One Little Word Newsletter - September 12, 2022
The 21st anniversary of 9/11, tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, and a reflection on J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" series
Hello Friends,
Yesterday marked the 21st anniversary of September 11th. It’s hard to quantify how formative this tragic moment was for folks of my age. I’m 44 and, as my wife and I were discussing over the weekend, I feel like 9/11 marked the beginning of the second chapter. I got married a year later, we had four children, I pastored a church, started writing books and columns, etc.
For my kids and the young people who work for me and have interned in recent years and the students I teach, 9/11 is but a historic footnote, albeit one in their very recent history. Perhaps it’s a bit like Watergate or the turbulent years of the ’60s and 70’s with Vietnam, assassinations, etc. were for me. As a kid, I did research projects on those things that, for my parents, were fresh in their memory. The passing of time is interesting like that. I imagine a similar life cycle for my grandfather’s generation, with The Great Depression and World War II the markers of their own time.
I won’t send along all the links I sent last year on the 20th anniversary, but I do always think it good to listen to Tim Keller’s sermon following 9/11, a beautiful example of biblical exegesis meeting the moment.
A few updates on my work:
I did an interview with ERLC about my book Characters of Creation where I answered some tough questions about Creation and humanity.
I had a chance to speak with my friend Ed Stetzer for The Stetzer Church Leaders podcast about how to use online conversations for good.
If you missed my latest newsletter, I focus on the reality of criticism and refusing to let bad faith actors live in our head.
A few things I’m reading
In response to the new prequel show, David French wrote this piece highlighting J. R. R. Tolkien’s masterpiece Lord of the Rings and the deeper truths that often resonate with readers.
Here’s a really great tribute to Francis Schaeffer, the “father” of the pro-life movement, at First Things.
I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Colin Cowherd and Peyton Manning. Colin, as usual, asked great questions of Peyton, about his relationship with his father, about leadership, about his post-football life. Great wisdom to be gained here, if you’ll allow it.
My friend and former colleague Jason Thacker, a Land Center fellow, wrote a good piece about Yelp’s misleading labels and what that might mean for the future of digital governance and content moderation. Jason is a leading thinker on the ethics of technology. You might check out his new book, Following Jesus in the Digital Age.
Al Mohler shared a heartfelt tribute to Queen Elizabeth II that recognizes the impact she had on the lives of not only the British but Americans as well. Land Center Senior Fellow Nathan Finn contributed to the Land Center his piece honoring the Queen’s reign and pointing to Christ’s Lordship.
This is a great interview with Shannon Bream on her goals for “Fox News Sunday” now that she’s the first female anchor. I really like Shannon and think she’ll be a tough, but fair host on this important platform. I had a chance to talk to her on The Way Home Podcast a few months ago.
A sad tale of the descent of 9/11 hero Rudy Guliani, who has gone from America’s Mayor to a caricature of himself. Many lessons for all of us to heed and learn.
Speaking of leaders, a terrific profile of new UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss.
Two must-read newsletters:
Once again Brian Mattson has words of wisdom about the power of our words for good or ill.
Erick Erickson also has some good wisdom on how social media is affecting Christians and their responses to other Christians and political views:
The bottom line is just this — if you’ve got a platform and you hold yourself out as a person of faith who seeks to be guided by faith in politics, then you need to remember Christ is more important than a political party and God’s kingdom is more important than your nation.
Books I’m reading:
I’m listening to Kristen Hannah’s The Four Winds which is a gripping tale of life during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
And it’s on to another ethics text in preparation for a winter term class I’m teaching at Texas Baptist College, this time, Invitation to Christian Ethics by Ken Magnuson, who is our ethics prof here at SWBTS and is executive director of the Evangelical Theological Society.