By: Kayli Hillebrand on April 6, 2022
Daniel Nettle’s Personality focuses on the psychology behind personality and focuses primarily on what is known as the five-factor model of personality, or ‘the big five.’ In this book, Nettles attempts to explore “how we measure personality, what the measures mean, what they predict, and why personality variations exist in the first place.”[1] He describes…
By: Andy Hale on April 6, 2022
What makes us human? What makes us tick? Why do we do the things that we do? What has shaped and formed us? These are just some of the existential questions that many of us have probably thought about over the course of our lives, certainly after a challenging interaction with a difficult person. “Human personalities…
By: Eric Basye on April 6, 2022
Daniel Nettle, a professor at Newcastle University, is a behavioral and social scientist and the author of several books. One of his books, Personality: What Makes You the Way You Are, addresses the importance of understanding the science behind personality. Whereas cognitive psychology and the function of the brain have been a focal point of…
By: Mary Kamau on April 4, 2022
Vincent Miller is a North American Catholic theologian, author and the Gurdorf Chair in Catholic Theology at the University of Dayton, USA. Miller is the author of the book “Consuming Religion” in which he tackles the topic of consumerism and expresses his concern that little is covered of this topic in contemporary theology.[1] He provides…
By: Elmarie Parker on March 31, 2022
As I read Vincent J. Miller’s “Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture,” I couldn’t help but think of Spider-Man 3 and the identity struggle that ensues when Peter Parker’s Spider Man bonds with the Symbiote.[1] Perhaps this connection was also encouraged as I read Jason Clark’s engagement with Miller’s central thesis.[2]…
By: Henry Gwani on March 31, 2022
This week’s study focuses on two important works: Vincent Miller’s 2008 book, Consuming Religion: Religious Belief and Practice in a Consumer Culture, and Jason Clark’s 2018 thesis, Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogenesis in the Relationship. I was unable to access Consuming Religion as it is only available in print; and,…
By: Nicole Richardson on March 31, 2022
“I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.”[1] Lloyd…
By: Jonathan Lee on March 31, 2022
Consuming Religion, written by Vincent Miller, discusses and explores how consumer culture impacts our religious life and perspectives. He presents the idea of “commodification of culture” to argue “how consumer culture changes our relationship with religious beliefs, narratives, and symbols.”[1] This book deals with psychology and economy to argue that religious items have been abstracted…
By: Roy Gruber on March 31, 2022
I do not think I will ever view a cut of chicken at the grocery store the same way again. Beyond the price, the process of that product’s journey to the shelf did not occur to me. As someone born and raised in a consumer culture, consumption comes as naturally as breathing. Vincent Miller…
By: Troy Rappold on March 31, 2022
In Vincent Miller’s 2008 book, “Consuming Religion” a critical distinction is made in the beginning of the introduction: “This is not a book about religion against consumer culture; it is a book about the fate of religion in consumer culture” (p. 1). There are plenty of books written about the former but this insightful work…
By: Andy Hale on March 31, 2022
Sit down into Doc Brown’s DeLorean or Bill and Ted’s phonebooth to speed back to the 1990s. There you’d find a husky middle school boy, a little insecure about his weight, who wanted nothing more than to dance with Dusty Lawrence, the girl of his dreams, at the school dance. Now, would he ever dance…
By: Kayli Hillebrand on March 30, 2022
This week we explored Consuming Religion by Vincent Miller, focusing on the disconnect between religious belief and practice and the corresponding narrative by Jason Clark’s Evangelicalism and Capitalism. While I could find little about Miller in the way of a biography, he is an academic that is currently at the University of Dayton serving as…
By: Eric Basye on March 30, 2022
Certainly, the purity of true religion and faith could never be distorted by the variants of the dominant culture, or could it? Vincent J. Miller, a professor of Theology at Georgetown University, wrote Consuming Religion to reveal the unavoidable impact consumerism has had among the people and structures of faith. Giving a nod to Bebbington…
By: Mary Kamau on March 20, 2022
Peter Northouse is a Professor of communication in Western Michigan University who is highly esteemed for his work in Leadership studies and communications. Northouse has written the book, Leadership: Theory and Practice, which is both rich in the theory of leadership but also a practical guide on the practice of leadership.[1] Northouse has written on…
By: Henry Gwani on March 20, 2022
Northouse’s excellent analysis of leadership in every generation since Aristotle highlights the critical nature of this subject[1]. Indeed, from the beginning of time, long before Aristotle came on the scene, God demonstrates leadership by initiating creation, modelling character, facilitating change, and influencing many individuals and groups for good. Inspired by God, several individuals continued this…
By: Denise Johnson on March 18, 2022
What is leadership exactly? Are leaders made or born?[1] Is leadership leader centered, follower focused or product driven? Does morality [2] and ethics [3] play are role in how leaders lead? Do men make better leaders than women? [4] If so, is just perspectives or are there actual traits and behaviors [5] that contribute to…
By: Elmarie Parker on March 18, 2022
Peter G. Northouse, professor emeritus of leadership, interpersonal, and organizational communication, wrote “Leadership: Theory and Practice” for students of leadership in the academy and an array of workplaces.[1] His book is classified under Social Sciences as a Sociology text focused on Leadership. But that classification seems too common to describe what Northouse seeks to accomplish…
By: Roy Gruber on March 17, 2022
I must admit: I hate country music. I dislike the sound and find the lyrics sappy and sad. I grew up on Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen. However, I gained much respect for country icon Dolly Parton this last week. She received a nomination for induction into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame and declined it.…
By: Michael Simmons on March 17, 2022
Peter Northouse’s book Leadership: Theory and Practice is what is says, a relatively deep dive into leadership theory and types, while offering real-world approaches and case studies to engage theory at a practical level. In his 7th edition, Northouse also offers assessments throughout his book for deeper reflection and self-awareness. He writes, “At its heart, leadership…
By: Troy Rappold on March 17, 2022
In Peter G. Northouse’s 1997 book, “Leadership: Theory and Practice,” a wide variety of leadership styles are analyzed for their merits. After each style is evaluated, a determination is made on which style is best in particular situations. Each chapter could stand alone, discussing a single leadership style and its best application. It is a…
