By: Mitch Arbelaez on November 8, 2014
Philosophical study is often neglected by the Evangelical and historically the Pentecostal branches of contemporary religious sects. Some say it is the very ethos of the Evangelical/Pentecostal movements being “activist, populist, pragmatic, and utilitarian” that provides the reasoning as to why they do not delve into deeper intellectual efforts. These branches of Christendom are too…
By: Richard Volzke on November 7, 2014
Ethics is a broad subject, open to much debate. I’ve found that Christian ethics is an especially touchy subject, as some people equate this with legalism or Christian rules. Yet, so much of Scripture touches on ethics or moral values. Since “ethics is a system of moral principles”[1], Christian ethics involves the way that we…
By: Carol McLaughlin on November 7, 2014
The words startled me, “Oh! Oh, no!” my mother-in-law exclaimed. Immediately I thought, “What did we forget? Did I forget something? Did Mom leave her purse behind in the doctor’s office?” All of this happened suddenly as I was driving down Seattle’s Madison Avenue away from Swedish Orthopedic Clinic and toward the I-5 freeway, the…
By: John Woodward on November 7, 2014
Whenever I pick up a book on philosophy, I always wonder how many people actual think about ethics, morals or philosophical leanings? Sadly, most people I know never stop to consider why they believe what they believe or examine the reasons for their actions. This is where The Matrix of Christian Ethics is a helpful…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on November 7, 2014
A friend of mine, who serves in the village of Wondo, told me a story of one of his church member, Kedir, who is a teacher, a husband of two wives and a father. A couple years ago, Kedir decided to follow Jesus with his family and be a part of the newly planted small…
By: Julie Dodge on November 7, 2014
One of my roles at Concordia is to serve as the faculty advisor to the Social Work Club. The Club has decided to support the social worker at the elementary school next door – a high need, high poverty school. One challenge the school social worker faces is helping parents who live far away to…
By: Dawnel Volzke on November 7, 2014
Anthony Elliott’s book, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction[1], provides a solid overview of theories on how societies have changed and developed over time. Elliot looks at the relationships between individuals and societies, and themes such as gender and race. A wide range of popular theories is covered, seeking answers to how and why society and societal norms have developed…
By: Brian Yost on November 6, 2014
Anthony Elliott’s Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction is a fascinating little book. Well ok, it may not be little, but it is fascinating none-the-less. The structure of the book makes it very usable as a reference book. The Kindle version, in particular makes it easy to navigate from the contents page to the chapters and…
By: Liz Linssen on November 6, 2014
“Jason”[1] is a compassionate and sincere man and has been a member of our church from the beginning of the church plant. He first came with his two young children until his wife, who left him for another man, decided to not only ruin their marital relationship, but take his children away from him too.…
By: Dave Young on November 6, 2014
The world is constantly changing and there are some brave people who want to understand those changes on a societal level; and there are those who want to see how those movements impact our quality of life, well-being and community. Speaking about social theory and practical impacts Professor Charles Lemert says: “For others, it might…
By: Travis Biglow on November 6, 2014
Reading this week has been masterful. I came to the understanding that social standards are pretty much designed by people who have an advatange. Thats what i read. It made me realize how shallow ideas are and how shallow people are trying to measure up to what society says. Going to South Africa really opened…
By: Jon Spellman on November 6, 2014
Stickin’ it to the MAN! As long as there are people living in societies there will be social classes. As long as there are social classes, there will be disparities between those classes — “haves” and “have-nots.” As long as there are “haves” and “have-nots” there will be perceptions of inequality, injustice and oppression;…
By: Nick Martineau on November 6, 2014
Most people consider Wichita, Kansas to be the global center of the world right? I might be misguided but the truth is I don’t have to go very far to see the impact of a global interconnected society. My wife and I had a sweet Guatemalan man do some work on our house. He came…
By: Deve Persad on November 6, 2014
Despite my deepening interest in philosophy and my great love for mathematics, Rene Descartes famous statement, “I think therefore I am”, comes up short. While it is true that the capacity to think is in itself a fairly reliable sign of life, it is more true that thinking is just the beginning, there is so…
By: Phillip Struckmeyer on November 6, 2014
“Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction” by Anthony Elliott has become my favorite read for class so far. For some reason when we first received the reading list way back in August (seems like years ago in some ways) I was able to first obtain Elliott’s book and jumped in on the reading race early. Revisiting…
By: Ashley Goad on November 6, 2014
I must admit, my favorite class in Seminary was Christian Ethics. I loved every second of the semester. Though I am not much of a “theory” person, I enjoyed picking apart the philosophers’ thoughts, and putting the principles into practical application. Today I sat at a local coffee shop with a high school student, and…
By: Mary Pandiani on November 5, 2014
Urban Dictionary Definition of Renaissance Woman: She can mix the knowledge of what is considered disparate spheres into a new whole, by using her most unique method of analysis based on her very vast, deep, curiosity and experiences… which led to a very vast & deep knowledge, that she is so anxious to apply to everyday…
By: Miriam Mendez on November 3, 2014
As I read through Edwin Friedman’s book, A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix, I was reminded of one of my favorite verses in the New Testament: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”[1] These are words of endurance and perseverance.…
By: Clint Baldwin on November 3, 2014
Friedman’s A Failure of Nerve is just the text needed for further invigorating – rather than truncating – conversation encouraging a robust engagement between a universally interconnected moral coding (however, nuanced) and civic participation. Of course, reading anything related to “universal” puts a lot of peoples’ radar on high alert with warning sirens flashing and resounding in…
By: Len Hjalmarson on November 1, 2014
hey all, I see you have been reading McGrath! Fun stuff eh? I’ve tended to see the engagement we have as three way — a trialogue with the gospel, church, and world (culture and our experience in the world). But it seems to me that one of the things we are learning is that we…
