DLGP

Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives: Crafting Ministry in an Interconnected World

Tilting at Windmills

By: on September 9, 2024

Tilting at Windmills   Perhaps you are familiar with the story of Don Quixote. Maybe you saw the rendition of Man of La Mancha[1] on Broadway or maybe you were lucky enough to see his image made famous by Pablo Picasso while traveling through Spain. Cervantes novel from the 17th century[2] has had a consistent…

10 responses

What Aesop’s Fables Teach Us About Leadership

By: on September 9, 2024

Throughout this doctoral program, the famous fable about the tortoise and the hare has reminded me to persevere, tackling one assignment at a time, until the day I stand up on that stage and receive my diploma. To be clear, I imagine myself to be the tortoise, not the hare, as I plug along, slowly…

12 responses

John Wesley: Thoughts Upon Slavery

By: on September 8, 2024

The term “slavery” conjures powerful emotions and carries significant historical and ethical weight. Its impact on individuals and societies has been deep and far-reaching. In this post, we’ll delve into John Wesley’s 1774 essay, Thoughts Upon Slavery. Wesley, an Anglican clergyman and co-founder of the Methodist movement, was a staunch advocate for social reform. He…

14 responses

Martyred Leadership

By: on September 8, 2024

Have you ever thought about your own death?  The death rate is 100%. . . all of us are going to die.  My mom died at an early age.  On the night of her death, I slept on the floor by her bed which was strategically placed in the living room so that we could…

12 responses

Genuine Love for a Divided World

By: on September 5, 2024

In the last few days, our country’s mass media and social media have been abuzz with news of Pope Francis’ visit. The visit of Pope Francis the highest leader of the Catholic religion to our country is a unique phenomenon. This is because the number of Catholics in our country is only around 3% of…

10 responses

A Christian President?

By: on September 5, 2024

A Christian for President! Vote! This is the signpost many of my neighbors and family may want to put up or the flag they want to fly during this season of presidential elections.  It leaves me with the question, can you be a Christian President in the United States of America? I grew up in…

5 responses

Opting into Political Witness

By: on September 5, 2024

Last January I listened in a small group while the founding pastor of a US megachurch shared the heartbreak he experienced following his failed attempt to soothe the 2020 election vitriol within his congregation. During that season between the pandemic and the election, he was urged by members of both the right and the left…

14 responses

Liberal Democracy and Confident Pluralism

By: on September 5, 2024

This week as I was reading Jesus and the Powers by N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, I received a notification on my phone from 6abc Philadelphia: “Causalities reported in shooting at Georgia high school, suspect in custody.”1 My first response was, “No, no, no.” Throughout the day, I was glued to my laptop waiting…

9 responses

What Did You Expect?

By: on September 5, 2024

Have you ever noticed that when we Christians speak about things like “the gospel,” “Jesus,” or “the kingdom of God,” it can mean very different things from one person or group to the next? We all seem to have unique ways of explaining what the gospel is, what Jesus cares about, and what the kingdom…

7 responses

Synthesizing Church and State

By: on September 5, 2024

You can feel the frenzy becoming elevated as America braces for yet another Presidential election. Partisan politics have staunchly drawn their lines in the sand, commercials are on repeat, phone and text blasts at nauseum as America will soon select its new leader. Many of the issues remain the same, the economy, abortion, a women’s…

18 responses

“You Got the Part!”

By: on September 5, 2024

My friend got to the cast list before me and blurted out, “You got the part!”  I got the lead role in the upcoming school theatre production.  I got the part I auditioned for but now I was overwhelmed with what that entailed.  Much of the success of the show would be tied to my…

6 responses

Hope of the Cross, Serving for the Kingdom

By: on September 5, 2024

It was a crisp autumn day. The wind was blowing through the trees arching over the street. Premature foliage was scattered across the sidewalks. My sister and I marched up to the next address on our list. A pleasant older lady opened the door and smiled at us. I introduced us as we campaigned for…

15 responses

Build a Sign with these Stones

By: on September 5, 2024

When I reflect on the writers and theologians that have had the most influence in my life, NT Wright quickly comes to the top of the list. His book, “Surprised by Hope”[1] has changed the way I see and work for God’s Kingdom coming on earth as it is in heaven. Needless to say, I…

10 responses

Building for God’s kingdom

By: on September 5, 2024

  Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.[1] I don’t know that God’s kingdom on earth will ever be as it is in heaven. We are not God and humans are sinful. But Jesus taught His follows this…

13 responses

We are confident in our kingdom vocation because…

By: on September 5, 2024

Political theology [1] is a term that might make some Christians bristle or shrink in fear, but N.T. Wright and Michael Bird encourage Christians in Jesus and the Powers to confidently “recover our kingdom vocation” [2] concerning our engagement with the powers. The authors urge Christians to carefully consider political theology as we seek to…

10 responses

A Welcome Signpost

By: on September 4, 2024

Given the overwhelming number of global and national issues we currently face, our reading this week is a welcome signpost guiding the way. In the introduction to Jesus and the Powers, authors N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird noted the powerful objective that undergirds their book. They write, ”… in an age of ascending autocracies,…

12 responses