By Stan Friedman

CHICAGO, IL (December 13, 2013) — Many Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos with one another that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Each Friday, we post five of them. Following is a sample of those submissions—their inclusion does not represent an endorsement of any views expressed.

Shifts You Should Know About

Sarai Rice writes for the Alban Institute about how societal changes must lead to a re-imagining of the church. Anyone thinking that being a pastor means being full-time, or that Sunday services are where worship has to happen, or that a congregation needs to have its own building might want to think twice.

Why I Won’t Pray the Sinner’s Prayer with Your Child

The author changes his mind on the appropriate role of a children’s minister and wants parents to do the same. It’s unclear whether the picture accompanying the story is supposed to be satirical or just an example of art that is bad on different levels.

Affluenza Keeps Teen Out of Prison for Deadly Accident

The parents of a 16-year-old rich white kid let him get away with pretty much anything, so court decides he shouldn’t be responsible for killing four people while driving drunk. And people say the justice system isn’t fair.

When Do We Cross the Lines into Plagiarism?

Most people in the pews don’t assume that every idea or story spoken from a pulpit is the pastor’s own work—so why would a preacher hesitate to mention his or her sources? Plagiarism is as wrong in the pulpit as anywhere else. So what exactly counts as plagiarism, and must every illustration be cited? Several authors and scholars give their viewpoints.

Christianity Today Book Awards

Let the debate around the church coffee bar begin. While not exactly the same as the Christianity Today evaluation, a Christian Century review of “noteworthy” books shares one volume. That’s one more than what often happens.