Web Reads: From greed to gay rights

Sinful and foolish. The Bible says “the heart is deceitful above all else.” Much of the wisdom compiled by Morgan House in his 3,000th column for The Motley Fool seems a reiteration of that biblical wisdom. One example: “I've learned that self-interest is the most powerful force in the world. People in unethical, predatory, and nonsense jobs will do mental gymnastics to convince themselves they’re doing the right thing. Those who criticize the behavior of ‘greedy Wall Street bankers’ underestimate their tendency to do the same thing if offered an eight-figure salary.”

Foreign policy? In travel through Croatia I heard stories about U.S. spending to promote gay rights. On June 24th, the White House “hosted the first-ever Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Human Rights Forum.” The White House website outlines the means by which advocacy for LGBT rights has become central to U.S. policy abroad.

Best intentions. Christian counseling professor Phil Monroe writes about the growing interest in both secular and Christian communities on trauma—from war, sex trafficking, and other social ills. That interest is a good thing, he writes, “but … sometimes we can jump on certain bandwagons in ways that end up harming the very people we want to help.”

Spark of war. Saturday marks the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, which set off events leading to World War I. The website goodreads.com marks the occasion with 20 recommended books, including familiar titles like Farewell to Arms and other more obscure ones.