By: Kevin Norwood on October 15, 2015
Introduction Who needs theology? I do! I accept the invitation to the study of God. The only problem I have with accepting this invitation is that I am not so sure about the foundation. What is theology? “A revival of sound theological interest and reflection among God’s people.” What is the fear? Christianity may be…
By: Phil Goldsberry on October 15, 2015
Introduction The word “theology” invokes a wide range of emotions and arguments. To some it is a substitution for just “knowing Jesus” for others it is the ability to proof text what you really believe. Stanley Grenz and Roget Olson in their work, “Who Needs Theology?” addresses holistically the true…
By: Pablo Morales on October 15, 2015
Introduction Who needs theology? This question is not only the title of the book I just read, but it is also a personal question that I must answer. Summary Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson eloquently argue that every thinking person is a theologian, but not every theologian has good theology. In order to become a…
By: Aaron Cole on October 15, 2015
Introduction: Who Needs Theology by Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson is a basic overview of what theology is and is not. The essence of the book for me is summed up in two words: theological exploration. Grenz and Olson state: “…they (Christians) would do well to explore the meaning of God and try…
By: Anthony Watkins on October 15, 2015
Who Needs Theology? Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson in their book “Who Needs Theology?” show that there are popular and pervasive misunderstandings of theology. During the years that they taught theology, they recognized some of the students had a hunger for a deeper understanding of God and God’s ways. However, they also discovered that both…
By: Colleen Batchelder on October 15, 2015
Pens tapped and kept time with the endless mantra of the ticking clock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The white walls closed in and the professor stood at full height above the class. “What is your theology?” He waited expectantly – peering into their soul and past their façade. They held their breath and grasped onto…
By: Jason Kennedy on October 15, 2015
Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson open their book with a fundamental question. They state, “Many Christians today not only are uninformed about basic theology, but even seem hostile to it. What has brought about this appalling lack of interest and frequently open hostility to theology among Christian laypeople, students and even pastors (Kindle Loc 27…
By: Aaron Peterson on October 15, 2015
My tribe has a favorite slogan, “Everyone gets to play.” This means, as the priesthood of believers, all are equipped to do the things Jesus does. Who Needs Theology by Grenz and Olson, is not just an introduction to theology, but a combination of a theology primer and manifesto declaring that everybody gets to do…
By: Claire Appiah on October 15, 2015
What kind of theologian are you? Who Needs Theology: An Invitation to the Study of God by Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson Introduction The key theme of the book is that every thinking person is a theologian because universally all thinking people are reflecting on and asking the same ultimate questions about life. Is there…
By: Marc Andresen on October 14, 2015
In one word, that’s the answer to the book title: Who Needs Theology? One could say “everyone” is the answer because the Bible teaches that humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26,27) therefore how can we help but to DO theology? The authors, Stanley Grenze and Roger Olson, state “Our decision to…
By: Rose Anding on October 12, 2015
Are you a theologian? Do you Know God? Introduction If you ask someone, what theology is today and possibly its necessity in individual lives, many would react negatively towards the word. As a matter of fact many will balk at it with negative remarks. The way we think about God defines the way we…
By: Anthony Watkins on October 12, 2015
The book starts out announcing that Social Geography is an inherently ambiguous and eclectic field to research. From the beginning of time as we know it, there has been a social grouping, a social scale. This scale basically separates the “haves” and the “have-nots.” People were labeled based on geographic locations. Although this basic look…
By: Garfield Harvey on October 9, 2015
How do we define a noun? A noun is a person, place or thing. Well, what is a pronoun? Traditionally, a pronoun modifies a noun but according to MerriamWebster’s dictionary, a pronoun is used as a “substitute” for a noun. In reading Valentine’s book, there is a complex issue universal idealism of social geography. Social…
By: Kevin Norwood on October 8, 2015
Introduction Social Geographies: Space and Society by Gill Valentine is a very unique look at geography based on the most basic words in the English vocabulary. Using common words such as body, home, community, institution, street, city, rural and nation. The author defines it this way; “the plural social geographies which emerge here are a…
By: Phil Goldsberry on October 8, 2015
Introduction “Why Can’t We Be Friends”, the funk/reggae song of the early 1970’s asks a question that begs to challenge the notion of social geographies. The song was played in space in 1975 when Soviet Cosmonauts and United States Astronauts were completing a joint space mission. Whether it is Russia to the US or male…
By: Marc Andresen on October 8, 2015
Social Geographies enhance our potential as experts in Leadership and Global Perspectives. We are being led to understand and work in the global community and within the context of our most immediate communities; hence an understanding of the many spaces within which we live and work informs how we study and explore leadership. As Gill…
By: Colleen Batchelder on October 8, 2015
Individuality must be taken into account before proceeding with assumption. Therefore, interaction must seek to understand the individual from a position of equality without the stress of sameness. Valentine proposed, “Individuals and groups have multiple identities, occupying positions along many separate lines of difference at the same time.”[1] When one interacts with those who differ…
By: Pablo Morales on October 8, 2015
Introduction How is our self perception and the way we see and interact with others affected by the spaces we inhabit? And, how are the spaces we inhabit affected by our social perceptions? These are the very questions that professor Gill Valentine sets to explore in her book Social Geographies. Summary Throughout nine well-organized chapters,…
By: Aaron Cole on October 8, 2015
Personal Perspective Shapes Everything The book, Social Geographies by Gill Valentine, is the ideology of how space and society affect each other. Valentine gives researchable data concerning how we as people relate to and interact with each other on a spatial basis. According to Valentine, this connection can exist in “natural” form or from…
By: Jason Kennedy on October 8, 2015
INTRODUCTION The typical book on social formation generally deals with race, gender, socio-economics, health and sexuality. However, Gill Valentine, in her book, takes a unique approach. She does not look at social theory in these distinct categories, rather she focuses on how societies form within a certain space or context. She states her…
