By: Stu Cocanougher on January 12, 2017
Growing up as a person of European descent in the United States of America, I was raised from birth to be a patriot. In elementary school, my classmates and I learned stories of Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims, and how George Washington and the armies of the thirteen colonies turned away the evil British redcoats.…
By: Phil Goldsberry on January 12, 2017
Introduction It was good to step out of the “bubble” of my professional, protected, pompous life and read, The Social Animal by David Brooks. Brooks said, “People gravitate toward people like themselves. When we meet new people, we instantly start matching our behavior to theirs.”[1] Jumping into the two fictitious characters of the book, Erica…
By: Aaron Peterson on January 12, 2017
Here we go! Welcome to week one of our spring 2017 semester. I have been so excited. I prepared all last week to get back into our DMIN rhythm of researching, reading, blogging, and Zooming. I even fell asleep Sunday night looking forward to our Zoom at 7am PST Monday morning. However, it has been…
By: Marc Andresen on January 12, 2017
With stellar creativity and evidence of extensive research David Brooks brings us significant understanding of human beings as creatures of society in his book, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement. Through the medium of story-telling, interlaced with citings from many scholastic books, he demonstrates that even though we may think…
By: Jason Kennedy on January 12, 2017
During the last two centuries, the world has become more and more rational. Emotions have given way to the scientific method. Reason is the king on the mountain of social development at least that has been the thinking since the enlightenment. David Brooks in his highly fascinating book, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of…
By: Claire Appiah on January 12, 2017
David Brooks – The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement Introduction David Brooks is a renowned writer and commentator specializing in policies and politics. The thesis of this book is, “We are living in the middle of a revolution in consciousness.” [1] Scientific insights gained from geneticists, neuroscientists, psychologists, sociologists,…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on January 12, 2017
In Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Benedict Anderson seeks to propose a nuanced perspective for how we understand and perceive the origin and spread of nationalism. Anderson does a good job of setting up his argument by walking us through a historical perspective that gives way to the deconstruction of…
By: Mary Walker on January 12, 2017
I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; (John 17:15-17a) “This world is not my home I’m just a passing through; My treasures are…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on January 11, 2017
My 10th grade history teacher, Mr. Housewright’s, words ring in my ears when reading Imagined Communities. When he asked what is capitalism based on that has built our American nation, we would stare blankly back at him. Then dramatically he would write one chalky, white word on the green chalkboard: GREED. This has always been…
By: Jim Sabella on January 11, 2017
Summary In Anderson’s words, “The aim of this book is to offer some tentative suggestions for a more satisfactory interpretation of the ‘anomaly’ of nationalism.” (Anderson, 4) I admit I find his characterization of nationalism as an “anomaly” both intriguing and a bit counter-intuitive. I would suppose that nationalism is a natural outgrowth of being…
By: Lynda Gittens on January 11, 2017
Author Anderson, Imagined Communities …. After reading Anderson’s book addressing “nationalism”, my mind thought of many clichés. I am a Houstonian by birth living in the largest state in the United States of America, Texas. At least we were until Alaska, but who is considering Alaska. We even have the slogan, “everything is big in…
By: Aaron Cole on January 11, 2017
Summary: The Social Animal by David Brooks is a fascinating book that connects many dots from scientific theory and philosophy to the real world. It is, as the subtitle suggests, a book that gives “the hidden sources of love, character and achievement.” The book takes the reader on a fictitious journey of two people, Harold…
By: Katy Drage Lines on January 11, 2017
Why is it helpful for us to understand the origin and spread of nationalism, I wondered. In Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Benedict Anderson does an excellent job of presenting his theory on the rise of nationalism, and his pivotal work is essential for any discussion of nationalism. While we…
By: Geoff Lee on January 11, 2017
As Anderson puts it, a nation “is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion”. (p. 6) I consider myself to be British and a part of this…
By: Rose Anding on January 10, 2017
Introduction Human beings can survive even in the toughest conditions regardless of their external environment. People realize their potential early to accomplish their long-term goals, but only successful people are able to go extra mile to fulfill their desires. Hence, success can be achieved by everyone with persistence. Unfortunately, few people make an effort to…
By: Richard Volzke on January 3, 2017
This year’s reading stretched and pushed me to think in different ways. The Matrix of Christian Ethics: Integrating Philosophy and Moral Theology in a Postmodern Context was greatly influential. Christian ethics and human ethics do not always agree. For example, in America the debate over the legalization of same sex marriage is about to be…
By: Kevin Norwood on December 1, 2016
What comes to mind when you say the word Pentecostal? Does it bring up images of lively worship with hands raised and the volume level reaching concert levels? Does the word cell group or community come to mind? Does supernatural signs such as healing or speaking in tongues? What is it about the word that…
By: Marc Andresen on December 1, 2016
“The major engine driving this transformation [of the demographics of Christendom] is Pentecostalism…The engine of Pentecostalism is its worship.” This is the bold claim of Drs. Donald Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori in their book, Global Pentecostalism: The new Face of Christian Social Engagement. [1] In a well documented and readable volume these two men present…
By: Jason Kennedy on December 1, 2016
The Pentecostal movement has been growing radically around the world, and many seemed surprise that this may be the new face of Christianity. For those of us who are in that tribe, it does not come as a shock. Donald Miller’s book, Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement, highlights what many of…
By: Pablo Morales on December 1, 2016
Summary What happens when two Christian scholars decide to research growing churches in the developing world that are significantly engaged in social ministry? Answer: They discover that 85% of those churches are charismatic or progressive Pentecostals. What happens next? Answer: They write a book with their findings entitled Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian…
