By: Rich on February 12, 2025
James Madison wrote about the dangers of faction—a group passionately united for one cause at the expense of the rights of other citizens—and the ability for the Union to control this threat.[1] Madison felt that the size of the nation would prohibit widespread faction. “The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their…
By: Jess Bashioum on February 12, 2025
An article pops up in my NEWS feed about the ails of AI or I overhear concerned parents talking about how to limit their child’s phone use and it takes everything in me to not roll my eyes. I have a visceral overreaction that causes me to snark under my breath, “this technology is here…
By: Ryan Thorson on February 12, 2025
I can remember playing “The Oregon Trail game” from a very early age. Growing up in the Northwest of America, we could travel to places where the ruts were still visible from the thousands of people who came west looking for land and opportunity. While I knew that there were Native Americans here, my young…
By: Joff Williams on February 12, 2025
After reading through this past week’s material, I wonder what it means to have a ‘digital community’–something many have now accepted as a given reality for those interacting online for work and play. Do these words overlap sufficiently to be relevant to one another, or are they too different? What are the costs and benefits…
By: Jennifer Eckert on February 12, 2025
Thoughts on Colonialism I was born and raised in Oklahoma, otherwise known as “No Man’s Land.” However, that label was a misnomer because American Indians lived upon this rich soil for centuries before white settlers arrived in the early 1800s. Even more settlers came during the 1830s when the Trail of Tears occurred, which forced…
By: Shela Sullivan on February 11, 2025
Introduction The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight for Its History, by Frank Furedi argues that there’s a growing trend to criticize and discredit Western history and culture.[1] Furedi believes that this trend, driven by modern political agendas, is harmful because it makes people, especially young people, feel ashamed of their history…
By: Debbie Owen on February 11, 2025
Before reading The War Against the Past by Frank Furedi, my understanding of colonialism was a mix of personal experience and general knowledge. On the one hand, I had an overwhelmingly positive experience of participating in historical reenactments with my family. For about ten years, while our children grew up, our family was involved in…
By: Glyn Barrett on February 11, 2025
In “The War Against the Past: Why the West Must Fight for Its History,”[1] Frank Furedi, Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent, examines the contemporary movement to denigrate Western history and its cultural heritage. He contends that this trend, manifesting through actions like toppling statues, decolonising curricula, and altering language, seeks to…
By: Jeff Styer on February 10, 2025
In this post, I will discuss my beliefs about Colonialism, then reading Frank Furedi’s book discuss how those ideas were upheld and where they were challenged. I will end discussing by looking at an example of how people are “Waring Against the Past.”[1] Previous Knowledge – Colonialism Colonialism—To me it is the practice of a…
By: Adam Cheney on February 10, 2025
Before Reading: Colonialism – the rapid spread of colonies, throughout America but also throughout the world, as demonstrated by England so prevalently. America originally had 13 colonies (which became states) in which the settlers pushed out the Indigenous peoples who were already residing along the East Coast. Currently, we see colonialism throughout the Holy Land…
By: Christy on February 10, 2025
In 2024, I visited an island in Indonesia to visit a few communities that are engaging in oral Bible translation that is supported by my organization. Indonesia has the world’s largest population of Muslims, with Statista reporting 241 million as of 2022, beating out Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. [1] But this island is an exception,…
By: Noel Liemam on February 9, 2025
Introduction “Rethinking Leadership,” by Dr. Annabel Bereel. The title makes me wonder and ask myself, is there something wrong, or missing from what we have been learning about leadership? Or this is an exhortation to leaders to take their leadership role seriously. It makes me curios about where she was coming from and what she…
By: Joel Zantingh on February 8, 2025
I remember how startled I was when I first heard my grandparents casually blurt out phrases that were ‘out of step’ with my current views on topics (think racism). I was just coming to that age where I understood that different generations bring different perspectives on the world, and that we are collection of generations,…
By: Joff Williams on February 7, 2025
In Mercy Ships, all long-term crew assent to the statement of faith (The Apostles’ Creed), but short-term crew are not required to. Consequently, short-term crew are a mix of backgrounds, including committed, mature Christians and those with no personal commitment to the Christian faith but willing to live by the organization’s Code of Conduct, which…
By: Linda Mendez on February 7, 2025
Aaron Rodgers is an NFL quarterback regarded by some as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He started his professional career with the Green Bay Packers, where he played for 18 faithful seasons, only to be traded to the NY Jets in 2023. During his first season with the Jets, Rodgers injured his…
By: Ivan Ostrovsky on February 6, 2025
We were in Oregon when three of my friends came up with a wild idea: to hike three ten-thousand-foot mountains in a single day! Maybe it’s not crazy, but it’s downright foolish. Pressured by the fear of missing out, I decided to join them on this journey. Joseph Campbell, in his book *The Hero with…
By: Kari on February 6, 2025
Rethinking Leadership offers a refreshing perspective. The leadership crisis during the COVID pandemic serves as a catalyst for this book. The pandemic illustrates the central thesis: older leadership models must be replaced with new approaches that are relevant today. The book explores outdated leadership models and explains why they are ineffective. It introduces various new…
By: Jess Bashioum on February 6, 2025
Talab spent most of her days waking before dawn, leading her quibens through her beautiful land to eat, drink and exercise. At the end of the day, she climbed the hill to watch the sunset before she would herd her quibens back into the safe walls of the pen. Quibens gave her people meat, milk…
By: Daren Jaime on February 6, 2025
As I am reminiscent of some of our initial time as a cohort, I can remember hearing how vast leadership was. We were later told that thousands of books on leadership are released annually as many attempt to lay expert claims on leadership. I can recall stumbling and bumbling, trying to articulate the proper definition…
By: Michael Hansen on February 6, 2025
As a 10-year-old, I loved reading Tolkien’s works and the adventures in The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was mesmerized by the stories of the mythological creatures in Middle Earth and amazed at how the heroes of the stories presented themselves in the small, unassuming figure of a Hobbit. In The…
