Links To Go (December 22, 2016)

Christ Jesus, the Ultimate Peace Child

Richardson went on to use that deeply-rooted cultural tradition as a “redemptive analogy” of God’s having sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to reconcile His enemies (those who were opposed to Him and rebelling against Him) to Himself, thus establishing peace between forgiven people and holy God. That peace child analogy, in fact, served as the basis of the breakthrough in the Sawis’ understanding that led many of them to saving faith in Christ.


The love & hate idiom

If we harbor some doubt about this language of love and hate equating to choosing and rejecting, consider God’s words at the Mount of Transfiguration. Matthew and Mark record what is most commonly remembered. “This is my beloved Son” (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7). Compare this with, “This is my Son, my Chosen One” as recorded in the oldest manuscripts of Luke 9:35. By replacing loved with chosen, Luke’s gospel equates the two while also recalling Isaiah 42:1.


Six Surprising Insights Regarding Church Budgets and Salaries

  1. Growing churches pay their pastors and staff slightly less than declining churches.
  2. Only two percent of the churches’ budgets are funded outside congregational giving.
  3. One third of the churches increased the outsourcing of staff over the past five years.
  4. Overall church staffing costs have declined to 49 percent of the budget.
  5. The attendance-to-staff ratio is 76:1.
  6. About 81 percent of churches limit visibility of specific salaries to a board, a subcommittee, or senior staff.

16 striking findings from 2016

  1. The American middle class is shrinking in most metropolitan areas.
  2. Significant demographic changes taking place in America have reshaped both major parties.
  3. Millennials have become the nation’s largest living generation, surpassing Baby Boomers.
  4. Young people today are more likely to be living with their parents than with a spouse or partner.
  5. Nearly 1 in 100 worldwide are now displaced from their homes.
  6. Europe was gripped by rising popular discontent with the European Union and concerns about refugees.
  7. Republicans have grown increasingly skeptical of free trade.
  8. As global competition between the U.S. and China intensifies, people in both countries view one another warily.
  9. Prior to the election, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters had starkly different views about how life in America has changed over the past 50 years.
  10. About four-in-ten blacks (43%) are skeptical that America will ever make the changes needed for blacks to achieve equal rights with whites.
  11. Americans have conflicting views on some controversies that pit claims of religious liberty or traditional morality against nondiscrimination policies.
  12. A wide gap in presidential preferences emerged in the 2016 election between whites with and without a college degree.
  13. Americans’ pathways to news are changing, and mobile news is on the rise.
  14. Facebook is by far the most popular social media platform among Americans.
  15. The sharing economy and on-demand services are starting to weave their way into the lives of Americans.
  16. The American public is wary of technologies that could “enhance” human abilities.

The Perfect Weapon: How Russian Cyberpower Invaded the U.S.

What seems clear is that Russian hacking, given its success, is not going to stop. Two weeks ago, the German intelligence chief, Bruno Kahl, warned that Russia might target elections in Germany next year. “The perpetrators have an interest to delegitimize the democratic process as such,” Mr. Kahl said. Now, he added, “Europe is in the focus of these attempts of disturbance, and Germany to a particularly great extent.”


‘Jeopardy!’ Run Ends for Cindy Stowell, Cancer-Stricken Champion

Cindy Stowell had Stage 4 colon cancer when she recorded episodes of “Jeopardy!” in August and September, competing on painkillers and developing a fever that caused makeup artists to rush onstage during commercial breaks to clean up her sweat.
Ms. Stowell never got to see her appearances as they were broadcast on TV. She died at age 41 on Dec. 5, just over a week before her taped episodes began showing.
But once the world saw her compete and heard her story, she inspired fans unlike any contestant in the quiz show’s 33-year history.


Holiday display prompts light-hearted concession

About a week ago, Jami Kelly used plywood and a few strings of white lights to form the word “Ditto” with an arrow pointing toward her neighbor’s elaborate holiday display.
“We started doing lights and then we said, ‘You know what, screw it,’ ” said Kelly, 34. “We can’t compare. Nothing measures up.”


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