DLGP

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives: Crafting Ministry in an Interconnected World

Category: Uncategorized

“Learning as a Practice of Dying”

By: on October 26, 2023

My Mom’s eightieth birthday is this weekend. It will be the first time our extended family has been together since Christmas 2019, due to significant rifts that developed over Covid and political and cultural tensions. My family “derailed.”[1] Our postmodern climate, under pressure, created the perfect storm for a family clash between experience, reason, and…

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A New Society

By: on October 26, 2023

The Great Transformation, written by Karl Polanyi, “concentrated on the development of the market economy in the 19th century, with Polanyi presenting his belief that this form of economy was so socially divisive that it had no long-term future.”[1]  His opening statement affirms this as he states “Nineteenth-century civilization has collapsed.”[2]  This declaration of doom…

6 responses

The Shifting Foundation of Epistemology

By: on October 26, 2023

When you are in the boarding line behind your new transgender Icelandic witch friend waiting to board the plane, the conversation is far from boring. My wife and I were leaving Iceland after a vacation. As we were in line, we struck up a conversation with the person in front of us. Conversation with them[1]…

7 responses

Learning from History

By: on October 26, 2023

Postmodernism and the history of thought could seem like a distant discussion from leadership, a more critical look is a reminder that our history and our development of identity and thought play a role in many parts of society including leadership. Questions As I picked up this book by Hicks, Explaining Postmodernism, I thought to…

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The Gospel of SRM

By: on October 26, 2023

“The Gospel itself is a disembedding from social and collective memberships into a new social reality.”[1] Before identifying the central theme from Karl Polanyi’s paradigm of exchange, The Great Transformation, I found it helpful to remember and recall the story of Ruth from the Old Testament to offer a framework for how I understand Weber’s,[2] Polanyi’s[3] and…

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The “Power” of Capitalism; Can it be Redeemed?

By: on October 26, 2023

Next Friday the Presbytery of the Cascades will vote to give one of our church properties to the Future Generations Collaborative, a coalition of non-profits representing many Native American communities. As I understand it, they will turn the church property into a village of sorts for single native American mothers and their children. It will…

4 responses

Close to Insanity

By: on October 25, 2023

Steven Hicks in Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault, takes his readers on a philosophical journey. The following is a conclusion the author makes about postmodernism: In postmodernism we find metaphysical antirealism, epistemological subjectivity, the placing of feeling at the root of all value issues, the consequent relativism of both knowledge and…

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Not My Mother’s Oklahoma!

By: on October 25, 2023

My husband and I love going to the theater. Every year for our anniversary, we get season tickets. Last year, I was so excited to see Oklahoma! On the roster. I remember watching the movie of this musical growing up. I loved the fun, upbeat songs and cheerful melodies. We arrived at the theater for…

6 responses

Course Correction

By: on October 24, 2023

Black-and-white thinkingIn Oxford and immediately afterwards, our cohort had numerous conversations about over-simplified thinking. Simon Walker spoke about the overwhelming complexity of our current era and how our brains desperately grasp at over-simplifications. I found his explanations comforting. It’s not our fault that we reach for simplicity. Our brains crave it. Of course, as responsible…

10 responses

19th Century, 20th Century, and Today

By: on October 24, 2023

I picked up The Great Transformation; The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time and I went straight to the back of the book looking for some insight before I began to read. The first thing that I read was Karl Polanyi (1886- 1964), I said a prayer that this book would be easier for…

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Mr. Robot, Evil Corp, and Karl Polanyi

By: on October 23, 2023

According to Kurtuluş Gemici, the financial crisis of the late 2000s was a “Polanyi moment – the realization that markets, when left to their own devices, are destructive to social relations and fabric.”[1] Karl Polanyi believed there was a “double movement” process related to capitalism — markets expand and then society steps in to regulate…

6 responses

An alternative to a self-regulating market? Inconceivable!

By: on October 23, 2023

In the 1987 film, The Princess Bride, the character Vizzini, repeatedly uses the word “inconceivable” when things don’t go as planned. Finally, Inigo Montoya responds: “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means”. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog I titled “Words Matter”, admitting that…

12 responses

A Hero’s Journey or a Rat Race of Our Own Making?

By: on October 23, 2023

In three weeks, the oldest of my two children turns 18. I thought having a toddler was expensive, but I have learned that having two teenage drivers with one starting college next year is much, much more expensive. As we have been churning through all the decisions that are part of this phase of childhood…

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Collective Struggle

By: on October 22, 2023

     “Our struggles are not only external, against laws and institution, but internal, against our own malformed habits, feelings, and values. In this sense, we all participate in dignity because we all struggle against domination.”[1] We all struggle. We struggle externally or internally, but we are struggling against something that seeks to dominate us.…

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Black Dignity, Black Joy: A Mirror to Our Shared Humanity

By: on October 21, 2023

Introduction: In a world of divisions and hierarchies, the quest for dignity and joy becomes a collective endeavor transcending color lines. Vincent Lloyd’s ‘Black Dignity’ is a philosophical exploration of racial justice and human dignity, revealing how affirming black dignity is intrinsic to recognizing inherent human worth. As we navigate nuanced terrains of racial activism…

10 responses

How Did We Get Here?

By: on October 20, 2023

Throughout my life I have seen those who I admire show great self-responsibility, a hard work ethic, and a motivating drive to succeed. My parents and mentors were prime examples. Furthermore, a good work ethic is something we look for when we hire staff and it is something we have tried to instill in our…

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A Christian Response to Black Dignity

By: on October 20, 2023

Black Dignity by Vincent Lloyd is a powerful and thought-provoking book that addresses the struggle against domination in a world marked by anti-Blackness.[1] As leaders in the Christian community, we find that this work offers valuable insights and lessons for understanding and participating in the ongoing fight for justice, equality, and dignity. Lloyd’s exploration of domination…

11 responses

More Like David

By: on October 19, 2023

Two weeks before we got married, my husband and I drove to Sacramento to see his father, David. Andrew’s parents divorced when he was eight and he had not seen his dad in ten years. We went to church with David that weekend. Had we not been going to meet Andrew’s father; I likely would…

10 responses