By Stan Friedman

CHICAGO, IL (September 25, 2012) – 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. Following is a sample of those submissions – their inclusion does not represent an endorsement of any views expressed.

Lecrae’s Balancing Act: Religion, Race, and Holy Hip-Hop – Efrem Smith, superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, is mentioned in this article that notes, “Lecrae (his full name is Lecrae Moore) stands at the intersection of two contrasting cultures: the urban vibe of historically black hip-hop and the theological leanings of the historically white Reformed tradition with its roots in Calvinism.” Lecrae amazed the audience during CHIC 2012.

Get Real About Claims Jesus Was Married – Yet again, a big deal is made about some ancient text that supposedly upends a traditional view of the life of Jesus. The problem is there hasn’t been a lot of fact checking.

Young Adults Sneak Out of Contemporary Worship – Author says contemporary worship is the “new traditional” and young adults are increasingly deciding to attend Mass and similar styles of worship. The young can be so rebellious! “They’ve grown up being urged, ‘Now, everyone can just worship God however you might want. Just let the Holy Spirit move you. We are all different.’ So now some are seeking worship where the implied advice is, ‘Now, everyone leave your hyper-individuality at the door. Let’s say words together. Let’s make gestures together. Stand together. Kneel together. Let’s listen to the wisdom the Holy Spirit has given over the centuries.’ ”

Town Won’t Let Bullies Ruin Girl’s Homecoming – People from the local community and around the country show support for a bullied teenager who was elected homecoming queen as a joke. What a great story of how compassion trumps evil.

Guns, Gangs, and God: Why You Should Care About Chicago – The amount of killing that happens nearly every day in Chicago horrifies and numbs the soul at the same time. What if we took the violence as seriously as we do in Afghanistan? The enormity of the tragedy can cause us to want to close our eyes or forget that the dead – and their killers – are human. This article links to another that states, “The war zone-like statistics are not new. As WBEZ (Chicago radio station) reports, while some 2,000 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, more than 5,000 people have been killed by gunfire in Chicago during that time.”

Editor’s note: If you have a link you would like considered for publication, please email Covenant Communications.