DLGP

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

And so What of the Fate of Religion?

By: on February 15, 2017

Miller, Vincent Jude. Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture. New York: Continuum, 2004. Summary: We often don’t take the time to stop and notice it, but if we listen carefully, we will hear a constant song playing in the background of our everyday lives. Someone said it like this, “we are…

18 responses

An Odyssey of Epic Proportion

By: on February 11, 2017

An Odyssey of Epic Proportion The term odyssey is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as a voyage or series of experiences that give knowledge and understanding through many changes of fortune.  To me, LPG5 has been a true odyssey marked by amazing global experiences, an exponential increase in knowledge through diverse exposure to powerful texts,…

one response

A Framework for Christian Scholarship

By: on February 10, 2017

In his first book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll lamented on the lack of cultivation of the mind that characterized much of evangelicalism. In his sequel, Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind, the author provides a theological framework that is meant to serve Christians in their intellectual pursuits. SUMMARY Using…

13 responses

My Hacked Blog on Thinking

By: on February 10, 2017

One of my favorite family vacations every year is not on an island or a lake.  No, my bliss is found in the mountains.  Every year we load up our kids and go to Utah or Colorado for a bit of skiing.  My oldest daughter, Clara, is a great little skier.  In her young age…

15 responses

Inconceivable or #notmyCalvin

By: on February 10, 2017

One of my favorite stories about John Calvin was relayed to me by one of my seminary professors during a class on Calvin and his writings. We were discussing Calvin’s views on the Eucharist and Dr. Achtemeier told us that Calvin was adamant that the Eucharist should be celebrated weekly during worship – but the…

13 responses

Work, Earn, Save, Repeat

By: on February 9, 2017

  It seems safe to say that the Reformers were not big on balance and personal boundaries. In fact, the way Weber describes Calvin and Luther in his book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, shows me these two theologians can be held responsible for the crippling fear I will not make enough money,…

11 responses

Noll’s Christology: Jesus Christ and the Mind

By: on February 9, 2017

Most famous theologians have a book that they have written concerning Christology.  What is Christology?  Christology is Christian reflection, teaching, and doctrine concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Christology is the part of theology that is concerned with the nature and work of Jesus, including such matters as the Incarnation, the Resurrection, and his human and divine natures and their relationship.[1] Mark A Noll’s Christology…

6 responses

Jesus Is…

By: on February 9, 2017

Summary: Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind by Mark A. Noll is in essence a treatise on everything in our life and world can all be understood by knowing the person of Jesus. Noll goes to great lengths theologically and academically to not only present his view but to also prove it. He…

8 responses

Embracing Christology and the Creeds

By: on February 9, 2017

Introduction           My religious roots as a child were in a classical Pentecostal tradition.  It was balanced but narrow in scope, some of that due to the lack and exposure to the “life of the mind” as Mark Noll references it.  It was not a literacy issue; it was an exposure and…

8 responses

It’s All About Jesus

By: on February 9, 2017

Towards the end of  his ministry on earth, Jesus turns and looks at his students and tells them that he, himself, is the way, the truth and the life. If you add to this declaration one part patristic creeds and one part a burning passion for study, you end up with Mark Noll’s book, Jesus…

7 responses

Knowledge and Knowing

By: on February 9, 2017

From the the first pages of the Introduction to Jesus Christ and the life of the Mind, this book had a different and more positive tone than The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind. The words, the topics, the stated goals are positive and are intended to encourage learning and thinking because of the realities of…

9 responses

God Loves You and Wants You to Be Rich

By: on February 9, 2017

. The earning of more and more money, combined with the strict avoidance of all spontaneous enjoyment of life, … is thought of so purely as an end in itself. (15)  . Labor must, on the contrary, be performed as if it were an absolute end in itself, a calling. But such an attitude is…

9 responses

Capitalism and My Family Tree

By: on February 9, 2017

Weber, Max, Talcott Parsons, and R.H. Tawney. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2003. Summary: Most of us have seen the commercials about the DNA testing that helps one know the origins of their family tree. One guy says, “I thought I was Italian and my test showed I…

15 responses

Stand on Your Convictions or Write For The Critics

By: on February 9, 2017

In Noll’s book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (1994), he insisted Christians should pursue their beliefs on the biblical affirmation of creation. In other words, we should stand on our theological convictions, then explore and understand how creation should function under God. Such exploration would undoubtedly motivate Christians to pursue the role of science…

13 responses

To Share Our Daily Bread

By: on February 9, 2017

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.   Proverbs 30:8,9   In his book, The Protestant Ethic and…

8 responses

Those Calvinists have a lot to answer for….

By: on February 9, 2017

  Weber’s Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism   In this work on the intersection of religion, society and economics, Weber considers the link between Protestantism and wealth and capitalism. He tries to explain how capitalism was created by looking at religion and the Protestant Reformation. The this-wordly Protestants, particularly the Calvinists, seem…

8 responses

Religion, Identity, and Correlation: Reflections on Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

By: on February 8, 2017

Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is considered one of the most important 20th century works on sociology.[1] Capitalism has existed in various forms and to various degrees throughout history, as has greed and wealth. But not until the sixteenth century did its modern form rise to become the dominant global…

8 responses

Religion Rules

By: on February 8, 2017

Each religion has the ability to shape, pressure, and influence the culture and lives of its’ followers, as well as comfort, motivate, and inspire self-sacrificing acts and generous gestures. It governs morality and gives purpose, meaning, and direction for individuals and societies. More importantly, it provides a way back to “God” and gives people the…

10 responses

Capitalism and Socialism Live Together In Perfect Harmony

By: on February 8, 2017

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism – Max Weber Weber disagrees with Marx’s theory that “capitalism was the social counterpart of Calvinist Theology.” (2) He believed that “Calvinism influenced the economic prosperity on Holland.” (6) RH Tawney states that maybe “Calvinism and capitalism both had a different effect on the economics and social…

5 responses