By: Julie Dodge on February 28, 2014
“Out of the crooked timber of humanity nothing straight was ever made.” (Immanuel Kant)[i] As an undergraduate I took a course in psychological theory in which we were encouraged to consider each major theory and ask critical questions about their theological basis (if any). One of the exercises that stood out to me was a…
By: Ashley Goad on February 28, 2014
When someone says counterculture, I tend to think of the yogurt shop down the street that markets healthy frozen cups of goodness. There is also CounterCulture Coffee and endless CounterCulture vegan and vegetarian restaurants. What is this word “counterculture?” Miriam Webster defines counterculture as, “a culture with values and customs that are very different from…
By: Bill Dobrenen on February 28, 2014
This might age me, but I have always loved the music of Peter, Paul, and Mary. Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers began performing together in Grenache Village in the early 1960’s. Their music was traditional American Folk, and they popularized such songs as Lemon Tree, 500 Miles, and Puff the Magic Dragon. …
By: Richard Volzke on February 28, 2014
Heath and Potter’s book, Nations of Rebels, reminded me just how consumer oriented that I am. I’m a typical American that unfortunately allows manufacturers marketing to influence how and what I buy. Reading this book and answering the questions that the authors asked allowed me to see just how much branding and marketing influences the…
By: Deve Persad on February 27, 2014
For almost three years we have been a one car (notice that it starts with “C”) family. This past year my son obtained his driver’s license. As a result we needed to purchase another vehicle. We did so, gladly, even willingly. Research was done, test drives were done, we even waited for a sale and…
By: Miriam Mendez on February 22, 2014
My copy of the book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is almost all marked with yellow highlighter. And almost every three or four pages has post-it tags sticking out of the pages. There is a reason why my book is marked in this manner. Is it because: (a) the yellow markings are…
By: Michael Badriaki on February 22, 2014
Weber’s book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, was intriguing as another foundational and classical resource of understanding how modern western society might have gotten to where it’s at today. History seems replete with evidence of the West’s influence on religion and market economics. Polanyi corroborates the fact that the modern “market society…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on February 22, 2014
The work of frontier missions is the work of bringing the Gospel to a people who have not yet heard, nor have had any ability to hear, for there is no culturally identifiable Christian witness among that people group. In this work of frontier missions we look for the wonderful effects of the Gospel…
By: John Woodward on February 21, 2014
The underlying theme in Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is that capitalism needed a new ethic. The very nature of capitalism to the pre-modern Christian mind was irrational—“where a man exists for the sake of his own business, instead of the reserve”[i] – and “incomprehensible and mysterious, so unworthy and…
By: Liz Linssen on February 21, 2014
“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” (2 Thess. 3:10) Weber takes the reader on a journey to understanding the strength of the connection between the drive of religious asceticism (within Calvinism, Pietism, Methodism and Baptist denominations), labour, and the rise of the spirit of capitalism over the last four centuries in…
By: rhbaker275 on February 21, 2014
There is an advertisement running currently by the venture capital branch of a large banking firm. The ad sequence follows an obviously entrepreneurial type person through several scenes of a busy workplace environment. Each scene depicts organized activity, unified effort, and the rapid transition through several scenes creates a sense of the purpose, growth, and…
By: Carol McLaughlin on February 21, 2014
Written more than one hundred years ago, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism requires the context and perspective of its translator, Talcott Parsons, even if that translation took place more than fifty years prior! I am realizing that to adequately translate material, whether it is from German to English or from modern to…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on February 21, 2014
One of the things my ministry in partnership with the local churches in Ethiopia has been doing over the years is training local evangelists, church leaders, and young people in the church to become self-supported ministers. My ministry adapted the concept of “tentmaking initiatives” based on the apostle Paul’s mission strategy. Our tentmaking strategy benefits…
By: Julie Dodge on February 21, 2014
Once upon a time, a long time ago, a child misbehaved. The exact misbehavior is long forgotten. But at bedtime, as his mother tucked him into bed, she told him to be careful. If he was not good tomorrow, the bogeyman might come and steal the child away. Perhaps in a sack. Perhaps on a…
By: Bill Dobrenen on February 21, 2014
I have some pet peeves; we all do. Two of mine came up in this week’s reading. These pet peeves are related to the words “blessing” and “calling.” In my present understanding, these words are often misunderstood, particularly in Christian circles. Sometimes I sneeze. Sometimes I sneeze several times in a row. In the American…
By: Richard Volzke on February 21, 2014
I appreciate that Weber’s book, The Protestant ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, approaches capitalism from a Christian perspective. The focus of the creation of capitalism was a basic cornerstone for human rights. Weber points out that capitalism is not from the age of Enlightenment, which took place in the 1800s, but from the “Puritan…
By: Stefania Tarasut on February 20, 2014
Why are we so afraid of context? Why are we so uncomfortable with contextual theology? Why do we assume that if something is contextual it is also weak and unbiblical? Why do we contextualize some things… and refuse to contextualize others… like it’s ok to contextualize stoning in the Bible, but not women’s role in…
By: Stefania Tarasut on February 20, 2014
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism By: Max Weber Nothing just begins, but every “new thing” has its roots into yesterday and tomorrow’s “new things” begin today. The spirit of capitalism was born the moment Adam and Eve were escorted out of the Garden of Eden. This spirit was not born with the…
By: Deve Persad on February 20, 2014
I greatly dislike ordering a pop or soda from a restaurant. (I refrain from using the word “hate” because good Christian people might be reading this, but I lean strongly in that direction). Certainly the cost is a factor, and in the infrequent times that I do eat outside of our home, I tend to…
By: Ashley Goad on February 20, 2014
Tuesday, two colleagues and I sat together in a hotel room in St. Petersburg, Russia to debrief the day. The three of us were struggling as we processed a day full of typical tourist activities – perusing The Hermitage Museum, visiting the Fortress of St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, shopping for souvenirs, enjoying a dinner…
