By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on November 10, 2023
Introduction Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Jordan Peterson is one of few challenging books, yet full of great insights that evoke more questions than answers. Even though it is hard to read, I have found a few areas where I identify with Peterson. He writes intriguing concepts worth exploring. Humans explore their…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on November 9, 2023
In a conversation with my dad this week, he asked what we were reading in our DLPG class. “Maps of Meaning, by Jordan Peterson,” I replied. He said he was familiar with the title, as it is one of his grandsons Nic’s favorite books. Nic was a philosophy major and often could be found in…
By: Shonell Dillon on November 9, 2023
It was often a practice of my peers to dare someone. Daring you meant that they were willing to make a bet that you would not do some crazy thing. For those that were not afraid of adventure or the unknown, they accepted the dare. If in fact the dare was dangerous they suffered their…
By: Russell Chun on November 9, 2023
အိုး၊ ပထမကမ္ဘာပြဿနာ။, Wow a 1st world problem or အခြားမိခင်မှ ညီအစ်ကိုများ, Brothers from another mother (Burmese) Part 1: What my peers and others are saying.. Part 2: Desire…End of Globalization?… Part 3: What I am learning…. Part 1: What my peers and others are saying.. In the discussion of Polanyi and capitalism[1], I made a…
By: David Beavis on November 9, 2023
Science: An Inadequate Tutor on Purpose The 20th-century missiologist and pastor Lesslie Newbigin wrote about the dialogue between science and Christian faith in his book Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel in Western Culture.[1] He pointed out that this assumption of knowing the essence of a thing simply by knowing all of the parts is an…
By: Pam Lau on November 8, 2023
“Unless we attend to these deeper workings of culture, Theological reflection will miss the most profound challenge of consumerism–the commodification of culture–the reduction of religious beliefs, symbols, and values to objects of consumption.”[1] What is My Desire? Truth be told, when I saw what was scheduled on my calendar from June 28-July 1, 2023, I…
By: Kristy Newport on November 7, 2023
Fear of an impending nuclear war can lead a person to do many things. In the case of Jordan Peterson, he chose to write Maps of Meaning in 1984, believing it be his responsibility “to figure out how we should act in the world and how we are to act around other people, and relationship…
By: Kim Sanford on November 7, 2023
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to…
By: Greg McMullen on November 6, 2023
In 25 years of ministry and 30 years of leadership, I have seen a great deal. I have experienced many incredible moments of God moving, moving through leaders, organizations, and also experienced being outcast and oppressed from leaders and their organizations for saying no to them. Prior to Covid, I have only asked two people…
By: Tim Clark on November 6, 2023
At the start of Jason Clark’s dissertation is a question from Dan Kimball, referenced again in Clark’s fifth chapter. Kimbal asks the question, “Have we, over time and with good intentions and pure motivations, turned our churches into vendors of religious services and goods?”[1] This is the jumping off point for Clark’s research, and the…
By: Esther Edwards on November 6, 2023
I have 4 grandchildren ranging from 21 months to 5 years old. They are the joy of our lives. However, that joy can be brought to a halt with a trip to Target. Now, I do feel that part of a grandparent’s job is to spoil their grandchildren with added gifts and enjoy them with…
By: Travis Vaughn on November 6, 2023
“A commodity is a basic good used in commerce that is interchangeable with other commodities of the same type.”[1] Thus to treat something as a commodity…as if that something “can be bought and sold”[2] like any other commodity is to commodify that thing. “When we relate to cultural and religious traditions as commodities, they lose…
By: Jennifer Vernam on November 6, 2023
I had an amazing opportunity on Friday as part of my work with the I to We organization[1]. We assembled a group of Christian local leaders from various denominations and educational organizations to discuss team building. It was a timely conversation and I got to share with them some of the readings from this course…
By: Kally Elliott on November 6, 2023
“This is not a book about religion against consumer culture; it is a book about the fate of religion in consumer culture.”[1] With this statement in the introduction to his book, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture, Vincent Miller, summarizes the basic thesis of his book. He gets more specific in…
By: Laura Fleetwood on November 4, 2023
Books find me. It’s happened since I was a child. Whether it’s a book I stumble upon at a library, a recommendation by a friend, or in this case, a book assigned for a weekly doctoral reading, I often find that a book I’m reading will speak to a specific problem I’m facing in a…
By: Chad McSwain on November 3, 2023
“How many of you think that you are God’s favorite?” What I thought was an easy, playful opening to my sermon was more revealing than I could’ve imagined. I used the example of how parents and grandparents tell their children that they are their “favorite” as a playful way to express delight in their special…
By: Caleb Lu on November 3, 2023
I was listening to a top 100 pop radio station while driving with Anya the other day when I made a comment that anyone who is unfamiliar with what they’re listening to might make: “ew, music just isn’t as good as it used to be”. We switched stations and a song from “our time” (which…
By: Greg McMullen on November 3, 2023
Through this program we are transformed into well differentiated leaders. We no longer are reactive emotionally but respond in a professional precise way. To be apart of the solution and not add to the problem. I am a little challenged by Peterson. I have great respect for his education, and to be willing to ask…
By: Jana Dluehosh on November 2, 2023
A beginning and an ending; an invitation and blessing. I am called into a very specific area of life where I help people come face to face with their own mortality, their own disappointments on a life not lived or as accomplished as they hoped, or relationships broken. I know, I know, I’m Dr. Death. …
By: Shonell Dillon on November 2, 2023
When I was a member of another church there were times that the pastor (our leader) would read Psalms 150. When he would get to the verses that read: Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments…
