By: Jana Dluehosh on October 6, 2023
While perusing David Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, I went not much further than his first chapter called, “Preaching the Gospel; The Nature of Evangelical Religion”. In my experience, this makes so much sense to start by addressing the essence and birth of a movement. What I’ve come to ponder is that the nature of…
By: Daron George on October 6, 2023
Francis Fukuyama’s “Identity” is a thought-provoking exploration of the complex concept of identity and its profound impact on contemporary society and politics. It is very interesting to look at the book in light of everything that has taken place to shape our identities since the pandemic in 2020. “The modern concept of identity unites three…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on October 5, 2023
Our pastor mentioned this week in her sermon entitled “Visible Words” that, according to a national survey some years ago, when people were asked, “What words do you most want to hear said to you?” the three phrases at the top of the list were, in order of popularity: “I love you.” “I forgive you.”…
By: Shonell Dillon on October 5, 2023
Where is your dignity Black Woman? Politics and Dignity being mentioned in the same title seemed interesting to me. I found that I enjoyed reading what the author had to say about it. I especially paid lots of attention to his mentions of the treatment of women in the workplace. I also thought that the…
By: Sara Taylor Lattimore on October 5, 2023
My Identity I am an only child who was adopted. I have had a wide range of life experiences. I double majored in political science and sociology in undergrad. I worked for the state of Texas as a legal caseworker for Child Protective Services. I have worked in church ministry and gotten a Masters of…
By: Russell Chun on October 5, 2023
Highlights Part 1: Bebbington Part 2: Clark Chapter 2, a bridge between Bebbington and Weber Part 3: Summary and a world note Part 1: Bebbington David W. Bebbington’s Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to The 1980s[1], Is more than a walk-through history. During a peer group meeting, Jenny Dooley shared…
By: Kristy Newport on October 4, 2023
Francis Fukuyama articulates the roots of political tension in his book Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. He gives a raw analysis as he states, “Resentment over lost dignity or invisibility often has economic roots, but fights over identity often distract us from focusing on policies that could concretely remedy those…
By: David Beavis on October 4, 2023
As a pastor, I have the privilege of weekly opening up the Scriptures and teaching a congregation about the present reality of the Kingdom of God and the implications the Kingdom has for us right here, right now. These duties of pastoring – “preaching and peopling” as I heard it once described – fill me…
By: Pam Lau on October 3, 2023
In Luke’s Gospel, a story is told that marks a turning point in the account of Jesus’ ministry. Up to this point, Jesus has dealt exclusively with the Jews. In chapter 7, when Jesus returns to Capernaum, he begins to include the Gentiles. You may recall the story of a Roman officer (also called a…
By: Tim Clark on October 2, 2023
While in Oxford we heard Dr. Martyn Percy give a lecture that included calling into question the use of the word discipleship. This word, he pointed out, is not in the Bible, and furthermore, he stated the definition of a disciple was not, as many in today’s church believe, synonymous with a follower, but that…
By: Kally Elliott on October 2, 2023
In reading Jason Clark’s Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship, I was immediately taken back to September 11, 2001 when after the shock of the terrorist attacks I found myself sitting in a seminary class taught by Dr. Walter Brueggemann. While he frequently ranted about the woes of a…
By: Kim Sanford on October 2, 2023
I first heard of Bebbington at a ministry conference just a few months ago. Usha Reifsnider, who serves the Lausanne Movement as Co-Regional Director for Europe, gave the plenary address about the changing face of Evangelicalism. She shared Bebbington’s quadrilateral to define Evangelicalism and I thought, “I need to know about this guy.” Fast forward…
By: Kim Sanford on October 2, 2023
Type A Personality. Enneagram 7. Myers-Briggs ESFJ. The temptation when reading a book like Simon Walker’s Leading with Nothing to Lose is to understand it almost like a personality test. Where do I see myself in his descriptions? What’s my natural style? Is there an online quiz I can take to determine my leadership type?…
By: Caleb Lu on September 30, 2023
In college my grades were directly dependent on how I performed relative to my peers. There were classes where I would routinely score in the 50s out of 100 and end up with the same “B” letter grade as a class where I scored 96 out of 100. And in some ways, it made sense.…
By: Chad McSwain on September 30, 2023
“Demand for recognition of one’s identity is a master concept that unifies much of what is going on in the world of politics today”[1]. This is the thesis of Francis Fukuyama’s book, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. Fukuyama brings his Hegelian perspective of history[2] to offer an explanation for the…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on September 29, 2023
Introduction The weekend before Oxford, I facilitated a music concert inside the prison for a volunteer organization. The team wore t-shirts with “Orange Lives Matter,” Referring to the Inmates’ orange uniforms. Inmates were so excited by the gesture that they also matter and deserve dignity. In “The Demand for Dignity and the Politics…
By: Greg McMullen on September 27, 2023
Marcus Warner and Jim Wilder in Rare Leadership: 4 Uncommon Habits of Increasing Trust, Joy, and Engagement in the People You Lead reminded me of many books we have read and what many leaders have endured through this time of Covid.[1] Often leadership comes down on how we choose to see and handle things. From…
By: Greg McMullen on September 24, 2023
Identity Fukuyama shares with us the problem with identifying only with those like us or in Christian vocabulary like minded. Fukuyama reminds us of the importance of sharing national beliefs, and a need to find a way to have an identity that supports our democracy instead of undermining it.[1] Francis Fukuyama is an internationally recognized…
By: Jana Dluehosh on September 15, 2023
I’m not sure I am drawn to Nelson Mandela’s model of leadership because I am about to embark on Advance number 2 which brings up memories of South Africa, or if it’s because I really appreciate his style. I am drawn to consensual leadership as mentioned in Simon Walker’s book Leading with Nothing to Lose,…
By: Chad McSwain on September 15, 2023
“So, who sets the vision for this church? You or the congregation?” I was sitting with a prospective member when this question came up. It was the question that he really wanted to ask me. Just moments before, I had heard a story about how this person held a leadership position at their previous church…
