By: Trisha Welstad on March 16, 2018
I am in the midst of my doctoral field research, interviewing pastors on their definition of discipleship, their methods, and what multiplication looks like in their context. Going into the interviews I tried not to assume or say much, rather my interest is to really glean from their work. After conducting another group conversation today,…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on March 15, 2018
In the book The Social Animal: A Story of How Success Happens, David Brooks uses story to bring understanding to the way in which human progress happens and its relationship to the depths of our inner unconscious mind. Throughout the 22 chapters of his book he intertwines economic, political, social and psychological theories as he…
By: Shawn Hart on March 15, 2018
“I remember some of the anticipation that greeted the announcement of the release of James Davison Hunter’s latest work, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World. Given that evangelicals have for some time now been engrossed in a renewed and often passionate conversation about how to…
By: Jay Forseth on March 15, 2018
Nope. Not much. I did not enjoy the first part of this book! And here’s why…every argument I had for lasting social transformation was shot down, one by one, by our author. It’s as though he was reading my mind ahead of my every proposal. I started out by supporting real change by holding to…
By: Jason Turbeville on March 15, 2018
James Hunter starts his discussion on changing the world speaking on the Christian desire to change hearts and minds. “The essence of culture is found in the hearts and minds of individuals” [1] When I hear these words the first thing that comes to mind is war. It brings to mind a quote from Lyndon B.…
By: Chris Pritchett on March 15, 2018
James Davison Hunter, a faithful Anabaptist, believes that every good idea arises out of friendship. His book, To Change the World, is dedicated to a friendship out of which the book emerged.[1] And friendship, understood as “faithful presence”, is a central component to Hunter’s solution to the Evangelical desire to “change the world.” The subtitle…
By: Dan Kreiss on March 15, 2018
The desire to retain or regain the cultural dominance once held by the Christian church in the US, specifically the white, protestant branches of the church, has been an ongoing struggle. As the mainline churches began to decline in the early 1960’s and significant shifts took place in the culture caused by a variety of…
By: Jennifer Williamson on March 15, 2018
When we moved to Lyon, our vision was to plant a church community in a community to bless the community. To that end, the five of us on the church planting team all moved into the same neighbourhood, intent on finding a location for our church in the vicinity. We immediately began daily prayer meetings…
By: Dave Watermulder on March 15, 2018
I’m starting with the man in the mirror I’m asking him to change his ways And no message could have been any clearer If you want to make the world a better place Take a look at yourself, and then make a change -Man in the Mirror, Michael Jackson In his book To Change…
By: Mark Petersen on March 15, 2018
To set the stage for reading this post, put on your earbuds and begin by clicking this link and streaming content while you read and respond. I apologize in advance for any commercials. ? James Davison Hunter’s monumental book, To Change the World, shifts the territory under which most modern Christianity struggles to pursue its…
By: Lynda Gittens on March 15, 2018
https://embed.ted.com/talks/david_brooks_the_social_animal” width=”854″ height=”480″ style=”position:absolute;left:0;top:0;width:100%;height:100%” frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div> Reading David Brook’s book, The Social Animal, was similar to playing Scrabble. You get so many letter tiles at the beginning of the game and your objective is to create as many words (legitimate) with them. This book gives so many scenarios and your objective is to connect…
By: Katy Drage Lines on March 15, 2018
We are a mystery. A beautiful, complicated mystery. Sociologists, psychologists, economists, marketing analysts, politicians, biologists, educators—all seek to understand, interpret, and respond to the nature of humans.[1] And yet, we quickly come to a place where a person or group responds “irrationally” or out of character from what we would expect. Journalist and commentator David…
By: Mary Walker on March 15, 2018
New York Times columnist David Brooks is known for his Op-Ed pieces on the social sciences, especially psychology. In his book, The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, Brooks establishes the interaction between the conscious and unconscious minds. Brooks synthesized a wealth of social science evidence into one narrative in order…
By: Jim Sabella on March 15, 2018
How does one succeed? Can you be truly happy? Is success in life, based on the skills we learn at a conscious level, those things that we strive to develop, or is success in life somehow rooted in the unconscious, which we often play down or do not find the need to develop? Everyone wrestles…
By: Greg on March 15, 2018
“Can we change the world? Well, who knows? Probably not. But we can perhaps, just perhaps, make it a little better by living godly lives as aliens and strangers in it.”1 says Greg Gilbert as he paraphrases James Hunter’s To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World.…
By: Mike on March 15, 2018
James D. Hunter’s To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World is book that gives Christians hope that their faithful presence can make a difference in a chaotic near end-times world culture. Hunter’s world changing model is not about power, politics, or religion. Instead, the author says…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on March 14, 2018
It appears that James Davison Hunter, author of To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, & Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, may be somewhat biased against groups and organizations that are fighting for the rights of the marginalized in our country. In fact, he basically says that America has gone to “hell…
By: Kristin Hamilton on March 13, 2018
If you know me, chances are that you have gathered that my social and political leanings are a BIT left of center. Being a “liberal” in a conservative family and church tradition can easily put me into an “us vs. them” mindset if I’m not careful. In order to keep my mind and heart more…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on March 13, 2018
When we consider shaping church culture, it is advantageous to view it as an emergent system, created as the result or outcome of all the parts coming together. “Emergent systems exist when different elements come together and produce something that is greater than the sum of their parts.”[1] For instance, “a marriage is an emergent…
By: Stu Cocanougher on March 13, 2018
Several weeks ago, I began listening to the Audiobook The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement by David Brooks. Brooks is a cultural commentator and a write for The New York Times. As I began listening to The Social Animal, I was intrigued by its design. Brooks had compiled a massive…
