By: Becca Hald on December 3, 2023
After thirty-eight days migraine free, I am on day seven of this migraine. I am at least past the “someone please give me a guillotine” phase, but the horrific head pain is not the only symptom. Nausea, exhaustion, tinnitus, stiff neck, struggling to concentrate, and sensitivity to light, sound, and smell… these are my current…
By: Becca Hald on December 3, 2023
“She’s a pastor? But she is too nice to be a pastor.” That is what the receptionist at the kennel said to my husband. He was dropping off our kitties before heading out of town with me for a conference. The receptionist asked where we were going this time and he told her he was…
By: Laura Fleetwood on December 2, 2023
Dr. JR Woodward set out to write a book that “would offer theological immunity to the disease of domineering leadership in the church.” [1] In The Scandal of Leadership, Woodward dives into the heart of failures and scandals among male church leaders who become corrupted by the power they wield. In this academic and theological…
By: Daron George on December 1, 2023
Introduction In “Explaining Postmodernism: Skepticism and Socialism from Rousseau to Foucault,” Stephen R.C. Hicks navigates the historical and philosophical evolution of postmodernism, tracing its roots from the Enlightenment critiques by Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Immanuel Kant to its manifestation as a critical lens in modern thought[1]. Hicks critically examines how postmodernism, often cast as a rebellion…
By: Chad McSwain on December 1, 2023
“As you read, you will discover that each of us will either follow the scandalous way Jesus led or become a scandal. There is no neutral ground.”[1] There is truly no neutral ground to leadership. It is no surprise that leadership books, blogs, email list and water-cooler-conversations persist the way they do. We all participate…
By: Daron George on December 1, 2023
Introduction “Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief” by Jordan B. Peterson is a fascinating book that digs deep into how our beliefs, the myths we hear, and our everyday lives are connected. Peterson shows us that myths are not just old stories but more like an ancient tool. He presents these narratives (myths) as…
By: Jana Dluehosh on November 30, 2023
Leadership by Peter Northouse is the text book I was waiting for in this Doctorate of Leadership. Not because it has the cutting edge of leadership theory, but because it gives a practical chapter on 15 styles of leadership. I have been playing around with becoming a leadership coach once this doctorate is over and…
By: Daron George on November 30, 2023
The Intro In ‘The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church,’ J.R. Woodward offers a compelling theological exploration of church leadership. Woodward delves deeply into Walter Wink’s ‘Theology of the Principalities and Powers,’ examining the spiritual forces at play in leadership contexts. He also engages thoughtfully with René Girard’s insights on…
By: David Beavis on November 30, 2023
Young, Ambitious, and Anxious My first few years of serving in local church ministry was at an “influential megachurch.” This was a big deal for me. I was eager to have my “big break” and become a successful leader within this institution. But I was not the only one with such ambitions. In fact, when…
By: Esther Edwards on November 30, 2023
Leadership has the power to “change the way people think about what is possible.”[1] This power has given rise to much interest in leadership research over the last century at an unprecedented rate, documenting styles, processes, theories, and proposed leadership solutions.[2] Hunt counted more than “10,000 empirical studies on leadership”[3] and Northouse notes the development…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on November 29, 2023
Identifying the Scandal and Offering Prevention JR Woodward, in his book, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church, addresses the downfall of church leaders through their abuse of power. He addresses this problem by looking at the roots deep below power abuse, “naming the Powers of domination in order to…
By: Kally Elliott on November 29, 2023
In prepping for this blog post I asked Chatgpt to write a critique of Peter Northouse’s book, Leadership: Theory and Practice in the voice of the Reverend Kally Elliott. What follows is the introductory paragraph: Greetings, dear readers, and blessings upon your journey! Today, let us embark on a reflective journey into the realms of…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on November 29, 2023
Introduction: Woodward’s recently released book, The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church, is impressive. It is one of the books I will return to time and time again. For now, I want to bring a few excerpts from the author’s interview on a podcast with Rohadi. A Correlation between scandalous leaders…
By: Tim Clark on November 29, 2023
I regularly have the opportunity to talk to others about leadership. Often this is in a discipleship context with a small group of emerging ministry leaders. During these kinds of conversations, inevitable questions arise, such as… “Are leaders made or born?” “Is leadership something people grow into naturally, or is it an assigned task?” “What…
By: Pam Lau on November 28, 2023
Last year while I was working on our biblical foundations and expertise paper for class, I chose to research the life and leadership of Caleb, from the well-known story of Joshua in the book of Numbers. As you can imagine, finding scholarly research on the often overlooked Caleb was not as easy as I’d hoped.…
By: Russell Chun on November 28, 2023
Зачем изучать лидерство? – Zachem izuchat’ liderstvo? Why study Leadership? (Russian) Part 1: What my peers are saying. Part 2: Highlights from Northouse. Part 3: Epilogue Part 1: What my peers are saying. John Fehlan, says, “Perhaps leadership IS influence and the Christian Leadership industry got us all to buy their stuff… I then…
By: Kim Sanford on November 28, 2023
We are 15 or so months into our doctoral journey, and this week’s reading may be the first book that feels like a classic textbook. Leadership is a notoriously slippery concept to pin down, but Peter Northouse’s Leadership: Theory and Practice provides a helpful definition: “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group…
By: Kristy Newport on November 27, 2023
The book Antifragile is not for the faint of heart. The term “antifragile” is difficult to define, but the author Nassim Taleb describes it this way: “The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.” [1] Through my lens as a Marriage and Family Therapist, I will provide a summary of a…
By: Laura Fleetwood on November 25, 2023
When psychology, neuroscience and spirituality connect, it’s an ultimate trifecta of interest for me. That’s exactly what Daniel Lieberman offers in his 2022 book Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind. Dr Lieberman is a professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural…
By: Greg McMullen on November 22, 2023
Antifragile will remain one of my favorite books from this program. I will continue to come back to this book from time to time.[1] To be honest with you, I felt it was one of the few books that really identified with me. I have been challenged with church growth models, methods and systems over…
