Editor's Picks: Gingerbread, Idolizing Marriage, Liberal Arts Committing Suicide, and Breast Pumping Photo

No, Dr. Marshall, Gingerbread Is Not Effeminate & On Jesus Gingerbread and the Question of Alphas by Mary Pazzulo

If you're not aware of Gingerbread-gate, please avail yourself of these two posts. I'm normally in agreement with Catholic writer (and fellow parishioner at my church) Taylor Marshall, but he overdid the machismo with his silly cutdown of seminarians having a gingerbread house competition. That said, I think it's always worth our time to discuss the proper role for men and women, and look to the more profound aspects of our nature rather than squabble about superficially feminine or masculine activities.

No, Christians Aren’t Idolizing Family. We’re Glamorizing The Perpetual Spring Break by G. Shane Morris

So apparently there's a trend among Evangelical writers to argue against overhyping marriage and children. This, according to them, turns marriage itself into an idol and pushes away Christian singles who feel excluded. Frankly, this is ridiculous. Every commercial, every article, every movie has glamorized the single self-indulgent life far more than the supposedly dreary trials of family life. Morris does the arduous work of sampling the celebrities who like to publicize their travels and selfies on Instagram and Youtube. For this alone, he deserves all kinds of credit.

The Liberal Arts Weren't Murdered--They Committed Suicide by Victor Davis Hanson

Fellow writer Josh Herring recommended this article, which happens to pair nicely with his own article in The Everyman. Hanson also comments on the removal of history courses and other liberal arts programs at the University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, and points to the programs themselves failing to stay true to their mission. This is obviously not Hanson's first rodeo. He knows well about the pressures for liberal arts scholars to sell out and push a mediocre product that's impractical, irrelevant, and uninteresting. I agree with Herring that there is a way out of this--return to teaching the actual liberal arts--but this is still too much to ask from corrupted academes.

Rachel McAdams Sets Internet On Fire With Glamorous Breast-Pumping Photo by Amanda Prestagiacomo

So breast pumping is now cool and empowering because an actress has a bizarre photo of herself hooked up to two breast pumps while wearing Versace. Of course, this went viral. I have to ask though, isn't there a better way to support mothers who nurse their children? This is not realistic or beautiful. It's tacky, patronizing, and rather stupid.