By: Becky Stanley on February 10, 2014
A recent trend among Indian Christian brides in India, much to my dislike, is the preference for the western wedding gown replacing the elegant ethnic wear. While on the surface the issue seems trivial and can be argued as a matter of personal choice, I believe that several other trends pertaining to the nuances between…
By: Mark Steele on February 8, 2014
Mark Noll’s book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind caused fervor of controversy amongst Evangelicals when he said in his opening sentence “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind (3).” He goes on to say that he is a wounded lover of the mind and the…
By: Sam Stephens on February 8, 2014
Mark Noll’s book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind and a sequel titled Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind traces the decline of intellectualism in the Evangelical world of the United States and how a deep commitment to Jesus Christ must drive the Church to embrace intellectual exercises rather than withdrawa from it.…
By: Richard Rhoads on February 8, 2014
It was a cold raining night in the ER. I had just worked two back to back shifts at the trauma center and was entering into a third. On top of an exhaustive day, it was full moon. Now before you say anything, nights at the hospital in which the moon was also full, were…
By: Sharenda Roam on February 6, 2014
Mind Your Mind Because Your Mind will Mind You! (care for) (obey) When did Evangelicals stop using their minds? How does one approach the aspects of Jesus Christ using an intellectual approach? These are two of the main questions Mark Noll asks in his books Scandal of the Evangelical Mind and Jesus Christ and the…
By: Sandy Bils on February 6, 2014
Since last summer I have the chance to teach a church planting course called “Fresh-X Der Kurs”, which is a training course to coach and support ordained and lay leaders when founding communities and planting churches. The course concepts follows the model of the so-called Mission Shaped Ministry courses, designed by the Fresh-Expressions movement of…
By: Fred Fay on February 6, 2014
Chelsie came to our church about two years ago. She came only to accompany her husband who had recently rededicated his life to Christ. She knew nothing of the Bible, had a few encounters with Christianity which she did not understand and was very cautious about people who call themselves Christians. She has a bright…
By: Garrick Roegner on February 6, 2014
Signs of Life It is hard to believe that Mark Noll’s groundbreaking shaming of evangelical culture, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, is now 10 years old. I first read it in 2000 at Dallas Theological and for many of my professors and classmates it was a clarion call. To be clear, Noll was not…
By: Chris Ellis on February 6, 2014
In the opening pages of Mark Noll’s, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, he writes, “The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind” (3). Noll traces what happened to the evangelical mind through Luther to Calvin, to the Puritans, to C.S. Lewis and through the fundamentalist movement. …
By: Phil Smart on February 6, 2014
Those of us who live in Grand Rapids are fortunate. Many of the major religious publishing houses are located here. My daughter Lindsey, a journalism major, has been applying to the various publishers. The feeling she received from Zondervan Books was that they exist to sell. Money is the bottom line, so they prefer light…
By: Phil Smart on February 6, 2014
Christians love to think that the sky is falling or that the end is near. Every generation has their own doomsday calculations from the Bible about the end of times. This has become a favorite pastime and illustrates what Mark Noll says in Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind – “evangelicals treat the…
By: David Toth on February 5, 2014
Just last night, February 4, Ken Ham (the creationist guy) and Bill Nye (the science guy), faced off in a debate at the creation museum in Hebron, Kentucky that was streamed over the internet. The debate question was, “Is the creationist view of origins a viable view?” My guess is that the debate did not…
By: Richard Rhoads on February 1, 2014
I was 21, wet behind the ears and serving in my first youth ministry. Not long into my tenure I met a young man by the name of Ian. Ian had just turned 16 and was moving from the Jr. High into the Senior High ministry. Now, for years I had heard stories about Ian,…
By: Sam Stephens on February 1, 2014
The Social Animal: Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement by David Brooks according to the author himself, “is an attempt to integrate science and psychology with sociology, politics, cultural commentary, and the literature of success”. Whether he succeeded in this attempt, it is hard to tell; but he certainly has tried hard and the…
By: Mark Steele on January 31, 2014
I have often been haunted by the idea how to die well. My career is providing housing and services to older adults. I have many senior friends who have finished their careers, who are retired and who continue to pursue their life passions as best as they can. I see them in many stages of…
By: Garrick Roegner on January 31, 2014
David Brooks socio-psychological study, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement, while full of holes and inconsistencies overlaying a political agenda, does very much get to the heart of how human’s develop, grow, and flourish. His central thesis is that our emotional subconscious is very much a key leader in how…
By: Fred Fay on January 30, 2014
Imagine this; an irate parent comes to church complaining about his untrustworthy son to a staff member. The parent cannot control the son’s behavior. The youth director feels that this young man is making people feel uncomfortable by inappropriate words and actions. His social interactions have become unacceptable. He is not welcome back to youth…
By: Sandy Bils on January 30, 2014
“Who are we? We are like spiritual Grand Central stations.” (David Brooks, The Social Animal, Kindle Electronic Edition: Location 167) In his book “Social Animal: The hidden sources if love, character, and achievement“, New York times political columnist David Brooks dedicates himself to the question what drives individual behavior and decision making?What is life about? …
By: David Toth on January 30, 2014
It was an uneventful flight over the Atlantic into Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, at least until the landing. I fly a fair amount and have experienced both take offs and landings in inclement weather. This particular early morning in the late fall was foggy, very foggy. I usually choose a window seat so that I am…
By: Phil Smart on January 30, 2014
I normally use a life experience or story to illustrate the meanings and take-a-ways from a theoretical book. But in the case The Social Animal by David Brooks, the book is the story and I have to come away with the theoretical meanings and take-a-ways. Insights and tidbits of stimulating information flowed from every page…
