DLGP

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

Rebel, Radical, or Real

By: on March 5, 2015

I imagine Heath and Potter may have lost some of their left-leaning friends as they attempted to expose how the anti-consumerism, counter-cultural movement since WW2 didn’t live up to its billing and in fact likely added to the furtherance of consumer capitalism. It’s important to understand their thesis: “. . . that counter cultural movements…

11 responses

Labels

By: on March 5, 2015

Labels are interesting things. We don’t necessarily like them for ourselves, but we would lost during the course of a day, if everything else didn’t have them. Labels do primarily two things. One in large print, where they identify the object and secondly, in smaller print, it will likely tell you about their contents, that…

8 responses

Orientating one’s way with love

By: on March 5, 2015

“All God needs are willing hearts to extend his unconditional love for all of his children – gay and straight. This is our blessing. This is our bold calling. This is our orientation.” [i] I have to admit, when I picked up Marin’s book, Love Is An Orientation, I did not have high expectations. What…

8 responses

God, Sex, and Gender

By: on March 5, 2015

“Some people think same sex marriage is wrong,” said my one of the student in Peace and Justice class at GFEF a couple of years ago. This person spoke confidently and passionately as someone who cares for all kinds of social justice issues. I was shocked, not simply because I disagree with the students claim…

8 responses

Disentangling Culture

By: on March 5, 2015

Today, starting with the first of three field research interviews this month, I start with an introduction in order to ask a question, “When I was young, I wanted to look older. Now that I’m older, I want to look young. Why does it feel so good to have someone tell me, ‘Oh my, you…

16 responses

Countercultural

By: on March 5, 2015

While in South Africa I was determined to bring home some good gifts for my family. With the Waterfront Shopping Center just a couple minutes walk away I knew I would have plenty of options. During my first walk through the Waterfront I was amazed to see all the similar stores that I’d find back…

5 responses

Armchair Quarterbacks?

By: on March 5, 2015

While Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter tell an entertaining tale of the emergence and ultimate reverse-effect of the Counterculture and anti-mass society movements of the 1960’s thru today, it seems many a cheap shot was taken at those who have actually been on the playing field, addressing and attempting great social change, by a couple…

9 responses

Mapping the Sacred in a Secular Age

By: on March 3, 2015

Charles Taylor’s gift as a cartographer takes the reader on a journey to track the move from some elite unbelief in the eighteenth century to mass secularization in the twenty-first century. He does this by introducing religious forms at different stages.  He begins with the “ancient regime” form. This is where there is an inextricable…

no responses

The Spirit and Ethic of Greed

By: on March 2, 2015

The Spirit and Ethic of Greed March 1, 15 As a pastor I have been able to be around a lot of great Christians leaders. Many of them are straight shooters. But many of them are motivated by greed and money. It is so sad to say but it is true. I have found that…

3 responses

What To Make Of It

By: on March 1, 2015

(Reposted, since the link was broken.  Thanks Bill and Liz for letting me know)   Sitting on the veranda of the oldest Baptist Church in Australia within the Central Business District in Melbourne, Australia my new Aussie friend and I were discussing life, our stories of faith, the weaving of doubt and faith, trust and…

5 responses

Enough is Enough

By: on March 1, 2015

The Protestant ethic is a concept that says that large numbers of people were influenced to work hard and diligently as part of the way they demonstrated their faith. Weber, in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, looks at the distinct characteristics of modern capitalism, which he defines as the achievement of profit…

5 responses

The Right To Choose

By: on February 28, 2015

Continuing this weeks reading of, A Secular Age, I came across a quote in Chapter 13 that specifically illustrates what I believe is a major problem in churches within the US and other Western countries. “Most of us in America believe a few simple propositions that seem so clear and self-evident they scarcely need to…

9 responses

“You Charts” and a Fulfilling Life

By: on February 28, 2015

Recently, I was selected to be part of a group that is studying and dealing with issues of racial and ethnic equity. This group is made up of eight different colleges and universities in the state of Oregon. Each school has 4-7 representatives that come from various departments; there are college presidents, student service workers,…

12 responses

Immanent Frame: The Buffered and Porous Selves

By: on February 28, 2015

This week provided a challenge to continue to absorb a-little more, seek to go deeper and basically unravel Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age. Throughout the writing, Taylor creates and maintains an inquisitive approach that engages the reader. At the outset, Taylor asks a seemingly unpretentious question, “What does it mean to live in a secular…

6 responses

Holy Hoarders

By: on February 27, 2015

As I spent time this week with The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism I found several things to be of interest.  In psychology there is a terminology known as “the fundamental attribution error” which describes our tendency to more positively view our own motives than those of others when the outcomes are virally identical.…

14 responses

Insert Witty Secular Age Title Here

By: on February 27, 2015

Yesterday was one of the longest days I have ever had. Traveling westward across time zones made for a 33 hour Wednesday; however, 33 hours provides ample opportunity for reading and reflection! Of all of the mission trips I have led over the years, something like 60 or 70, I had a first yesterday. On…

15 responses

Authenticitc Christianity

By: on February 27, 2015

The impact of western secularism has great implications for Christianity and social change in Ethiopia. The reality of globalization and the ever-growing cultural exchange between Western and developing countries, like Ethiopia, makes the impact of modernity inevitable. Unarguably, there are benefits of being connected with everyone and everything but we need to pay attention to…

6 responses

Christian Capitalism

By: on February 26, 2015

As a red-blooded American, I grew up with a certain understanding of life. America was the greatest country on earth, blessed by God and hard work, and everybody wanted to be like us. Our military was the best in the world and every war we every fought was righteous, defending freedom and fighting oppression. Our…

12 responses

The Journey into Unbelief – Part II

By: on February 26, 2015

We have all encountered them. Those individuals, that, as you attempt to share a loving personal God with them, simply replied back that they believe a god may have been instrumental in the whole creation of the universe. They concede that this god may have implemented natural laws that currently guide said universe with a…

11 responses

The Theory of Everything…really?

By: on February 26, 2015

The movie The Theory of Everything is an inspirational story about Stephen Hawking’s life and is rich in juxtapositions. One such juxtaposition is the development and growth of Hawking’s mind and thinking as he body rapidly weakened. Another is Hawking’s rational, mathematical view of the universe contrasted with his deep passion for music, his family,…

12 responses