Weekend Reads 2/18/17

And Then the Breitbart Lynch Mob Came for Me

By mid-afternoon, I was getting death threats. "I AM GOING TO CUT YOUR HEAD OFF………BITCH!" screamed one email. Other correspondents threatened to hang me, shoot me, deport me, imprison me and/or get me fired (this last one seemed a bit anti-climactic). The dean of Georgetown Law, where I teach, got nasty emails about me. The Georgetown University president’s office received a voicemail from someone threatening to shoot me.

The Subtle Design Features That Make Cities Feel More Hostile

Hostile design comes in even more innocuous, and sometimes even lovely forms. Take the humble potted plant. What could be hostile about a leafy ficus in a pretty pot? Nothing—until you consider where it’s placed. When set strategically in alcoves, "just as much as the spikes, it means that a homeless person can’t sleep there," says Perry.

It can be a similar story with timed sprinklers. On the surface they’re just watering a garden or keeping the sidewalk clean, but they have also been used to disperse homeless people.

Tom Brady and the Patriots: Leaving God Out of the Super Bowl

I love God, so it may sound strange to you that I’d rather athletes not thank God after winning a game. Why? Because it reflects a theology that doesn’t match Christianity. Thanking God for winning a game is to claim that God is on the side of the winners. But over and over again, Jesus tells us that God blesses the "losers" of society.

These Conservative Christians Are Opposed to Trump—and Suffering the Consequences

Young Christians who describe themselves as theological conservatives don’t necessarily identify as political conservatives, although some who do are also horrified by Trump. The issues they’re passionate about—whether it’s racial reconciliation or refugee care—might not match the priorities of their elders.