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Handshakes: More Like Holy Kisses Than Ever

An interesting observation this morning. Libertarian-ish lawyer Ken White asks about handshakes, and stats and polling guy Nate Silver offers an answer that handshakes mean *more* now.

May be a Twitter screenshot of text that says '4 NoLongerPurelyCivilHat @Pope... 9m Question: is shaking hands still a thing? Say in a business setting meeting new people. Poll 77 13 41 。ㅇ° Nate Silver @NateSilver538 Replying to @Popehat Yeah, in certain settings. And in those settings it has higher symbolic/signaling power than before. 21 May 2021 Twitter Web App 2 Replies 1 Retweet 18 Likes'
As I’m wrapping up a series on 1 Thessalonians this week, this feels relevant to Paul’s command to greet one another with a holy kiss. I’ve noted before that our handshake is not nearly so intimate as a culture that kisses and says something about our tendency to hold people at a distance. Perhaps in the immediate future (I suspect this will wear off in the next year or so), the handshake does carry a level of intimacy that it lacked before.

About Michael Riley

Student of theology, apologetics, and Christian affections. Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Wakefield, Michigan.