By: Dave Watermulder on March 7, 2019
Sometimes the title of a book can say a lot. But in the case of Divine Sex: A Compelling Vision for Christian Relationships in a Hypersexualized Age by Jonathan Grant, it turns out to be a bit misleading. It was probably conceived as a “shocking” or attention-getting title, something that would catch the eye of the casual…
By: Jennifer Williamson on March 7, 2019
I’m just so tired. So, so tired. I’m not tired of my work as a church planter or leadership mentor or missionary equipper; these things energize me. No, I’m tired of having to constantly break down barriers so that women are empowered to plant churches and do the mission work to which they have been…
By: Harry Edwards on March 7, 2019
Reading Jennifer G. Berger and Keith Johnston’s Simple Habits for Complex Times brought back bad memories and good ones as well. Bad because of the avoidable mistakes and anxieties in leadership I had made years ago when I managed a university campus bookstore; good because of the lessons learned. At the height of my career…
By: Jean Ollis on March 7, 2019
As a strong, independent, outspoken, woman I’ve tried to approach Jonathan Grant’s text, Divine Sex: A Compelling Vision for Christian Relationships in a Hypersexualized Age, with an open mind. We can all acknowledge that many (dare I say most?) religious traditions have “subjugated” women. Religious restrictions and prohibitions on women have ranged from the openly…
By: Harry Fritzenschaft on March 7, 2019
Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) are widespread, according to Garvey Berger (Changing on the Job: Developing Leaders for a Complex World, 2013) and Johnston. Garvey Berger and Johnston cover accepted leadership practices, such as obtaining feedback, skilled listening, and expressing a clear vision, but their unique value added is how they broaden the discussion.…
By: Chris Pritchett on March 6, 2019
Jonathan Grant’s Divine Sexis a compelling approach to the relationship between the Christian faith and human sexuality. Grant joins many other pastors and church leaders who have sought to forge a pathway forward for the church through this most complex issue that has both gripped and divided the Church around the globe for nearly half…
By: Mike on March 6, 2019
Johnathan Grant’s Divine Sex offers solutions to the problem and challenges of contemporary sexual relationships from a Biblical focus within a holistic context of what he calls the “Christian vision of sexuality.”[1] This post will examine how sexual temptation, personal freedom, and immorality contributes to the underlying theme of spiritual warfare and see if there…
By: Karen Rouggly on March 5, 2019
Last week, we hosted an annual event on campus called Missionaries on the Walk. Cougar Walk, named after the University’s mascot and the main campus thoroughfare, was occupied by 30 different mission organizations for three days, culminating in a night market event, and a student-led open mic night. An incredibly high turnout the Night Market…
By: Shawn Hart on March 5, 2019
I have been looking forward to reading this book; just reading the forward made me even more interested. Aside from the fact that “physical touch[1]” is dominantly my primary “Love Language,” I have been used to teach others about biblical sexuality since I was in college; which is strange, since I was a virgin until…
By: John Muhanji on March 4, 2019
It is very challenging when one reads the book by James Hunter “To change the World.” It put Christianity to question and how the world can be changed through the moral values of Christianity by those who profess the faith. It is very saddening when you see the origin of Christianity to African countries behaving…
By: Harry Fritzenschaft on March 3, 2019
Hunter is a sociologist based at the University of Virginia who has spent much of his academic career analyzing the ‘culture wars’ within the US. In his To Change The World, the author summarizes the irony of the Christian right, the Christian left, and the neo-anabaptist movement interacting with culture. Hunter ultimately calls for a positive…
By: Shawn Hart on March 3, 2019
I have always been cautious when people describe the Church by saying, “It needs to be run like a business.” I have searched the scriptures long and hard, and have yet to find that to be a biblical practice. However, I am also not naïve when I recognize that we have real business problems when…
By: Wallace Kamau on March 2, 2019
The story is told of the boy on the sea shore who was throwing fish that was washed to the shore, back to the ocean. As he threw them back into the sea, one by one, a stranger came by and criticized him citing the time it will take to finish. The boy was quick…
By: Mary Mims on March 2, 2019
The campus ministry I joined in the 80s was focused on the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. Everyone knew Matthew 28:19-20 by heart and everyone knew they must give up everything for this great cause. Nothing was to get in the way of reaching the world with the gospel; not what you were studying, or…
By: Nancy VanderRoest on March 1, 2019
I love the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is one of my favorites. Of course, it is about the traveler who was stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead along the side of the road. First a priest and then a Levite come by and ignore this injured man along the side of…
By: Trisha Welstad on March 1, 2019
I love working on teams. Actually, that’s not true. I love working on highly effective teams. It is incredible to co-create with a group of people who are highly capable, motivated and collaborative with the same goals. I can remember multiple times when I have been on teams like this: a mission trip with Royal…
By: Jean Ollis on March 1, 2019
Having just returned from an inspiring leadership conference, Jennifer Garvey Berger and Keith Johnston’s text, Simple Habits for Complex Times: Powerful Practices for Leaders, resonates positively with me. Berger and Johnston offer twenty-first century insight into leadership practice. Specifically the authors focus on the importance of active listening (this is a social work term but…
By: Kyle Chalko on March 1, 2019
Recently I’ve read a handful of books about habits. I love the word habits and rituals. And I need more habits… good habits to be precise. I also have 30 or so students I am to be investing in, and many of them are desperate for better habits. Of all the books I’ve read recently…
By: Jason Turbeville on March 1, 2019
I chose simple change as the title to my blog post this week because it seems to me like an impossibility within the church. The problem I am working on for my dissertation is how do you change the culture of a church from being inward focused and me centered to a focus on what…
By: Greg on March 1, 2019
“I love change, as long as I can control it” I have jokingly said this many times talking to people about the uncertainty that we face living in a world of change. I used to spend a day every few months moving the furniture in our apartment around to give me a sense of change…
