By Stan Friedman

CHICAGO, IL (December 27, 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.

1. Real Cause for Christian Outrage. Christians declare moral outrage and attach “war” to a lot of ridiculous, non-existent issues such as the “War on Christmas” or the “War on Women.” When was the last time someone was killed when a store greeter said “Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas?” But there are a lot of Christians who are really being killed, and few people are horrified about that. It also raises the question why we don’t talk more in our churches about the slaughter of the innocents.

2. Nine Questions You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask About ‘Duck Dynasty’. I know. I know. You may be sick of hearing about the latest threat to civilization. This is suitably funny and serious at the same time.

3. Being Against Gay Marriage Doesn’t Make You a Homophobe. This article by Brandon Ambrosino, a gay writer who has penned articles for multiple publications including Relevant magazine, demonstrates the Covenant ethos to which we aspire—listening to and discussing with others rather than vilifying. (He is not Covenant). While he disagrees with people who oppose gay marriage, he takes issue with the prejudiced view of many supporters. Ambrosino writes, “Giving someone the benefit of the doubt takes courage; dismissing him before considering his argument—well, that seems a bit phobic.” This was written before the Duck Dynasty kerfuffle erupted.

4. Christian Musician with More Questions Than Answers. Josh Garrels’ JPM score may not be as high as some would like, but an increasing number of Christians are listening, including the folks at Christianity Today, who named his Love & War & The Sea in Between its album of the year. NPR interviewed the former “skate punk” turned singer-songwriter. You’re just going to have to read the article to find out what JPM is.

5. Celebrity Photographer’s Faith-Driven Cause. It’s always interesting to see how people use their gifts in unexpected ways and how the things we take for granted can be so important. Just one caveat: Photographer Jeremy Cowart says his favorite quote is the oft-repeated, “Preach the gospel, and when necessary use words.” Christians normally attribute the quote to St. Francis. They shouldn’t. He never said it and most likely never would have given how fiery his preaching could be. That’s not to say Cowart is shy about his faith. He uses words as well as amazing photographs.