is The Scientific Way To Win Any Argument (And Not Make Enemies)

What the research on reframing shows is that the key to winning any argument is to understand your opponents’ perspective first, and then to link the beliefs supporting their perspective to your argument. The point is to influence them by finding enough common ground to win them to your side–not running to opposite corners and shouting across the divide.


Avoid Foolish Questions

Perhaps a good question to ask would be this: “Would someone who disagreed with me on this topic believe the debate/conversation is worth it?” If the answer is no, that’s a good sign you should keep your thoughts on a topic to yourself. If I disagree with you, but don’t see the point of talking about a subject because, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter to a hill of beans, maybe take the hint. This isn’t a fool-proof guardrail, but it has served me well.


The Bully

May we raise up young men who see that being a bully is not manly at all. In fact, the bully is an insecure, small boy who may be in a man’s body but who has never grown up. May we raise up a generation of young men who pursue true strength, wisdom, and godly integrity. These are building blocks for character for those who refuse to settle for the small life of the bully.


Make Disciples … Me?

Christ calls us to be salt and light living at home, in our churches, and in our work environments. Why not climb down out of the stands and get on the playing field? When it comes to making an impact in the lives of others, let’s take the napkin off our laps and put on an apron, preparing to serve others in the name of Jesus. As we represent Jesus daily, we will be living out the Lord’s command to be salt and light in his name.


Don’t Just Stand There, Say Something: Intention vs. Action in Evangelism

Here are three ways to turn your intention to action in the day to day:

  1. Consistently host a community event at your house, like a cookout or dessert night.
  2. Spend time intentionally going and meeting people where they live, work, study, or play.
  3. Weave the truth of the gospel through as many conversations as you can, seeing yourself as a translator of the good news of Jesus into the lives of others.

Seven Thoughts on the Billy Graham / Mike Pence Rule

The long and short of it is that there is great freedom within the Christian life to hold or not to hold to the Billy Graham slash Mike Pence Rule. In this, as in so many other areas, “each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).


American religious groups vary widely in their views of abortion

Among those who do identify with a religion, the majority view about abortion among members of a particular group often mirrors that group’s official policy on abortion. This is the case with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church) and the Southern Baptist Convention – both churches oppose abortion, as do most members of those churches. And the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Unitarian Universalist Association, and Reform and Conservative Judaism, for example, all support abortion rights, in line with most of their adherents.


How the Canada Summer Jobs program became a freedom-of-religion controversy

But this year the program has sparked a huge controversy over whether the government is violating religious freedom by requiring all applicants to sign an “attestation” that includes respect for reproductive rights — in other words, access to abortions.


Very liberal or conservative legislators most likely to share news on Facebook

The most ideological members of Congress shared news stories on their Facebook pages more than twice as often as moderate legislators between Jan. 2, 2015, and July 20, 2017, according to a new Pew Research Center study that examined all official Facebook posts created by members of Congress in this period.


Do Your Driving Habits Show Emotional Intelligence?

In other words, Brooks is right that driving styles communicates the general character of a place, and thus helps form that character. Which means that every time you pull out into traffic, you’ll either be making your community a better, friendlier place to live, or a worse, more hostile one.


This Couple Who Met On Neopets As Children Fell In Love And Got Married As Adults

Kristin, who’s now 29, joined a role-playing guild on the site called the “Evil Jellies.” There she met Michael Andrews-Karr, a then-10-year-old user from Ohio whose pseudonym on Neopets was “Doctor.” Michael is now 27.


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