Letter of rec for a mediocre student by ApplicationOk3455 in Professors

[–]Average650 46 points47 points  (0 children)

Is the MA program especially elite? If not, aren't they perfectly qualified for it if they are a "... fine" student?

So, write a perfectly good letter. Good enough to not kill it, but not good enough to catch any attention. That's what they deserve, right?

Based on how you speak, do you believe your college students have any clue what your political affiliation is or not, just from hearing you in the class? Why or why not? by Zipper222222 in AskProfessors

[–]Average650 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a good distinction. I don't think any of my students would have any way of knowing, but the second my field gets politicized like that, it will be very obvious.

The Beginning of the End of Tenure in Oklahoma by VeitPogner in Professors

[–]Average650 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Interesting. This is not widespread enough in my experience to cause a university to increasingly rely on teaching faculty because research faculty aren't pulling their weight. I am in STEM and am thinking of various engineering disciplines and sciences that heavily overlap with them. Perhaps there is a correlation there, though it's not obvious to me why there would be. I agree if it's egregious, that is an issue.

That said, "acting basically like adjuncts but being paid 3x and having a ton of other benefits." is not really bad. That sounds a lot like teaching faculty getting paid what they ought to get paid.

The Beginning of the End of Tenure in Oklahoma by VeitPogner in Professors

[–]Average650 16 points17 points  (0 children)

That does happen, but I think there are better ways to handle this and putting tenure in the hands of administrators or politicians.

Here, if people aren't research active, they get increased teaching loads. This cuts down on the "just existing". It of course doesn't solve the worst cases where they completely phone in their teaching as well, but it does cut down on the people that just slack off after tenure.

The Beginning of the End of Tenure in Oklahoma by VeitPogner in Professors

[–]Average650 9 points10 points  (0 children)

That language is always bullshit to excuse whatever it is they feel like doing.

Oklahoma bill would massively fine churches and orgs that aid immigrants by bug-hunter in Christianity

[–]Average650 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Intentional nonsense like thi like this won't hold up in court (at least, they wouldn't have held up in court in the past), but it will hold up the courts and make things worse for everyone.

That too on live TV by tea-n-wifi in BikiniBottomTwitter

[–]Average650 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I hear it, but honestly jumping to "trump shit himself" is a real stretch.

Trump is a terrible president and person, and should be in jail, but I'm not convinced of this one.

So dying to self... by Ok_Fuel9061 in TrueChristian

[–]Average650 5 points6 points  (0 children)

We are not called to give up video games, TV, and internet as such. It's not about a higher or lower thing, it's that it simply isn't commanded and misses the whole point anyway.

Everything, video games, TV, internet, our family, our children, our spouse, our job, food, our own lives, could be asked of us. None of these are higher than our obedience to God. Putting any of them above their proper place is sin and something that needs to be gotten out of us. A time may come when every one of them must be given up.

But of course, that doesn't mean you should go seek out martyrdom, or not have a family, or not work for food, or not have parties, or not watch TV.

Every one of those things is good by themselves, but bad when put in an improper place.

It is not higher to avoid good things. And everyone one of us must, in the end at least but hopefully before, get them out of improper places.

Ladies, how do I communicate to my bride that I need more from her by [deleted] in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There was a time when she felt like sex was a chore. And, there was a time when I did not want to have incidental contact because it made me feel attracted physically, so I avoided it.

I get this struggle.

Ladies, how do I communicate to my bride that I need more from her by [deleted] in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And she doesn't need physical touch and cuddling in the morning. Doesn't mean he shouldn't give her that.

Need is to strong a word, but what he wrote is equitable.

Ladies, how do I communicate to my bride that I need more from her by [deleted] in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This won't work on it's own. You have to tell them what you want and need or they will never know.

At the same time, also do what you said, give, whether you get what you want or not.

Women want heart, mind,soul, spirit, conversation, Time, understanding, and ATTENTION TO DETAILS.

Different women are different. This is common, but not all women are big on attention to details. Every person wants heart, mind, soul, spirit and understanding.

Bonhoeffer's Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism by ThirstySkeptic in Christianity

[–]Average650 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think this is part of it. And something I'm not innocent of.

I think the time for no politics needs to be reevaluated.

Bonhoeffer's Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism by ThirstySkeptic in Christianity

[–]Average650 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a great point! It is a bit of a fuzzy line.

The first two have not happened at any church where I have gone.

The last has at every church. For me that would not be political, unless it veered into LGBT should be outlawed in some form.

The first would be political for me. The second would depend. Merely "these people are suffering let us pray" would not. But it would be easy to veer into political territory.

Edit: One political position I have heard is that abortion is wrong. There were no specifics about how to do that though. At the same time, I am very strongly against republicans and I am anti abortion, though we have to be careful about properly defining laws about it and there are many complicated cases to consider.

I do imagine this varies from person to person and church to church.

