By: Aaron Peterson on October 15, 2015
My tribe has a favorite slogan, “Everyone gets to play.” This means, as the priesthood of believers, all are equipped to do the things Jesus does. Who Needs Theology by Grenz and Olson, is not just an introduction to theology, but a combination of a theology primer and manifesto declaring that everybody gets to do…
By: Claire Appiah on October 15, 2015
What kind of theologian are you? Who Needs Theology: An Invitation to the Study of God by Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson Introduction The key theme of the book is that every thinking person is a theologian because universally all thinking people are reflecting on and asking the same ultimate questions about life. Is there…
By: Marc Andresen on October 14, 2015
In one word, that’s the answer to the book title: Who Needs Theology? One could say “everyone” is the answer because the Bible teaches that humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26,27) therefore how can we help but to DO theology? The authors, Stanley Grenze and Roger Olson, state “Our decision to…
By: Nick Martineau on October 14, 2015
Last Fall at the Vanderblomen, Next: Succession conference, I was somewhat jokingly told there were two circumstances that can best help an incoming pastor hoping to replace a founding pastor…either the Founding pastor suddenly dies or he/she has a major moral failing. In Manfred Kets de Vries, The Leadership Mystique, I am given equally encouraging…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on October 14, 2015
Deep, Interior Leadership Thanks to the help of Manfred Kets de Vries, I have been set free in my true leadership identity. With de Vries semi-clinical, psychoanalytical angle on leadership and the powerful tools and diagnostics provided in “Leadership Mystique: Leading Behavior in the Human Enterprise,” I can now self-identify as a cyclothymic, passive-aggressive, masochistic,…
By: Dave Young on October 13, 2015
Manfred Kets De Vries, in “The Leadership Mystique,” contends that emotional intelligence (EQ) is actually more substantial in higher levels of leadership than IQ. He writes: “And people who possess emotional intelligence are more effective at motivating themselves and others. Such individuals also do better when placed in a leadership position, because they’re better equipped…
By: Rose Anding on October 12, 2015
Are you a theologian? Do you Know God? Introduction If you ask someone, what theology is today and possibly its necessity in individual lives, many would react negatively towards the word. As a matter of fact many will balk at it with negative remarks. The way we think about God defines the way we…
By: Anthony Watkins on October 12, 2015
The book starts out announcing that Social Geography is an inherently ambiguous and eclectic field to research. From the beginning of time as we know it, there has been a social grouping, a social scale. This scale basically separates the “haves” and the “have-nots.” People were labeled based on geographic locations. Although this basic look…
By: Dawnel Volzke on October 10, 2015
In his book Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Response to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States, Albert O. Hirschman discusses the reasons for people’s decline in loyalty to today’s organizations. When people are dissatisfied, they leave, voice objections or become disloyal.[1] These behaviors give us valuable insight into the level of satisfaction of the people we…
By: Brian Yost on October 9, 2015
In his book Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States, Albert O. Hirschman puts words to a reality that we inherently know, but don’t always have a concise way to express. When people become dissatisfied with an organization, whether it be political, commercial, or something else, they express their dissatisfaction…
By: Garfield Harvey on October 9, 2015
How do we define a noun? A noun is a person, place or thing. Well, what is a pronoun? Traditionally, a pronoun modifies a noun but according to MerriamWebster’s dictionary, a pronoun is used as a “substitute” for a noun. In reading Valentine’s book, there is a complex issue universal idealism of social geography. Social…
By: Kevin Norwood on October 8, 2015
Introduction Social Geographies: Space and Society by Gill Valentine is a very unique look at geography based on the most basic words in the English vocabulary. Using common words such as body, home, community, institution, street, city, rural and nation. The author defines it this way; “the plural social geographies which emerge here are a…
By: Phil Goldsberry on October 8, 2015
Introduction “Why Can’t We Be Friends”, the funk/reggae song of the early 1970’s asks a question that begs to challenge the notion of social geographies. The song was played in space in 1975 when Soviet Cosmonauts and United States Astronauts were completing a joint space mission. Whether it is Russia to the US or male…
By: Travis Biglow on October 8, 2015
Loyalty “Should I Stay or Should I go?” October 8, 15 I am presently in the crossroads with the title of this blog. While I understood that Albert Hirschman was conveying his thought through the eyes of a company or organization that has consumers and members I looked at it from the eyes…
By: Marc Andresen on October 8, 2015
Social Geographies enhance our potential as experts in Leadership and Global Perspectives. We are being led to understand and work in the global community and within the context of our most immediate communities; hence an understanding of the many spaces within which we live and work informs how we study and explore leadership. As Gill…
By: Colleen Batchelder on October 8, 2015
Individuality must be taken into account before proceeding with assumption. Therefore, interaction must seek to understand the individual from a position of equality without the stress of sameness. Valentine proposed, “Individuals and groups have multiple identities, occupying positions along many separate lines of difference at the same time.”[1] When one interacts with those who differ…
By: Pablo Morales on October 8, 2015
Introduction How is our self perception and the way we see and interact with others affected by the spaces we inhabit? And, how are the spaces we inhabit affected by our social perceptions? These are the very questions that professor Gill Valentine sets to explore in her book Social Geographies. Summary Throughout nine well-organized chapters,…
By: Aaron Cole on October 8, 2015
Personal Perspective Shapes Everything The book, Social Geographies by Gill Valentine, is the ideology of how space and society affect each other. Valentine gives researchable data concerning how we as people relate to and interact with each other on a spatial basis. According to Valentine, this connection can exist in “natural” form or from…
By: Jon Spellman on October 8, 2015
Do I stay or do I go? That is the question! When I experience discontent within an organization, I have to ask whether my presence is still helpful to the organization or has the internal conflict I feel risen to such a level that I am doing more harm than good? If I should choose…
By: Jason Kennedy on October 8, 2015
INTRODUCTION The typical book on social formation generally deals with race, gender, socio-economics, health and sexuality. However, Gill Valentine, in her book, takes a unique approach. She does not look at social theory in these distinct categories, rather she focuses on how societies form within a certain space or context. She states her…
