By: Travis Vaughn on October 16, 2023
In The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber described the capitalism of today – a “today” in which Weber wrestled with the subject shortly after the turn of the 20th century – as “an immense cosmos into which the individual is born,” inevitably forcing someone, “in so far as he is involved…
By: John Fehlen on October 16, 2023
My copy of Max Weber’s book has a blurb on the back cover. It says “First published in 1905, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” is listed by the International Sociological Association as the fourth most important book of the 20th century.” Personally, if this is true, then I would hate to read…
By: Dinka Utomo on October 13, 2023
The inner self is the basis of human dignity, moreover the inner sense of dignity needs recognition -Francis Fukuyama- Identity politics seems to be a scourge in our national and state life. I still clearly remember the moment of the Governor’s election for our nation’s capital in 2017. Of the three pairs of candidates…
By: John Fehlen on October 13, 2023
Before sunrise on May 16, 2023 I boarded an Alaska Airlines flight from Portland (PDX) to San Francisco (SFO). I got on a return flight later that evening. I only needed to be in San Francisco for approximately 2 hours, but decided to make “a day of it.” I had a singular meeting at 2…
By: Jana Dluehosh on October 13, 2023
“We are the medicine”. This was a quote from a physician at the beginning of my study as an Anam Cara apprentice. Anam Cara is a celtic phrase that means “soul friend”, basically a midwife of the soul. This physician spoke to us on the importance of this phrase, “we are the medicine” as a…
By: Adam Harris on October 12, 2023
During last week’s discussion I mentioned the natural temptation to categorize people into groups. I continually caught myself trying to pin down Francis Fukuyama’s political affiliation in his book Identity with little success. While reading I would think, he must be a democrat…well… maybe he is a republican…. libertarian? People who can critique and call…
By: Todd E Henley on October 12, 2023
The spring of 1978 my 6th grade class was preparing for graduation by rehearsing the song, “The Greatest Love of All”1 Every time we sang it, there was one line we nearly screamed at the top of our lungs, “No matter what they take from me. They can’t take away my dignity” This was because…
By: Mathieu Yuill on October 12, 2023
In my city, the stark divisions between neighborhoods are more than just geographical boundaries; they are metaphorical objects that separate communities with contrasting realities. These divisions are often represented by elements such as train tracks, specific streets, or even a park, and they bring to light severe income disparities and, at times, ethno-racial differences. It’s…
By: Russell Chun on October 11, 2023
אין שלום במזרח התיכון – No Peace in the Middle East – Hebrew Introduction – The End of History, Identity Part 1 – We the people, Chapter 12 Part 2 – Russian and Ukrainian Identity Part 3 – The End of the Story, Just War, The Spirit in Ukraine Moves Introduction The End of…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on October 11, 2023
Identity is defined as “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual”(1) I read it a couple of times so that I could let it sink in. I then tried to find a single, only one, distinguishing character that makes me ‘me”! I could not. I am so many things, a beautiful and complex combination…
By: Pam Lau on October 11, 2023
“It’s not what we see that should upset us, but the large things we cannot see that should concern us.”[1] These words were spoken by Dr. Martyn Percy during his first few minutes with us at Oxford University on Saturday morning. As I wrote these words in my journal, a forgotten memory slowly emerged. Just a…
By: Cathy Glei on October 10, 2023
Each year, when our school district returns from summer vacation the staff are presented with a new inspirational focus, or buzz word, to frame our collaborative work. It is a method for framing our thinking around our collective mission and pursuits. This year, when we returned to begin the 2023-24 school year, we were presented…
By: Kim Sanford on October 9, 2023
“If we do not agree on a minimal common culture, we cannot cooperate on shared tasks and will not regard the same institutions as legitimate; indeed, we will not even be able to communicate with one another absent a common language with mutually understood meanings.” [1] In his book Identity: The Demand for Dignity and…
By: Tim Clark on October 9, 2023
In 1989 the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama famously announced the soon-coming conclusion of history in his essay titled “The End of History?”, and this idea picked-up steam with his 1992 book “The End of History and the Last Man.” By the ‘end of history’, Fukuyama meant that due to the increasing ubiquity of liberal…
By: Kally Elliott on October 9, 2023
Murray Bowen’s Family System Theory tells us that when a change is made in one part of a system a compensatory change in another part of the system will follow. [1] The Family System Theory can be applied to non-family groups such as businesses, organizations, communities and large societies.[2] This week we read, Francis Fukuyama’s…
By: Jenny Dooley on October 9, 2023
Since returning to the United States in 2014, I have been confused by the political and social climate. The reverse culture shock of returning home where everyone is clamoring to be heard, no one is listening, and sides must be taken has been difficult to navigate. After decades of embracing collectivistic cultures in which the…
By: Esther Edwards on October 9, 2023
Our little German community, nestled in the rural countryside of the Garden State of New Jersey, was a haven of community and faith. The German culture was alive and well as we enjoyed German food (meat and potatoes were a staple!), weekly German church gatherings, conversations of adults regarding “the good old days” in Germany,…
By: Jennifer Vernam on October 9, 2023
I am surprised at how cathartic the topics of the last two weeks have been for me. As we read Bebbington and Clark’s thoughts on Evangelicalism and its impacts on society as well as Fukuyama’s analysis of our move towards a more identity-obsessed culture, I am finding myself better able to articulate what had been…
By: Travis Vaughn on October 9, 2023
Asking “Who am I?” How long have individuals asked the “Who am I, really?”[1] question? According to Frances Fukuyama, this question came about as Europe modernized, moving away from an agrarian way of life, where “one’s entire life (was) lived in the same small village with a limited circle of friends and neighbors; one’s religion…
By: Mathieu Yuill on October 9, 2023
Recently, the pastor at our church, along with a pastor from another church began discussing amalgamating the two churches. I actually learned of this while we were on our Oxford advance and as I have learned more, I made the decision to view this through the lens of both David Bebbigton’s, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain,…
