By: Jonathan Lee on September 16, 2021
The City of God by Saint Augustine is one of his many influential writings that impacted Western philosophy and theology. Even though Augustine’s writings are over 1500 years old, the theology and exegesis still affect every seminary and theologian worldwide. The complex and sensitive issues discussed throughout the book are the same issues that Christians…
By: Kayli Hillebrand on September 15, 2021
Not having entered this doctoral program though the more traditional route of seminary, I was not familiar with Augustine or his works until the readings this week. Philosophy also not being a subject that I would consider comes naturally to me, I found myself overwhelmed by the complexities of his thought at times. For me,…
By: Andy Hale on September 14, 2021
Augustine’s writings hold a powerful influence on the theology and bureaucracy of the Western Church to this day. In his works, City of God and The Two Cities, we can trace the theological influence of his doctrine of original sin, the outline of his Neoplatonic philosophy, and his beliefs about the connection between religion and politics. Ultimately, Augustine…
By: Mary Kamau on September 13, 2021
For those that have worked with me and know how busy I am, it was not easy for them to imagine me in a doctoral program. I generally do not have time to read other books besides the bible. From my enneagram results and a good understanding of my personality, I tend to be impatient,…
By: Elmarie Parker on September 12, 2021
Dr. Clark encouraged me to share some of my reflections as I accompany with my dad in whatever remaining days the Lord may grant us with dad’s presence (this is why I haven’t blogged on this week’s reading). A week ago, Pappy was moved to hospice status. His kidneys are failing. Mom and I had…
By: Eric Basye on September 9, 2021
There were two people that I knew personally in my hometown growing up that were African American. One, a Physicians Assistant, married to a white woman; and the other, a fellow student in my class. Beyond these two individuals, everyone in the small mountain town of Wyoming I called home was white like me. I…
By: Jonathan Lee on September 9, 2021
I enjoyed reading this book. I can’t believe I read through it from beginning to end in one sitting. As I read through this book, I asked myself, ‘Why am I enjoying this book so much?’ One factor might be the author’s clear and organized writing style which allowed me to be more engaged with…
By: Denise Johnson on September 9, 2021
This follower of Jesus would love to wholeheartedly say that I am completely free of all racism, prejudice, bias but I know that would be a denial of the process to being more Christlike. As I reflect on my own journey from innocence to maturity, in relationship to the founding of the United States and…
By: Henry Gwani on September 9, 2021
Broadly speaking, Shame is a critical review of the hypocrisies that have characterized American liberalism since the 1960s and their damaging impact upon minority, particularly black, advancement. Steele argues that at the root of this long-standing and widespread problem is white paternalism, which is a false response to the sins of racism, sexism, militarism, and…
By: Roy Gruber on September 9, 2021
No one denies the palpable political polarization in America today. The questions “how did we get here?” and “how do we move forward well?” present a challenge not as easily understood as the present reality. In “Shame,” Shelby Steele lays the blame of how we got here squarely upon the new liberalism that emerged…
By: Troy Rappold on September 9, 2021
In his book entitled “Shame”, Shelby Steele gives us a conservative viewpoint about white guilt in America, persistent racism, and the failure of liberal ideals to solve these and many others social-economic problems of the past sixty years. Before I read the book, I didn’t know it was written by a conservative–the title made me…
By: Michael Simmons on September 9, 2021
I conducted my analytical reading of Steele on a flight from Portland, Oregon to Knoxville, Tennessee. His words were a primer for reentry into my hometown and back to the narratives and ideology I rarely hear first hand. I appreciate Steele’s historical perspective and the clarity and sarcasm he employs to make his case. I…
By: Nicole Richardson on September 9, 2021
“Unclean! Unclean!”, the leper shouts while walking through a crowd, all the while ringing the bell to announce his passing to those within ear shot. What a compassionate construct for caring for the humanity of the sick. Just kidding. But it is a historical testament about how human beings passive aggressively hold to power through…
By: Andy Hale on September 9, 2021
Raised in Alabaster, Alabama, I spent the first six years of my life in between Selma and Birmingham. These two places that hold great significance in the fight for equal rights for Black Americans; Selma for the second march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in response to Bloody Sunday, hundreds marched from Montgomery in solidarity;…
By: Denise Johnson on September 6, 2021
School, particularly the skills of reading and writing have always been a struggle. Therefore a reflection of my academic journey has to start with a separation between academic skills and learning. While I found myself in pre-college days struggle to keep up, my college days were filled with extra courses to remediate and make up.…
By: Nicole Richardson on September 5, 2021
“Do not be afraid”, the Angels, and well more importantly, Jesus, proclaim over and over. However, I am afraid; I’m afraid of reading too slow, of taking too much time on notes, and writing with an academic voice. I wonder how I have made it this far academically with so many weaknesses. The truth is…
By: Elmarie Parker on September 2, 2021
Our readings for this week have challenged and stretched my understanding of how to read, think, take notes, and write. Being high on the intuitive scale, it is often hard for me to write until I have a sense of inspiration or spark. Outlining my thoughts has always felt cumbersome and lackluster. Several insights from…
By: Troy Rappold on September 2, 2021
Twelve years of primary education, four years of higher education, another four years of seminary education, and now I find myself in the second year of George Fox’s Doctoral program. My ability to read, take notes, and compose critical essays has indeed improved over this trajectory. It’s rewarding to see one’s intellectual growth. Progress is…
By: Jonathan Lee on September 2, 2021
I immigrated to America when I was ten years old from Korea. I still vividly remember the fear and anxiety of learning English as my second language. I think growing up, understanding and learning numbers came much more naturally than language arts. I read a lot in Korean when I was young before I moved…
By: Roy Gruber on September 2, 2021
My educational journey to this point included plenty of expectations regarding reading, taking notes, and writing essays. Reading always came easy to me, but I enjoyed reading what I liked while complying with what was assigned in school. From elementary school through high school, good memory recall allowed me to read posted material quickly and…
