Rounding out the week: February 15-21

One of my favorite bloggers, Ezra Klein, often posts a set of links under the title "TAB Dump" in order to draw attention to stories/topics he may not have time to blog about/analyze. That's kind of what I'm doing here...below are a few of the things that caught my eye this week:

• First, a post I wrote for Faith In Public Life's blog entitled "Visiting the "least of these."" Check out FPL's newly redesigned website---it looks great!
• A Christian Post article about the website invisiblepeople.tv which uses raw footage and video interviews to give a voice to America's truly voiceless---the homeless. This is what mainstream journalism should be doing.
• Finally, here's a terrific article by Sasha Abramsky over at Mother Jones. Read this piece "America on $195 a Week" and tell me that, in this economic crisis, we can't finally debunk the dangerous myths which tell us the "invisible hand" of the market works for everyone and that the only people who can't achieve the American Dream are those who are too lazy or dishonest to hold down a job. Read as Abramsky profiles Aubretia Edick, a 58-year-old Walmart employee in NY state who "often skimps on food, some weeks spending little more than $10 on groceries, about one-quarter what the federal food stamp program calculates is needed for three "thrifty meals" a day" yet "hasn't resorted to handouts." Heartbreaking stuff.

Randall Balmer on The Daily Show

Author/scholar Randall Balmer was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night discussing his book God and the White House. You can read more about/watch the interview from the Faith in Public Life blog where I posted it earlier today.

Last year, I read and enjoyed Balmer's helpful history Protestantism in America (co-authored with Lauren Winner); while I'm not always in lock step with his politics or his theology, I always find Balmer's analysis insightful and thought-provoking.

An open letter to the NAE

Last summer, I had the privilege of interning at Faith In Public Life, a D.C. nonprofit. I have continued my partnership with FPL in a consulting role, often contributing to their blog. Today, I posted an entry entitled "A Young Evangelical's Plea to the NAE" --- a call for the National Association of Evangelicals to consider the broadening social justice agenda of young evangelicals as they seek to hire a new government liasion. Visit the FPL site and join the discussion!