By: John Fehlen on February 20, 2023
Every once and awhile a book surfaces “for such a time as this.” The content is a prophetic punch in the face. Such is the case with “A Failure of Nerve” by Edwin H. Friedman. I remember feeling this many years ago with Mark Senter’s “The Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry”[1] and more recently with…
By: Chad McSwain on February 19, 2023
Are our vocations a means of grace? Do we fulfill the very calling of God by being employed? These are some of the questions that are considered by the investigation of Max Weber in his work, The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism [1]. Weber concludes that the rising Protestantism gave the context and…
By: Audrey Robinson on February 19, 2023
In his book, The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism and Other Writings, Max Weber (1864-1920) utilized his professions of sociology and history to investigate the causality of modern capitalism and the religious forces of his day known as the Protestant Reformation. It is important to note that his work is considered a classic,…
By: Becca Hald on February 19, 2023
“It’s all about making the bed!” That was my brilliant deduction. It was 2:00am in the morning. I was a college student studying for my midterm on the Protestant Reformation. In my exhausted stupor, I decided that this was the reason for the Protestant Reformation. The Catholic Church was all about making the bed. What…
By: Caleb Lu on February 18, 2023
Max Weber’s work, Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, gives some insight into the influence of the Reformation, especially Calvin’s thoughts on predestination, on the development of capitalism. More exactly, Weber’s thesis is that Calvinistic predestination created an anxiety amongst Christians that found its resolution in the doctrine of providence. That providence was…
By: Laura Fleetwood on February 18, 2023
The forces that shape our culture and worldviews are layered and complex. It’s quite an undertaking to look back on history and attempt to trace the threads that form our current leadership environments. Anyone who does so must acknowledge that such discoveries, while insightful and helpful, are also surely biased through the lenses through which…
By: Daron George on February 18, 2023
The Summary “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” by Max Weber and “Evangelicalism and Capitalism” by Dr. Jason Clark explore the relationship between religion and the rise of modern capitalism. Weber’s book focuses on the historical and cultural factors that led to the development of capitalism in Europe. At the same time, Clark’s…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on February 18, 2023
Max Weber, German Social Scientist and author of The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism, Explains and reveals an interesting way of looking at Capitalism and its relationship to Protestantism. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (German: Die protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus) is a book by Max Weber, a German sociologist, economist, and politician. Begun as…
By: Mary Kamau on February 18, 2023
Critical Theory has become a buzzword common in politics and social justice academic talks and even found its way to the school curriculum, yet only a few know its sources. James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose have delved into this topic. They have tried to demystify it in their book, Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made…
By: Jenny Steinbrenner Hale on February 17, 2023
The reading this week was challenging and engaged my intellect and emotions from a variety of angles. Main Points from Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism (1904-1905) Max Weber, German Social Scientist and author of The Protestant Ethic and The Spirit of Capitalism (PESC) argues that the Protestant work ethic, promoting…
By: Michael O'Neill on February 17, 2023
Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is one of the most influential books in modern sociology.[1] Written by German sociologist Max Weber, this book examines how religious beliefs can shape economic behavior. Weber looks at how Calvinism, a branch of Protestant Christianity, encouraged what he called “the Spirit of Capitalism.” His…
By: Greg McMullen on February 17, 2023
It was fall quarter in my fourth year of bible college when I had to make some hard decisions. Most of my experience in ministry up to this point had been with youth ministries. The focus was more on entertaining and making Jesus exciting for young people. I was ministering more and more with adults,…
By: Noel Liemam on February 17, 2023
The word, “Leadersmithing,” sounds so catchy and interesting. It made me wanted to rush into the book and find out exactly what it is or what does it mean. Then, I look closely at it, it has some similarities with words like locksmith and blacksmith in which I said to myself, “ha-ha,” I kind of…
By: Dinka Utomo on February 17, 2023
“Leaders are made, not born” -Eve Poole- Introduction Leadership could be said to be a skill that has existed since the beginning of human civilization and continues to be relevant today. It has long been a scientific field that is studied and applied to various aspects of human life. Knowledge of leadership and its developments,…
By: Jana Dluehosh on February 16, 2023
Master; Mastery: How does one become master? Leadersmithing by Eve Poole brings in many examples of types of work and how one becomes master of one’s vocation. Most of her examples have to do with craftmanship, and how over time one becomes a master by first becoming an apprentice. (More on apprenticing later). In our…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on February 16, 2023
Leadership Early in my career, I led a large team of seasoned professionals. They were all much older than I was and many were in their last chapter of their professional career. I had a brand spanking new Degree (the ink was barely dry), big ideas, loads of energy, and an ego larger than life.…
By: Adam Harris on February 16, 2023
Several years ago I won a trip to Las Vegas for hitting my quarterly goals at a previous company. When we arrived we had one rule. We could not pay for anything. That was a fun rule to keep. Part of this agreement meant we got an allowance to play at the tables. I tried…
By: Cathy Glei on February 16, 2023
In the book Leadersmithing by Eve Poole, the concept of leadership development is crafted around an analogy of “smithing” or leadersmithing. Poole, adjunct professor at Ashridge Business School shares about how leaders learn and about the process of crafting around ideas and practices that prepare leaders. The first part of the book focuses on an…
By: Tonette Kellett on February 16, 2023
The book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, by Max Weber was a challenging read for me this week. It was necessary more than ever to go to videos and websites for help dissecting the material. I watched a professor give a talk on the topic from this title after reading most of…
By: Esther Edwards on February 16, 2023
In past years, as one would observe a strong-willed child, the comment would often be made, “Well, he/she will make a great leader someday!” In other words, a strong will equals the ability to lead. In leadership circles, we often equate good leadership with numerical followership. “They must be an amazing pastor since their church…
