By: Kristin Hamilton on January 12, 2017
In 1982 I committed a mortal sin, according to my 11th grade history teacher. I elected not to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I was sorting through what it means to commit myself completely to Jesus and didn’t feel comfortable with the words of the Pledge. “It is a slap in the face of God!…
By: Stu Cocanougher on January 12, 2017
Growing up as a person of European descent in the United States of America, I was raised from birth to be a patriot. In elementary school, my classmates and I learned stories of Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims, and how George Washington and the armies of the thirteen colonies turned away the evil British redcoats.…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on January 12, 2017
In Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Benedict Anderson seeks to propose a nuanced perspective for how we understand and perceive the origin and spread of nationalism. Anderson does a good job of setting up his argument by walking us through a historical perspective that gives way to the deconstruction of…
By: Mary Walker on January 12, 2017
I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; (John 17:15-17a) “This world is not my home I’m just a passing through; My treasures are…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on January 11, 2017
My 10th grade history teacher, Mr. Housewright’s, words ring in my ears when reading Imagined Communities. When he asked what is capitalism based on that has built our American nation, we would stare blankly back at him. Then dramatically he would write one chalky, white word on the green chalkboard: GREED. This has always been…
By: Jim Sabella on January 11, 2017
Summary In Anderson’s words, “The aim of this book is to offer some tentative suggestions for a more satisfactory interpretation of the ‘anomaly’ of nationalism.” (Anderson, 4) I admit I find his characterization of nationalism as an “anomaly” both intriguing and a bit counter-intuitive. I would suppose that nationalism is a natural outgrowth of being…
By: Lynda Gittens on January 11, 2017
Author Anderson, Imagined Communities …. After reading Anderson’s book addressing “nationalism”, my mind thought of many clichés. I am a Houstonian by birth living in the largest state in the United States of America, Texas. At least we were until Alaska, but who is considering Alaska. We even have the slogan, “everything is big in…
By: Katy Drage Lines on January 11, 2017
Why is it helpful for us to understand the origin and spread of nationalism, I wondered. In Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, Benedict Anderson does an excellent job of presenting his theory on the rise of nationalism, and his pivotal work is essential for any discussion of nationalism. While we…
By: Geoff Lee on January 11, 2017
As Anderson puts it, a nation “is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion”. (p. 6) I consider myself to be British and a part of this…
By: Chip Stapleton on November 17, 2016
The book, The Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, edited by Nohria and Khurana is an encyclopedic text that is dense and daunting. But for those that are willing and able to plumb the contents there is much of value for those of us that seek to be leaders in the church. Of particular interest to me…
By: Geoff Lee on November 17, 2016
This is an anthology of 26 essays which brings together scholars from fields as diverse as psychology, sociology, economics, and history to take stock of what we know about leadership, and to consider areas for future research. The angle of this colloquium is to champion and outline academic research into leadership, as opposed to the…
By: Katy Drage Lines on November 16, 2016
There is a sense in the Handbook of Leadership Theory & Practice, of two not-incompatible leadership definitions. Several chapters (Power and Leadership, Leadership in a Globalized World, etc.) focused on the functional aspects of leaders—what they do, how they perform, and outcomes of their performance. Other authors took a different approach to understanding leaders based…
By: Kristin Hamilton on November 16, 2016
This week I was prepared to read yet another book on how to be a leader. The first line of Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, edited by Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana made it clear that this was not one of THOSE books. “This edited volume has one primary purpose – to…
By: Mary Walker on November 16, 2016
A Leader is an individual who influences others to follow him or her.[1] I was surprised to learn that there is a such a huge perceived lag between the need for good leaders and the research and training available to produce good leaders. “A common lament among executives is that their organizations suffer from a…
By: Stu Cocanougher on November 16, 2016
It is no secret that our world, our communities, and our churches are facing rapid change. Issues related to technology, globalization, immigration, economic instability, and racial unrest all affect the church. The Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study pointed out that adults with no religious affiliation grew from 36.6 million Americans in 2007 up…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on November 15, 2016
Whether or not leaders are born or made is the age-old question. According to research, it appears that although there are some natural abilities that go with making a good leader, like charisma and confidence, leaders are made. They are developed in a variety of ways, through: their personal development, maturity to adulthood, assistance from…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on November 15, 2016
“Leadership for innovation is more about leading from behind than leading from the front. It is about shaping individual and collective experiences to foster innovation rather than about setting direction and mobilizing people to follow“(Kindle, 7530). When you begin to research leadership, there is no shortage of theories, schools of thought and studies. Leadership can…
By: Lynda Gittens on November 15, 2016
Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice by Khurana and Nohria The quarterback on the football team is viewed to be responsible for the game win or loss by the fans. On the field, he knows the gameplays, makes the calls to aid the frontline when to move and receive the ball from the center. He…
By: Jim Sabella on November 15, 2016
Introduction: Editors Nohria and Khurana have put together a voluminous and informative book with the purpose of advancing academic research in the field of leadership. In Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, the authors confirm that there is a lack of solid research on leadership—because, among other things, “leadership is an elusive construct, riddled with…
By: Kristin Hamilton on November 10, 2016
This was the third time in my schooling that I have read, “Who Needs Theology?” by Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson. I love this book. Every time I read it I come away with something fresh about the way I look at “doing theology.” This time was no exception. I always appreciate the…
