Matthew Maladay recently suggested the time has come to kill off the e-mail signoff. After twenty years of using e-mail, Maladay has decided to end the practice of concluding his notes with a signoff. While sharing his own preferred signoff for many years, "my very best," may have been misunderstood by many recipients of his note, his focus is on how the practice is outdated and unhelpful. As a holdover from an earlier era when notes were written with paper and pen, it is both more Read More …
Which Parent Does More? (#1041)
The Pew Research Center recently released the "Modern Parenthood Report," which reveals the results of their latest polling that asks married and cohabiting parents with children under 18 to compare their workload at home with that of their spouses or partners. In an overview of the research, Kim Parker and Wendy Wang write: The way mothers and fathers spend their time has changed dramatically in the past half century. Dads are doing more housework and child care; moms more paid work Read More …
New $130 Million Church Campus (#1040)
First Baptist Church of Dallas is about to celebrate the opening of its new 500,000 square foot campus. The new facility cost $130 million, which is "believed to be the largest church building campaign in modern history." The celebrations will include: March 24 - lighting of the cross tower and fountain, March 31 (Easter) - grand opening, and April - a special guest or musician each Sunday as a way of celebrating God's faithfulness. The new campus is a "re-creation, Read More …
Facebook Personality Test (#1039)
You Are What You Like offers a free personality test. Rather than asking you a series of questions to determine your personality, the app analyzes your likes on Facebook. Curious to learn more, I authorized the app and received my report: So What? Provided you are yourself on Facebook rather than one who seeks to create an alternative or idealistic version of who you wish to be/become, the test is nearly impossible to fake unlike other types of personality tests that allow Read More …
Worship Swap (#1038)
Earlier this month, the Pew Research Center reported that data from the General Social Survey shows a role reversal in worship attendance when comparing Catholics and Protestants. More specifically: In 1974, Catholics were more likely than Protestants to report attending religious services at least once a week (47% vs. 29%). By 2012, the situation had reversed: Protestants overall were more likely than Catholics to say they attend church weekly or more often (38% vs. 24%). So Read More …
Real Taxation Levels (#1037)
Earlier this year the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy released the 4th edition of "Who Pays: A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All Fifty States." This report finds that "virtually every state’s tax system is fundamentally unfair, taking a much greater share of income from middle- and low-income families than from wealthy families" (Executive Summary, p.1). The image at right illustrates the regressive reality of the national averages for the percentage of Read More …
Love in the Time of Algorithms (#1036)
Meet the Author Dan Slater is a widely published author of journalism and creative non-fiction. Slater, a graduate of Brooklyn Law School, previously served as a legal affairs reporter for the Wall Street Journal. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine and GQ. Currently, he is a contributor to Fast Company. Book Basics Love in the Time of Algorithms explores how technology has changed the way people date. As the product of a union Read More …
What Are You Eating? (#1035)
Living in the information age, people often assume easy access to data. When it comes to food one may consider eating, however, this is not always the case. Recent changes by many large companies makes it easier to know what is in menu items at certain restaurants. All such establishments may be required to follow certain labeling guidelines if proposed FDA changes take effect. Those who choose to purchase food from grocery stores also often lack the data they desire Read More …
Christian Mega-University (#1034)
Liberty University was founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell. While the school was well known and grew considerably under his direction, significant growth has occurred in the nearly six years since his death. Over that period of time, the school has doubled its enrollment not once but twice. Nick Anderson's recent Washington Post article explores this reality in-depth while also placing the school's current size in context. Notably: Current enrollment of 74,000 Read More …
You Never Know (#1033)
This past Friday Cleophus J. LaRue, Francis Landey Patton Professor of Homiletics at Princeton Seminary, spoke to a group of Southwest Florida clergy. While much of what he said was helpful, one quote was particularly memorable: "We never really know the next big thing just around the corner that will change our lives." So What? We are challenged to live well each and every day. While we can and should plan for the future, we must remain flexible and humble Read More …