Daily Links 2-3-14

Good morning. Here is an assortment of links to start off your day: the shortest Bible commentaries, men and food, the case for early marriage, and more.

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This is interesting: commentaries on each book of the Bible limited to 140 characters or less.

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A list of ten television shows that changed the world. Interestingly, all these shows appeared before the advent of cable television which ultimately fractured audiences with its myriad of channel choices. Television does not appear to have the same power to influence our culture that it once did.

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How food helps guys bond:

The reason that “dude food” – and I would add “dude drinks” – have become so important to so many dudes is that they represent something that is solely theirs. It’s exclusive. And it’s overwhelmingly other dudes who enjoy these specific things (or at least, only in the quantity and consistency we would like to enjoy them). If we can’t have smoke-filled cigar lounges, we will have brisket-clogged arteries. 

Now, I’m not attempting to defend all of the over-indulgence that goes on. I am first on the list of dudes who need to show more discretion when it comes to what I consume. But there is something special (and important) about “breaking bread” with other male friends. And when the places for this to happen dry up, when the institutions that previously cultivated male camaraderie in relatively safe environments disappear, we will find means and modes to cut loose in such a manner that girls won’t want to be around for them.

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The inside story of some of the amazing trickery employed by American forces during World War II. We often think that wars are won because of overwhelming military might. But the fact that remains that intelligence operations can be a difference maker.

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Making the case for getting married young. I thought I was old when I got married at 24. But there is a good case to be made for not waiting to get married.

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The problem of the stealth prosperity gospel:

The real devil in the details of the prosperity-type teaching permeating so much of evangelicalism is not really that it skips over the stuff about sin. Sure, it does that too, but the pernicious paradox of this stuff is that it champions “victorious Christian living” yet does not equip believers for sustainable discipleship. It emphasizes feelings and “outlook,” not the power of the Spirit, which is hard for some folks to notice since the latter is often conflated with the former (so that being optimistic or a go-getter is ipso facto being Spirit-empowered). The problem over time is that, going from victory to victory, expecting victory after victory, cultivates a contagious form of spiritual greed. (Is it any wonder that this sort of teaching often goes hand and hand with talk of financial riches and prosperity?) The real stuff of discipleship — what Eugene Peterson calls “a long obedience in the same direction” — involves hard stuff like discipline and the fruit of the Spirit. In pop discipleship discipline is replaced by steps, tips, and amazingsupercolossal breakthroughs.