By: Jon Spellman on October 8, 2015
Do I stay or do I go? That is the question! When I experience discontent within an organization, I have to ask whether my presence is still helpful to the organization or has the internal conflict I feel risen to such a level that I am doing more harm than good? If I should choose…
By: Jason Kennedy on October 8, 2015
INTRODUCTION The typical book on social formation generally deals with race, gender, socio-economics, health and sexuality. However, Gill Valentine, in her book, takes a unique approach. She does not look at social theory in these distinct categories, rather she focuses on how societies form within a certain space or context. She states her…
By: Aaron Peterson on October 7, 2015
Reading Valentine’s, Social Geographies reminds me of Exclusion and Embrace by Miroslav Volf. Although Valentine’s book is about geography and Volf’s is about theology, both deal with the concept of social relations and space. Volf talks about how we humans build walls in our hearts between one another for various reasons and Valentine studies and…
By: Claire Appiah on October 7, 2015
Research and Objective Thinking Gill Valentine: Social Geographies: Space and Society Introduction: In this book, Gill Valentine’s emphasis on space as it relates to all aspects and levels of human social interaction provides the readers in DMIN/lgp6 with yet another way to view, scrutinize and interpret the world we live in. In Sarah Pink’s, Doing…
By: Nick Martineau on October 7, 2015
What a great book! Really…The theory and concepts in this book are important for churches to understand. Exit, Voice, and Loyalty by Albert Hirschman required some real focus for me to get through but it was worth it. The basic concepts reflect many of my consumerist habits and got me thinking about their implications…
By: Mary Pandiani on October 6, 2015
For 45 years since Hirschman first developed the framework of Exit, Voice, and Loyalty,[1] researchers from various disciplines – politics, economics, management, psychology, sociology – have incorporated the concept to help explain and understand the manner in which individuals and communities deal with dissatisfaction.[2] In these disciplines, the hopeful intent of the environment, if healthy…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on October 6, 2015
In his book, Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to decline in firms, organizations, and states, Albert Hirschman writes of a simple concept … in complicated fashion. Hirschman’s ultimate point is that when customers are dissatisfied with the goods, services, or possible climate and culture of an organization, they have two basic responses: Customers can stop…
By: Rose Anding on October 5, 2015
OUR WORLDVIEW Introduction How we view the world depends on our environment, where we were brought up. It depends on the culture we grew in. Generally, it is defined by the ethnography of the culture that we were brought up in.…
By: Dave Young on September 29, 2015
Hirschman’s “Exit, Voice and Loyalty” may have been written as social theory to be consumed by economists and politicians, but having watched the EXIT door of the church for a couple decades I can see correlations to the church. My comparison may be off-putting for some church folks; we’re often apprehensive when secular theories…
By: Anthony Watkins on September 24, 2015
This is a test blog post. Exciting!
By: Jason Kennedy on September 23, 2015
Is it possible to be both a critical thinker and a Christian? After all according to Elder and Paul, “The uncritical tendency is to place one’s culture, nation, and religion above all others (Elder, p. 13). “ She also states that, “Much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uninformed or down-right…
By: Brian Yost on September 18, 2015
In his book A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, Edwin H. Friedman takes a different approach than most books on leadership. I have read countless leadership books that are all about head knowledge and logical decision-making. I have also read many authors that recognize the spiritual aspect of…
By: Mary Pandiani on September 17, 2015
Some books, the good books, call you into conversation, even when you don’t necessarily agree with everything. Edwin Friedman’s book A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix does just that. His provocative approach that first intrigued me back in 2009 when I started the D.Min program with Len Sweet still…
By: Kevin Norwood on September 17, 2015
The Three C’s Clear Concise Comprehensive That is the mantra of my lead pastor. Communication must be the three C’s. He preaches it, speaks it and fully believes in it. There are even times that he stops what is going on in a meeting to emphasize these principles. I have worked with him for over…
By: Travis Biglow on September 17, 2015
The Nerve September 17, 15 When I read something that affects me I can remember more. As I read through this reading I actually felt like someone was talking to me. Where do I start? First off the idea of the systemic power of leadership completely got me off guard. I started reading and thinking…
By: Phil Goldsberry on September 17, 2015
As a young twenty-year-old pastor I was trying hard to “do” and “be” what others wanted. That was a lot of expectation to live up to. Most of the men on my Board were old enough to be my grandfather. I had graduated from Bible College, served as an Associate Pastor and Youth Pastor. I…
By: Pablo Morales on September 17, 2015
“What in the world! Is this a mistake? Wasn’t this book on critical thinking supposed to be a thick book like the others? Did I order the wrong book from Amazon? What could possibly be in this little booklet?” After this initial impression of the book, I looked at the index, took a general look…
By: Aaron Cole on September 17, 2015
The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking – Concepts and Tools by Richard Paul and Linda Elders is my kind of read. I loved how direct and to the point this book was. It said more in a few pages than most attempt in hundreds of pages. I found myself reading, processing, and reading some more.…
By: Colleen Batchelder on September 17, 2015
“Dig!” John’s voice echoed off the nearby cliffs. We all reached in – determined to steer the raft through the roaring rapids. Each wave crested above our heads; challenging our grip with each forceful blow. “We’re digging. We’re digging.” We muttered. Disgruntled looks shot across the small boat. We were tired. We were frustrated. We…
By: Aaron Peterson on September 17, 2015
In 1985 Sting released a single titled, “Russians.” While reading through Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts & Tools by Elder, I couldn’t stop singing the line from the song, “I hope the Russians love their children too.” By describing his dream, Sting was also challenging his hearers to practice critical thinking. As Elder states,…
