By: Elysse Burns on October 31, 2024
Uninspired. If I were to choose a word to describe the past few weeks for myself, this would be it. I am afraid of this word. I’m not too fond of the feeling. Perhaps this is why I chose Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making. This book,…
By: Joel Zantingh on October 31, 2024
Don’t be confused by David Ehrlichman’s direct title, Impact Networks: Create connection, Spark Collaboration, and Catalyze Systemic Change. Behind this simple and straightforward framework for network leadership are a leadership mindset and a set of behaviours that can attend to the complexity of our world. Ehrlichman wastes no time to express, Across the globe, we…
By: Jennifer Eckert on October 30, 2024
Background People have divided themselves and others into groups for millennia. Ancient tribal and clan structures allowed families to share resources and protect one another from harm. As knowledge of agricultural practices took root, nomadic lifestyles were replaced with settlements. Social hierarchies formed organically and were based on wealth, land ownership, and labor. A major…
By: Jennifer Vernam on October 30, 2024
It is hard to challenge the tribe in which you have been raised and built your career. Doing so without whitewashing your own contribution to the dysfunction requires hard deconstructive work. Take, for example, Russell Moore’s critical self-assessment when reviewing the Southern Baptist Convention’s policies regarding Women’s leading in the Church: “A new generation of…
By: Graham English on October 30, 2024
Our peer, Glyn Barrett, shared in our syntopical Zoom chat that his father told him that the three greatest temptations for a pastor were, “gold, girls and glory.” All of these temptations are related to the issue at hand in the book I chose for my reading this week, “Reckoning With Power: Why The Church…
By: Adam Cheney on October 29, 2024
Over the weekend I hosted my workshop as I continue work on my project and my NPO. The problem I am working on is the lack of welcoming hospitality offered by Evangelical Christians to Somali Muslims. Thanks to Bebbington I have a better descriptor now for Evangelicals. I presented the group with a word picture…
By: Russell Chun on October 29, 2024
Part 1: Introduction Russell Moore in Losing OurReligion: An Altar Call in Evangelical America [1] has sparked active discussion in our class. Pastors from different denominations have waded in and grabbed Moore’s book to evaluate and critique themselves and the churches in this highly politicized presidential year. Part 2: What my peers are saying.…
By: Scott Dickie on October 28, 2024
I think I’d like Russell Moore if we hung out. Although he’s theologically conservative (some of which I appreciate and some of which I’d respectfully disagree with), he seems to land closer to the ‘middle’ in his expression of faith—drawing critique from the progressives and criticism from the conservatives—which I appreciate. His book, Losing our…
By: Glyn Barrett on October 28, 2024
Mark Sayer’s book, A Non-Anxious Presence, [1] is simply brilliant. Has there ever been a more applicable book that speaks to the zeitgeist of a time? 1 Chronicles 12:32 speaks of the men of Issachar who understood the times and knew what to do. Sayers would fit well into the description of those men. Sayers…
By: Jeff Styer on October 28, 2024
The book I read was called Estranged Pioneers: Race, Faith and Leadership in a Diverse World.[1] In this post, I am going to talk about this book in relation to Brett Fuller and then focus on an impactful quote from the book. My brother-in-law read this book this past summer as he may soon be…
By: Pam Lau on October 28, 2024
“Facts in isolation are false . . . A fact is true in the absolute sense only in association with all facts.” -Wendell Berry[1] The Japanese railway system is regarded as one of the best in the world. If you ever find yourself riding a train in Tokyo, you’ll notice that the conductors have a…
By: Joel Zantingh on October 28, 2024
Karl Polanyi died in 1964 about 100 Kilometres from my home, in Pickering, Canada. He managed to survive two world wars, sickness, difficulties of life as a Jewish member of Hungarian society, migration to England and the USA, all the while bridging the worlds of the elites and the commoners. One of his life’s most…
By: Tim Clark on October 28, 2024
As a teenager and young adult, I was an avid fan of the post-punk/alternative rock genre, and I discovered REM in the mid eighties. I used to blast them in my car on my morning drive to High School, and then again on my drive home. Radio Free Europe. The One I Love. It’s the…
By: Kally Elliott on October 28, 2024
I never imagined I’d find so much common ground with a Southern Baptist—okay, a former Southern Baptist – but when I read Russell Moore’s book, Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, I not only found myself rabidly turning page after page but saying, out loud, “Yes!” and “Preach!” and again, “YES!” If…
By: Noel Liemam on October 27, 2024
As I read and try to understand concepts from Polanyi’s book, “The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origin of Our Time” I am convinced that it is a good reference, but my issue was that it will take more time to really read and understand it and to get relevant takeaway that can be…
By: Jana Dluehosh on October 24, 2024
Hospice faces a cruel reality in this country; it makes money. As we have discussed throughout our studies, money is power. An article noted that “As it turns out, not even hospice care is immune to private equity’s takeover of just about everything. One study found that the number of US hospices owned by private equity…
By: Chad Warren on October 24, 2024
The history of the United States is steeped in the concept of rugged individualism, a defining trait that has shaped the nation’s identity and culture. From the early settlers who navigated the unknown waters of the New World to the industrial leaders who built empires in the bustling cities of the 19th century, the American…
By: Christy on October 24, 2024
Presidential candidates vice president Harris and former president Trump are debating school choice, among many topics. While the overall topic is quite complex with multiple layers of debate, one item of discussion is if tax credits should be given to families with homeschooled students or students attending private schools. In general, Harris opposes using taxpayer…
By: Julie O'Hara on October 24, 2024
This week I did my best to read Karl Polyani’s The Great Transformation written 80 years ago to elucidate economic and social changes in Europe as it became an industrialized society. The book focused on the rise of market liberalism and the author’s belief that it was neither sustainable nor healthy. The key concept of…
By: Daren Jaime on October 24, 2024
Mama said there would be days like this. This is a saying my mother said when your normal flow is distracted by something that takes you aback or off course. Such is the case in this week’s reading on The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi. I exhausted huge mental and emotional capacity, with frustration and…
