1. “Love & War & The Sea In Between”
Congrats to Josh Garrels for his “Album of the Year” honors from Christianity Today for Love & War & The Sea In Between – which, as I’ve pointed out repeatedly (proof), is still available for free at JoshGarrels.com! Here’s an interview to accompany the award.
2. Poverty and progress in Latin America
Although income inequality in Latin America is still a huge problem, as is a stubborn level of extreme poverty, and while the infiltration of drug cartels in Central America continues to wreak havoc on the citizens of those countries, The Economist has some good news: poverty levels as a whole are markedly lower than they were just a decade or two ago.
3. Barna’s top trends for 2011
The Barna Group has released its annual list of six trends that have shaped or characterized Christianity in the United States in 2011: (1) changing role of Christianity; (2) downsized American dreams; (3) Millennials rethink Christianity; (4) the digital family; (5) maximizing spiritual change; and (6) women making it alone.
4. Pew Forum on Global Christianity
While we’re on the topic of research about Christianity, the Pew Forum has released a definitive new report on global Christianity. Two top line findings: there are 2.2 billion of us, and no region or country can claim to be the geographic center of the faith anymore. Missiologist and researcher Ed Stetzer also summarizes the report’s findings here.
5. Honduras nativity turns heads
What does Christmas mean to Hondurans? This video from CNN provides a glimpse.
6. Hemingway’s house in Cuba
The Today Show got a rare glimpse inside Ernest Hemingway’s home in Cuba, where he did a great deal of his writing, and it’s fascinating (to me, anyway).
7. Walter Brueggemann reads Psalm 146
When asked by Krista Tippett from American Public Media’s On Being to read a meaningful passage of Scripture, this is how Old Testament scholar Brueggemann responded.
Repaso is intended as a thought-provoking compilation of news and commentary from the past week related to the intersections of faith, development, justice and peace. As always, I welcome your thoughts on any of the links and ideas in this roundup!
[Photo credit: Sasha Arutyunova via theseainbetween.com]
