By: Todd E Henley on November 9, 2023
Years ago, I heard a story of a middle-aged woman named Nancy who lived in Pennsylvania and one summer traveled to California to visit her sister. Nancy and her sister decided to go shopping in Tijuana, a Mexican border town below California. On their way back to the car to head to California, Nancy saw…
By: Shonell Dillon on November 9, 2023
It was often a practice of my peers to dare someone. Daring you meant that they were willing to make a bet that you would not do some crazy thing. For those that were not afraid of adventure or the unknown, they accepted the dare. If in fact the dare was dangerous they suffered their…
By: Russell Chun on November 9, 2023
အိုး၊ ပထမကမ္ဘာပြဿနာ။, Wow a 1st world problem or အခြားမိခင်မှ ညီအစ်ကိုများ, Brothers from another mother (Burmese) Part 1: What my peers and others are saying.. Part 2: Desire…End of Globalization?… Part 3: What I am learning…. Part 1: What my peers and others are saying.. In the discussion of Polanyi and capitalism[1], I made a…
By: Mathieu Yuill on November 9, 2023
Journeying through the intersection of faith and capitalism can sometimes feel like wandering through a marketplace, where each vendor seems to promote their own version of salvation. In Evangelicalism and Capitalism; A Reparative Account and Diagnosis,[1] Jason Clark provides a thought provoking analysis of this junction examining the occasionally conflicting relationship between these two realms.…
By: Adam Harris on November 9, 2023
Last week I went to the theater with our pastor and his wife’s small group to see, After Death, which is a documentary exploring NDE’s (Near Death Experiences), produced by the same people responsible for The Chosen. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by their approach to this complex, and…
By: David Beavis on November 9, 2023
Science: An Inadequate Tutor on Purpose The 20th-century missiologist and pastor Lesslie Newbigin wrote about the dialogue between science and Christian faith in his book Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel in Western Culture.[1] He pointed out that this assumption of knowing the essence of a thing simply by knowing all of the parts is an…
By: Cathy Glei on November 9, 2023
There is so much that this world has to offer that deforms a person. Author and University of Dayton professor, Dr. Vincent Miller, in his book Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Religion says, “Our attention to the nitty-gritty materialist details of these cultural shifts will be better able to guide a…
By: Pam Lau on November 8, 2023
“Unless we attend to these deeper workings of culture, Theological reflection will miss the most profound challenge of consumerism–the commodification of culture–the reduction of religious beliefs, symbols, and values to objects of consumption.”[1] What is My Desire? Truth be told, when I saw what was scheduled on my calendar from June 28-July 1, 2023, I…
By: Jenny Dooley on November 7, 2023
Maybe it’s jetlag. My head is spinning following my recent trip to Bali, Indonesia. Memories of my life there 34-years ago are frequent companions. Moments of grief turned to joy, memories of God’s provision, and reconnection with people I hold dear fill my thoughts. Needless-to-say memories of bamboo beds, mallard ducks, and Oreos sparked by…
By: Kristy Newport on November 7, 2023
Fear of an impending nuclear war can lead a person to do many things. In the case of Jordan Peterson, he chose to write Maps of Meaning in 1984, believing it be his responsibility “to figure out how we should act in the world and how we are to act around other people, and relationship…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on November 7, 2023
Commodification I must admit, I had no idea what commodification meant. I liked the sound of it but had no idea how to use it in a sentence. So, of course, I looked it up. Commodification the act or fact of turning something into an item that can be bought and sold.(1) If I understand…
By: Kim Sanford on November 7, 2023
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to…
By: Greg McMullen on November 6, 2023
In 25 years of ministry and 30 years of leadership, I have seen a great deal. I have experienced many incredible moments of God moving, moving through leaders, organizations, and also experienced being outcast and oppressed from leaders and their organizations for saying no to them. Prior to Covid, I have only asked two people…
By: Tim Clark on November 6, 2023
At the start of Jason Clark’s dissertation is a question from Dan Kimball, referenced again in Clark’s fifth chapter. Kimbal asks the question, “Have we, over time and with good intentions and pure motivations, turned our churches into vendors of religious services and goods?”[1] This is the jumping off point for Clark’s research, and the…
By: John Fehlen on November 6, 2023
NOTE: The following “stream of consciousness” essay contains possible emotional triggers. I grew up devoutly Catholic. I was an Altar Boy. I attended parochial school. I was spanked by a nun. Seriously, she bent me over the edge of her desk and used the “board of education” on my hinder parts. It only happened…
By: Kally Elliott on November 6, 2023
“This is not a book about religion against consumer culture; it is a book about the fate of religion in consumer culture.”[1] With this statement in the introduction to his book, Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture, Vincent Miller, summarizes the basic thesis of his book. He gets more specific in…
By: Audrey Robinson on November 5, 2023
Introduction The Sound of Leadership by Dr. Jules Glanzer is analogous to a ‘little black book’ for leadership. It is a handbook on how to integrate your inner faith with your calling – whether that’s in the marketplace or kingdom setting. And the book is so practical it applies from the C-suite to the K-suite…
By: Laura Fleetwood on November 4, 2023
Books find me. It’s happened since I was a child. Whether it’s a book I stumble upon at a library, a recommendation by a friend, or in this case, a book assigned for a weekly doctoral reading, I often find that a book I’m reading will speak to a specific problem I’m facing in a…
By: Dr. Michael O'Neill on November 4, 2023
I was blessed with the opportunity to attend a leadership cruise this week and I can hear the waves breaking behind the boat as I type this blog post. There is a consistent rhythm in the rear of the ship where my room is, like a peaceful song looping repeatedly – offering instant joy and…
By: Chad McSwain on November 3, 2023
“How many of you think that you are God’s favorite?” What I thought was an easy, playful opening to my sermon was more revealing than I could’ve imagined. I used the example of how parents and grandparents tell their children that they are their “favorite” as a playful way to express delight in their special…
