By: Garrick Roegner on January 17, 2014
Certain narratives flow through our world defining and explaining where we have come, where we stand, and possibly where we are going. The television series Lost was a perfect postmodern tale. A mixture of genres colliding into a huge question of existence, reality, and meaning, played through characters with the names of famous philosophers, scientists…
By: Richard Rhoads on January 17, 2014
A few weeks ago after a long day at work, I sat down to take in a episode of Build it Bigger on the Science Channel. Now, before you make any judgments, let me just say I am a Science Channel junkie. That particular evening Build it Bigger was doing a special on the Burj…
By: Carol McLaughlin on January 17, 2014
Do you ever read the end of a book whilst you are reading the same book? Reading Modern Social Imaginaries by Charles Taylor I did just that. Recently those of us in this DMin (Doctor of Ministry) program were asked to reflect on how we would accomplish our mission and vision. Rather than approach it…
By: Fred Fay on January 17, 2014
Where is the place of the supernatural in today’s society? When Christians speak of the miraculous or supernatural sometimes they are rebuffed. People want proof in a scientific age. Still the images of something beyond what we see still “creep” up in Sci-Fi thrillers, obsessions with vampires, belief in the force and mythological stories. Many…
By: David Toth on January 16, 2014
A Questionable Age A youngster in mid-West America during the 50’s and 60’s was likely to have inherited a view of the world that was unifying and uncomplicated. Whether in an urban ghetto or on the plains the path ahead was more objectified and predictable even if not easy or comfortable. It was not common…
By: Phil Smart on January 16, 2014
Funerals are for Evangelism? The church where I serve is large enough to have a Pastor of Benevolence and Care as well as an assistant to that position. Together they handle all requests for help, visitation, bereavement, marriages, funerals etc. I oversee this department – from a distance. So, it was to my chagrin that,…
By: Sandy Bils on January 16, 2014
Today the Church of England posted the results of a new survey by the Faith in Research Conference, who systematically researched for 18 month the church growth in the Church of England. The results were significant: Fresh Expressions of church are growing with around 21,000 people attending in the 10 surveyed areas of the 44…
By: Sharenda Roam on January 16, 2014
Charles Taylor’s book “A Secular Age” is a large volume that is somewhat of a historical narrative which examines the variety of processes involved in the realization of Western secularism. He explains, “So what I want to do is examine our society as secular…the change I want to define and trace is one which takes…
By: Chris Ellis on January 16, 2014
Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age is not for the faint of heart. It is long, turgid and akin to eating chalk. But, if one can get past that, it’s understandable why so many think it is one of the most important books of a generation. After all, the Templeton Prize is not given out to…
By: Deve Persad on January 16, 2014
About three years ago, I sat in a circle with a group of about twenty people, the majority of whom I had never before met. Most were much wealthier, much more accomplished professionally, more refined in their personality. At the outset it seemed apparent that our common bond was our involvement in the mission endeavour…
By: Clint Baldwin on December 31, 2013
Baldwin_VEsynthesis.pdf This is a link to a synthesized overview of some learning that I undertook during fall 2013.
By: Clint Baldwin on December 28, 2013
Leadership happens. Unfortunately, it often doesn’t go as well as it possibly could. Editors Nohria Nitin and Rakesh Khurana offer a step toward increasing the viability of positive leadership encounters. They have woven together an excellent text with a solid combination of authors in the Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: A Harvard Business School…
By: Clint Baldwin on December 27, 2013
The idea of society is contested ground. There is a multiplicity of competing definitions vying for preeminence as to how society ought to be construed and enacted. This multiplicity is what Anthony Elliot proceeds to engage throughout Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction as he reviews concepts and people propagating such ideas and theories. Elliot notes…
By: Clint Baldwin on December 27, 2013
In Theology: A Very Short Introduction author David Ford defines theology as “thinking about questions raised by and about the religions.” (16) As a theologian himself situated in the context of the university, Ford further clarifies his definition through adding some specifics and focusing his attention on the academy’s involvement with the topic, “Theology deals…
By: Clint Baldwin on December 27, 2013
Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson have written a modern, succinct and accessible classic with Who Needs Theology: An Invitation to the Study of God. It is a text that is well-suited to be coupled alongside Alister McGrath’s own important contribution to the discipline now in its 5th edition – Christian Theology: An Introduction. While Grenz…
By: Sam Stephens on December 24, 2013
The time in London with the D.Min program proved to be a significant milestone in the journey of my life. This past visit has been one of the most delightful of many that I have made to this grand city which exudes an amazing array of the past and present, the ancient and the modern,…
By: dminlgp on December 23, 2013
Space…when I saw the name of this store in London it immediately caught my attention. It seemed that from the time I applied to the Doctor of Ministry in Leadership and Global Perspectives, space became my new word. Do I have the “space” to do this now? How do I make “space” for this in…
By: Bill Dobrenen on December 23, 2013
Pubs, People, and Pastors So where is the better place to go, a church or a pub? The answers to this question will vary, depending on whom you ask. One thing I can say with quite a bit of certainty; more people attend pubs than they do churches in Britain. And why not? Perhaps pubs…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on December 22, 2013
To get a look at the pictures follow this link. The upload is a bit slow but it will work. https://app.box.com/s/95hk0j9v7ixb3kp62ydn
By: Michael Badriaki on December 22, 2013
MY PERSONAL INTERESTS London! The world class city that contains places that I have only heard of in movies, and historical narratives: The River Thames, London Bridge, The Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Lloyds of London, St Paul’s cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Underground tubes, double-decker busses and the iconic red telephone box! I…
