By: Debbie Owen on April 10, 2025
The story of Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewie captivated me as a child. Back when the only way to rewatch a movie was to return to the theater, I saw each of the original Star Wars films three times. I was especially drawn to Luke’s story—how he grew up quickly, faced his deepest fears with…
By: Graham English on April 10, 2025
During the March 31st Zoom chat, Dr. Clark introduced us to Bloom’s Taxonomy. Bloom’s Taxonomy is a cognitive hierarchy that begins with memorization and sequentially advances through six steps toward creating something new based on what has been previously learned.[1] I will summarize Jordan Peterson’s Maps of Meaning using Bloom’s Taxonomy. Remembering: recognizing and recalling…
By: Christy on April 9, 2025
Officially, Dr. Jordan Peterson is a psychologist, author, podcaster, online educator, and Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto. Unofficially, fans consider Peterson one of the greatest modern philosophers, although others would disagree, saying he has never claimed to be a philosopher. [1] Regardless, many would agree that Jordan Peterson is one of the most…
By: Diane Tuttle on April 9, 2025
When I first started reading Maps of Meaning, The Architecture of Belief by Dr. Jordan Peterson, I was overwhelmed with the density of the book. It was difficult to see where one topic ended and another began. I knew this book would require more than a quick read and I am glad that my decision…
By: Kari on April 9, 2025
I walked into the doctor’s office. A crowd of people was swarming the reception desk. I tried to stand in line, but people kept crowding around me. I tried to keep my place in line, but it was hard. In situations like this, when I am frustrated by the apparent chaos and disorder surrounding me,…
By: Jennifer Eckert on April 9, 2025
During Dr. Jordan Peterson’s recent U.S. tour, he stopped in Oklahoma. Several people I know bought tickets to attend. After it ended, I heard them say, “I have no idea what he just said, but he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about.” Jordan Peterson’s books and podcasts are indeed tough to follow, and…
By: Shela Sullivan on April 8, 2025
Introduction What if the key to becoming a great leader lies not in modern strategies but in ancient stories and the timeless balance between chaos and order? Before reading the book, Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief by Jordan B. Peterson,[1] I first listened to “Maps of Meaning: 01″ a lecture by Peterson on…
By: Elysse Burns on April 8, 2025
In a letter to his father, Jordan Peterson describes the book he was writing—later published as Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief—as “an attempt to explain the psychological significance of history—to explain the meaning of history.”[1] He elaborates on the core discoveries behind his work: most cultures record history mythologically, focusing on the psychological…
By: Ryan Thorson on April 8, 2025
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”[1] I have heard of Peterson and watched soundbites of him interviewed and interacting with others, but never sat down and read through some of his…
By: Glyn Barrett on April 8, 2025
I wish I had read this book before lunch with Dr Peterson last year. I was just as surprised as anyone else when I was invited to meet him in Sweden. The contact came through a friend. With 48 hours’ notice, I changed my plans and flew to Sweden to have lunch with Dr Peterson,…
By: Jeff Styer on April 7, 2025
Last spring we read The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. In this book, Campbell presents the idea of the monomyth, when examined the myths of different cultures are all essentially the same including the multi-stage journey that every hero takes.[1] Another book read was Matthew Petrusek’s Evangelization and Ideology. Petrusek discusses the…
By: Chad Warren on April 3, 2025
In the film Inception, Dom Cobb warns, “What is the most resilient parasite?… An idea. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain, it’s almost impossible to eradicate.” The film explores how hidden thoughts shape reality, often without people realizing it. This premise mirrors a real-world truth: Much of our thinking is shaped by…
By: Diane Tuttle on April 3, 2025
Sway, Unravelling unconscious bias, by behavioral scientist, Dr. Pragya Agarwal, brings awareness to biases that exist and the discriminatory behavior that results from them. Specifically, she wanted to know why unconscious biases occur and how they are manifested within individuals[1]. Many implicit biases are based on who is part of the in-group and out-group. Using…
By: Daren Jaime on April 3, 2025
It was early on a Sunday morning. I was arriving at church, and upon entering, I greeted several of our leaders in the sanctuary who were preparing for worship. I was approached by a couple who had recently joined our congregation. They were prominent members in our community. The husband a public figure whose status…
By: Debbie Owen on April 3, 2025
I’ve been trying to understand it all. How can people who profess to follow Jesus have such completely different perspectives on the answers to the questions, “Who is my neighbor?” and “Am I my brother’s keeper?” And if those of us who follow Jesus say we want to become more like Him in all our…
By: Julie O'Hara on April 3, 2025
I am putting all my cards up front. Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias by Pragya Agarwal was a depressing read for me. Dr. Agarwal is a behavioral and data scientist who writes and speaks about the impacts of unconscious bias in numerous arenas and specializes in gender. Although the book covered other topics, I chose to…
By: Christy on April 3, 2025
“We need one person in your table group to facilitate the conversation and one person to take notes,” instructed the leader of a working group. I sat at a table of a dozen men as the only female, and several eyes came towards me. Finally, one of them said, “Christy, do you mind taking notes…
By: Kari on April 3, 2025
“The woman at the bank would not let us make the transaction because she was Arab. The lady who usually works at the bank is black and always permits me to complete this transaction.” Sadly, in my host country, there is often open discord and discrimination between light-skinned Arabs and dark-skinned African ethnicities. In an…
By: Graham English on April 3, 2025
In my denomination, both egalitarian and complementarian views regarding women in eldership coexist. Each local church is tasked with determining its stance and practice through a structured process. This position has proven to be difficult, as it represents one of the more contentious issues our denomination has faced. The church I pastored had decided many…
By: Joel Zantingh on April 3, 2025
Pragya Agarwal’s book Sway: Unravelling Unconscious Bias reminded me of the time a few years ago when I took the Implicit Association Test (IAT) from Harvard’s Project Implicit. With my conviction that all people are created in the image of God and are equally worthy of love and life, I thought I would achieve neutrality.…
