Eugene Peterson Passes. Eugene Peterson, a best-selling author and longtime pastor, died Oct. 22. He was 85.  Peterson was perhaps best known for “The Message,” a popular paraphrase of the Bible. He also wrote more than 30 books, including A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. His family issued a statement that read in part: “It feels fitting that his death came on a Monday, the day of the week he always honored as a Sabbath during his years as a pastor. After a lifetime of faithful service to the church — running the race with gusto — it is reassuring to know that Eugene has now entered into the fullness of the Kingdom of God and has been embraced by eternal Sabbath.”

Shut Ins. Japan is seeing a fascinating and disturbing phenomenon. “Hikikomori” are young people who shut themselves up in their bedrooms, sometimes for years at a time. A New York Times article attributes the phenomenon to overbearing mothers, absent and overworked fathers, bullying, and Japan’s long-stagnant economy. The vast majority of these “hikikomori” – as many as 80 percent — are young men. Demographers estimate that as many as 1-million people fall into the “hikikomori” category, and their behavior contributes to an already sagging economy and dangerously low birth rate in Japan.

International Pronoun Day. Just in case you missed it, last Wednesday, Oct. 17, was the first International Pronoun Day, dedicated to “referring to people by the pronouns they determine for themselves is a basic human dignity.” More than 300 nonprofit organizations, government groups, businesses, colleges, and universities signed on to celebrate the so-called holiday. Al Mohler said in his podcast “The Briefing” that Christians should stick to the two basic pronouns. He said, “Christians thinking in Biblical terms need to … recognize that language reveals our moral understanding, our worldview. The use of ‘he’ and ‘she’ reflects the fact that we understand humans to be made male and female.”

Moms Respond. French President Emmanuel Macron said no educated woman would want a large family. He made the comment at a Gates Foundation event promoting contraception and abortion. “Present me the woman who decided, being perfectly educated, to have seven, eight, or nine children,” said Macron. Well, social media did just that, presenting Macron with thousands of tweets using the hashtag #postcardforMacron. Most of the tweets came from educated mothers of large families, and many of them posted really fun photos to go along with the often humorous, sometimes scathing, comments. You can see for yourself here.

Milestones. Sheldon Vanauken, author of the Christian classic A Severe Mercy, died this week (Oct. 28) in 1996.

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