By: Jake Dean-Hill on February 28, 2018
So many statements in Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: How to Become an Effective Leader by Confronting Potential Failures by Gary McIntosh resonated with me and my work. The author’s definition of the Dark Side is what keeps me in business as a therapist. McIntosh defines the Dark Side as “the inner urges, compulsions,…
By: Chip Stapleton on February 25, 2018
I was first assigned the seminal book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Nol l as part of an undergrad religion course and I knew after reading the now ubiquitous opening sentence of the book, ‘The Scandal of the Evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind.’ I knew that I didn’t…
By: Greg on February 23, 2018
I love being unique when finding a gift for birthdays or Christmas. Distinction in the midst of conformity is what calls to me. As an American, we fight to be individuals or fight to be recognized as someone special-more than an award for participation. We like to find our individualism believing we have overcome any…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on February 23, 2018
“Fundamentalist naiveté concerning science was matched by nineteenth century traits that undercut the possibility for a responsible intellectual life…included a weakness for treating the verses of the Bible as pieces in a jigsaw puzzle that needed only to be sorted and then fit together to possess a finished picture of divine truth; an overwhelming tendency…
By: Kristin Hamilton on February 23, 2018
The only thing I love more than teaching is learning. Some people love jewelry, I just want more books. And book discussions. And journal articles. And classes. I admit it, I am completely addicted to learning. I’ve been in grad school longer than most people are in high school and college combined, and I still…
By: Trisha Welstad on February 23, 2018
At age thirteen I was pretty obsessed with being and looking ‘cool’. Going from the top of the food chain in grade school to being part of the new younger group of kids in middle school who were coming from several feeder schools, made me want to both fit in and stand out. I wanted…
By: Kyle Chalko on February 22, 2018
Even though I was just a 10-year-old boy, I still remember the moment Hulk Hogan, pulled out the black and white nWo (New World Order) shirt and turned his back on the WCW and betrayed his partner with a leg drop. Hogan was the good guy! He was the Real American! Fight for the rights…
By: Jay Forseth on February 22, 2018
In 1987, I took my mom (in her wheelchair) to a Billy Graham Crusade at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. I was 21 years old, mom was nearing the end of her life, but she wanted to hear this evangelist no matter what, so she could see with her own eyes folks “flood the…
By: Jason Turbeville on February 22, 2018
In their book The Rebel Sell: Ho the CounterCulture Became Consumer Culture Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter make the argument that being “counterculture” is actually not a strike against capitalism and consumerism. In fact, it feeds directly into capitalisms ultimate goals, to package and resell what they believed to be fighting against it. I have always…
By: Stu Cocanougher on February 22, 2018
“The mind is important because God is important.” 1 – Mark Noll In May of 1984, I sat in the pew of First Baptist Church, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee for the annual baccalaureate service. I was an upcoming High School graduate, ready for the next chapter in my life. The pastor, a man who…
By: Jean Ollis on February 22, 2018
The company started by providing full time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica…their artisan community “has expanded from Costa Rica to El Salvador, India, and more. Now 200+ artisans can depend on steady income in positive working environments, thanks to the support of Pura Vida bracelets customers.” They have partnered with “over 174 different charities…
By: Lynda Gittens on February 22, 2018
“There wasn’t a major Protestant leader in America who obstructed King’s Beloved Community more than Billy Graham did.” by Michael E. Long, author of “Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: America’s Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. Author Mark Noll is a historian of American Church Culture. He addresses the influence…
By: Mark Petersen on February 22, 2018
“Wanna buy a watch?” The words were repeated, “Wanna buy a watch?” Mumbled under their breath in a stage whisper, Chinese vendors surreptitiously approached us in Beijing’s Tienanmen Square. We stopped to view their wares. One of the many watches for sale contained the image of Mao Tse-Tung, arm waving frantically, uselessly. We laughed at…
By: Chris Pritchett on February 22, 2018
When I was a teenager, having grown up in the Roman Catholic tradition, I had no concept of a Christian culture, no awareness that there was such a thing as a Christian sub-culture, and certainly no concept of a Christian youth sub-culture. That is, not until my friend Eric brought me out of a life…
By: Dave Watermulder on February 22, 2018
When I was growing up, my family had a family motto which my Dad established and reinforced through the years. Our family motto was: “no weird kids”. As far as family motto’s go, it isn’t a classic. It isn’t something that will carry through into our adult years or give direction or meaning to our…
By: Jennifer Williamson on February 22, 2018
According to the book The Rebel Sell, Heath and Potter believe that counterculture movements (be it the Hippies of the 60’s or the Punk Rockers of the 90’s) are founded on a false premise which renders them “a set of dramatic gestures that are devoid of any progressive political or economic consequences and that detract from…
By: Katy Drage Lines on February 22, 2018
One of my great regrets is that I have not studied enough. I wish I had studied more and preached less. People have pressured me into speaking to groups when I should have been studying and preparing. – Billy Graham[1] It’s somewhat both illuminating and embarrassing to think back to your high school self. But perhaps…
By: Mary Walker on February 22, 2018
There is no longer a Christian mind. Harry Blamires[1] The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind. Mark Noll[2] That is why I say that, though of course the issues have been important elsewhere in the world, Americans seem to have had a particularly hard time of…
By: Mike on February 22, 2018
I grew up in the 60’s when radio broadcasts came out of a large stereo console and the nightly news from a black-and-white TV that filled our living room with sounds and images about Vietnam and the Beatles. I was a young boy then but still remember feeling lonely when my dad went away on…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on February 21, 2018
Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter’s The Rebel Sell: How the Counterculture Became Consumer Culture was another interesting read. It was fascinating to learn about their perspective about the concept of the counterculture and how they believe it became consumer culture. Their chapter entitled Freud Goes to California was also very interesting, and as you can…
