By: David Toth on November 7, 2013
How does one determine what is good? Is it discovered, dictated, or determined? Will it still be good tomorrow? In another culture? These and many more ethical questions and possible decision paths are the topic of Nullens and Michener’s book The Matrix of Christian Ethics. The purpose for the book is to promote “an embrace of…
By: Garrick Roegner on November 7, 2013
Patrick Nullens and Ronald T. Michener unpack the intersection of ethics and Christianity in their work The Matrix of Christian Ethics: Integrating Philosophy and Moral Theology in a Postmodern Context. They begin with a definition of ethics as “emphasizing the methodical thinking of morality rather than morality itself (9).” As pertains to Christian ethics they…
By: Chris Ellis on November 7, 2013
How we as Christians make ethical decisions isn’t a straightforward process. It’s not nearly as simple as ‘The Bible Says.’ After all, what does the Bible say about nuclear power or in vitro fertilization or heavily fertilized land? In The Matrix of Christian Ethics by Patrick Nullens and Ronald Michener create a matrix of ideas and…
By: Deve Persad on November 7, 2013
It’s a childhood game that many of us have played. It is transferable to any culture, age and language: Follow the leader. The premise is relatively simple. The first person, the one designated the leader makes a movement, that movement is then replicated by the next person to the best of their ability, the next…
By: Cedrick Valrie on November 7, 2013
Humans leave a mark for good or ill on others. As Christ followers, we are called to be examples of peace, charity, justice and mercy. Our words and deeds are to resemble the master teacher, Christ, to others. In Christ, there is not a list of rules to be checked off but a heart and…
By: David Toth on November 6, 2013
Gilbert W. Fairholm writes, “The transition from headship based on personality and talent to one based on control is the history of the rise of management to preeminence in our social institutions” (Kindle 835-836). He makes the case that managerial leadership is a contemporary phenomena and that it came into being “as the answer to…
By: Mark Steele on November 2, 2013
Friedman in his book Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix; A Failure of Nerve, describes leadership as an emotional process rather than a cognitive phenomenon (Friedman 1999). He says leaders can be hindered by an obsession with data and technique instead of making decisions from their own integrity and presence. Freidman believes Christopher…
By: Liz Linssen on November 2, 2013
Several months ago I was walking through a small shopping centre in a town in Wales, UK, when I heard something that stopped me in my tracks: the song, “Kangnam Style” by South Korean pop star, Psy. Just the previous week, I had heard this same song on the other side of the globe in…
By: Sam Stephens on November 2, 2013
Of all the reading I have done on leadership during the recent past, Edwin Friedman’s book A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix has been the most challenging and yet quite stimulating. Friedman’s approach to addressing the leadership crisis is from quite a different angle than that which most of…
By: Raphael Samuel on November 2, 2013
Anthony Elliott The World is shrinking, that is what I heard often in the 1980’s . Not anymore, the world has shrank, we have become connected in so many ways that some prefer to see the world as a global village.Thanks to technology, super highways, rail, and air travel we have become the most connected…
By: gfesadmin on November 2, 2013
#dminlgp: Consuming missions! dminlgp: “You have a heart for missions. You love to be part of the action. On the ground. In the thick of ministry. Serving where you can. THIS IS FOR YOU” There is a chance that anyone who has been at the airport or on a plane and certainly a church mission…
By: gfesadmin on November 2, 2013
#dminlgp: To Which Society Do You Belong? dminlgp: After a few weeks of reading about theology, I found myself wanting more of the same. I guess you might say I’m a creature of habit! However, as I began to read, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, by Anthony Elliott, I was immediately captured by the story…
By: Stefania Tarasut on November 1, 2013
Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction By: Anthony Elliott I have to admit that I was frustrated with the first chapter of this book, and I think that my frustration kind of overshadowed the rest of the reading. I want to start off by saying that I might actually be wrong in my thinking, so I’m…
By: Phil Smart on November 1, 2013
Am I doing anything right? This is the question that confronted me while reading Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman. My church recently hired a new Executive Director /Pastor. She has been very methodical in transforming our 40 employees into a very organized and accountable group of pastors and assistants – or so I thought.…
By: Miriam Mendez on November 1, 2013
After a few weeks of reading about theology, I found myself wanting more of the same. I guess you might say I’m a creature of habit! However, as I began to read, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction, by Anthony Elliott, I was immediately captured by the story of Natalie. The question, “to which society does…
By: Michael Badriaki on November 1, 2013
“You have a heart for missions. You love to be part of the action. On the ground. In the thick of ministry. Serving where you can. THIS IS FOR YOU” There is a chance that anyone who has been at the airport or on a plane and certainly a church mission trip,…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on November 1, 2013
Contemporary Social Theory by Anthony Elliott offers great insights to the current issues that we are facing in our time. What I appreciated about this book is that the author does not only present different social theorist arguments but he also discusses how those theories translate into everyday people’s lives. His discussion on society and…
By: Carol McLaughlin on November 1, 2013
In Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction Anthony Elliott takes the reader for an expansive overview. Someone may liken it to a plane ride from the vantage point of an open-air cockpit. Another may feel as if they have been on a thrill ride where you only have a limited view of what is ahead. In…
By: Julie Dodge on November 1, 2013
I am a social worker. We social workers are pragmatists; we recognize that part of what we do is read and study the theories of many other disciplines and strive to apply them in the social context. I am also, by personality, drawn first to concepts, and then identify the pieces which contribute to the…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on November 1, 2013
I approached the subject of contemporary social theory with much interest, but also with much hesitation. My past education deals with, well that of education, biology, theology, cultures, and missiology. Though I know I must have traveled through the realms of social theory I must have done it indirectly and never did so directly. This…
