Tab Sweep: December 13

Meanwhile, in China: Pastor Wang Yi’s Declaration of Faithful Disobedience (Faithwire)

Those who lock me up will one day be locked up by angels. Those who interrogate me will finally be questioned and judged by Christ.  When I think of this, the Lord fills me with a natural compassion and grief toward those who are attempting to and actively imprisoning me.

Carey Nieuwhof: Sermon 2.0

Andrew Sullivan: America’s New Religions.

GetReligion: What explains the durable popularity of Handel’s ‘Messiah’?

Leading Ideas: 4 Reasons Visitors Do Not Return and 5 Lies We Tell Ourselves About Church Growth:

Church growth does not proceed from working harder or more diligently at what you are already doing. Growth means doing something new. And the first step toward doing something new is to quit kidding yourself about what you are doing now.

Infographic: How long does it take to read the Bible?

Is Jesus fully human, fully divine, or what? Scot McKnight on The Light of the World

Half of Americans plan to attend church at Christmas? Americans Say Religious Aspects of Christmas Are Declining in Public Life (Pew).

Who is Galileo, anyway? 43-year-old single now the most-streamed 20th century song on Apple Music and other platforms (9to5mac). See also this BBC interview with Brian May.

Food labeling laws used to prevent competition: Cato: No use crying over Spelt Milk.

I wonder how he fares on RateMyProfessors? Lund Professor freed student from Islamic State war zone. The campus security people sound pretty good too.

Insanity is continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results. Nina Teicholz: Ketogenic Diet Myths vs. Facts.

Every additional human being born appears to make resources proportionally more plentiful. Human Progress: Introducing the Simon Abundance Index.

Tim Ferriss interviews Walmart CEO Doug McMillon

Sleep expert Matthew Walker at Google: “Why We Sleep: the New Science of Sleep and Dreams.”