I’ve got my posts a little back to front today but I’m sure we’ll all survive.

The American Syrians who back the travel ban

This Washington Post article highlights the error in oversimplifying a complex issue by talking to the Syrians living in America who think Trump’s travel ban is right.

Seeking more joy in your giving

I am convinced the only effective antidote for Christians living in a consumer culture is the cultivation of generosity. Here Randy Alcorn offers some wisdom on how to find more joy in your giving.

God delights in our cheerfulness in giving. He wants us to find joy. He even commands us to rejoice (Philippians 4:4). What command could be a greater pleasure to obey than that one? But if we don’t give, we’re robbed of the source of joy and happiness God instructs us to seek!

The Triumph of Religion in the Nineteenth Century

Andrew Wilson shares some lessons from the 19th century for today. The fourth lesson is the real kicker…

Revivalists have the tendency to exaggerate the bleakness of everyday religion for polemical purposes; it heightens the call for radical obedience, and increases the contrast when revival actually occurs. This then reinforces the narrative of decline, even when the Church is in fact growing worldwide.

How IKEA names its products

There is a method to the madness and it’s brainwashing the world into Swedish-ness.

What most shoppers don’t know is that the names of those 12,000 products conform to a strict internal logic that offers a peek into Scandinavian culture.

English has 3,000 words for being drunk

When language reveals the hidden priorities of a culture.

Add those to the 3,000 words English currently holds for the state of being drunk (including ‘ramsquaddled’, ‘obfusticated’, ‘tight as a tick’, and the curious ‘been too free with Sir Richard’) and you’ll find that the only subjects that fill the pages of English slang more are money and sex.

I’ve long since given up being free with Sir Richard or being ramsquaddled. Thank heaven.

Photo by rarye