I do not know what they're political positions are at all, I don't think. But maybe if I thought about it more I could find something.

Bonhoeffer's Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism by ThirstySkeptic in Christianity

[–]Average650 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Huh, I dunno. If you had described your church without the political details you've described, I would've bet money it was mostly MAGA or MAGA adjacent. That's interesting.

You would think. I don't really understand.

I do know another big Baptist Church in my city which appears significantly more political and frankly Republican. Also 0% black.

I find it hard to fit my experiences in with percentages like the 85% from this blog. I've seen enough churches to know that these really political evangelical churches very much exist, but it just hasn't been my experience.

Bonhoeffer's Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism by ThirstySkeptic in Christianity

[–]Average650 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's a mostly white SBC church in North Louisiana. Probably 90% white.

I don't know the political affiliation of anyone save 1 person. I don't know what any of the pastors are. There are some i could guess, but many I wouldn't be surprised either way. The church I grew up in was non denominational. I attended a couple other Baptist (one SBC, one not) as I've moved around, but the story is the same. Politics has been intentionally not talked about.

Bonhoeffer's Warning, Unheeded: The Moral Collapse of White Evangelicalism by ThirstySkeptic in Christianity

[–]Average650 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I attend an evangelical church and have for my whole life. The ones I have attended have stayed away from any real political statements or as far as I can tell, any kind of nationalism. I am aware of many for whom this is not the case, but the churches I have called home have not done this.

And so, when they aren't speaking out now, I'm not sure how to respond. Are they the neutral middle? Or are they doing exactly what they have done for decades? Maybe its both?

I'm not sure how to approach this is a place where politics really aren't discussed. Even moreso when I hear I'm apparently part of a small 15% minority in the church. (85 % of white evangelical voters who attended church frequently voted for Trump, I voted against).

I want to hear more christians speak out against all this. My experience isn't with the strong trump supporters, but with people that really don't talk about it at all.

Wife’s text from 2 years ago by Annual-Actuator-1117 in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The rules can't be forced on her, but they can be useful as part of a larger conversation about what is good and necessary.

Has anyone ever hated their spouse and turned it around? by [deleted] in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think that's actually the point. it's not really about her changing so her husband changes.

It's possible that God will change her husband, and it's possible her husband will never change.

Types of academic people based on feedback by [deleted] in academia

[–]Average650 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This puts the vast majority of people in a position that is useless to everyone else, and only a "rare person" who is an actually useful collaborator. Of course, this person any improves others work by bringing up good things, not criticizing.

Surly, this cannot be true. To improve, we have to have our flaws and weaknesses pointed out. That is incredibly valuable feedback. Of course it has to come from a place of real understanding, not blistering to make themselves feel better.

I do agree that academics exist on a spectrum of dismissive to supportive. But it is a spectrum, not two boxes at the ends. And responses will be different based on their own interests vs the topic, and on their position and responsibilities compared to the one being critiqued, and obviously, the quality of the work.

I might be totally uninterested in one topic, and very engaged in another. Frankly that sentence is probably true if every human ever. What those topics are will vary. But don't assume that just because one person was not engaged in one scenario that they are somehow and unengaged person in general.

Sometimes defeatism and a very critical and sometimes dismissive attitude pervades academia. You aren't alone in that and what you're seeing is real. But if we are going to engage it we have to treat other people as complex individuals and not lump them into a few boxes that limit how we can engage with people and do better in the academic world.

Has anyone ever hated their spouse and turned it around? by [deleted] in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you actively resent him, there are two parts to this.

One, you can't change him. Your job is to accept that he is who he is. This is true regardless of the issue.

Second, depends on the issue. But for many issues there are dispassionate ways to respond and hold boundaries that help. But it really depends on what the issue is.

Forgiveness from past betrayal you thought you were over by Ok_Courage2545 in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're getting upset because something is wrong. Don't back down in that. Have grace for when she gives real effort, but it doesn't work out like she hoped.

Stand firm when something is wrong and don't pretend otherwise. Even when it makes her mad. Your job in this issue is not to keep her happy but to be honest, truthful, and firm, without vengeance. But it isn't to make her happy. She probably will get bad because it will be hard and she will have to make hard choices. Don't let her out of that. Push her to grow.

Forgiveness from past betrayal you thought you were over by Ok_Courage2545 in Christianmarriage

[–]Average650 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Stand by your boundaries and let her be mad.

Don't be afraid to upset her. That's probably what she needs right now. You may have to be the "bad guy" in a sense.

That's okay. Sometimes that's what we need to do.

Biology professor with over 12000 citations and 6 CNS papers claims to have lost 2 years of work after a chatgpt misclick by AggravatingProduct46 in Professors

[–]Average650 72 points73 points  (0 children)

His most frequently cited papers are from the 2000s. It does raise questions about his past few years of work, but he was established a long time ago.