Posts by brian

Why Grenz matters…

Posted by on Feb 24, 2017 in Blog | 2 comments

You may or may not know (and may or may not care) that I did my PhD on the theological method of Stanley J Grenz. “Why?” I hear you ask. Without trying to reproduce my PhD (which can be downloaded for free from the University of Auckland’s research site), let me give you a simple explanation for why I think Grenz is an important theologian, and my reasons for arguing that his work continues to be relevant and worthy of study. A committed evangelical, American born but Canadian based Grenz (1950-2005), sensed that the postmodern turn in society had significant implications...

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Managing Monday with Viktor E. Frankl – take 3

Posted by on Feb 20, 2017 in Blog | 2 comments

Today we finish our exploration of some insights from Austrian Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), who is probably best know for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He was also the founder of logotherapy – a form of existential analysis that suggests that the greatest existential stress is meaninglessness. Frankl’s own conclusion from the extreme suffering in the concentration camps was that even in the most dehumanizing situations life continues to have potential meaning – and that suffering can actually contribute to this. His PhD...

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Managing Monday with Viktor E. Frankl – Take 2

Posted by on Feb 13, 2017 in Blog | 0 comments

Today we continue to explore some insights from Austrian Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997), who is probably best know for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He was also the founder of logotherapy – a form of existential analysis that suggests that the greatest existential stress is meaninglessness. Frankl’s own conclusion from the extreme suffering in the concentration camps was that even in the most dehumanizing situations life continues to have potential meaning – and that suffering can actually contribute to this. His PhD...

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Managing Monday with Viktor E. Frankl

Posted by on Feb 6, 2017 in Blog | 2 comments

Austrian Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl (1905-1997) is probably best know for his book Man’s Search for Meaning. He was also the founder of logotherapy – a form of existential analysis which suggests that the greatest existential stress is meaninglessness. Frankl’s own conclusion from the extreme suffering in the concentration camps was that even in the most dehumanizing situations life continues to have potential meaning – and that suffering can actually contribute to this. His PhD dissertation, The Unconscious God, examines the relationship...

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About a holiday…

Posted by on Feb 3, 2017 in Blog | 3 comments

I recently returned from a wonderful family holiday in Japan. The selection of Japan was based largely on its amazing ski fields (a really important factor for my oldest son Nic) and that it would be culturally enriching while still being a country where you can get by with English – albeit that the occasional misunderstanding occurs. So what are my reflections from this time? First, holidays really matter, and it’s worth scrimping and saving a little during the year to ensure that you can have one. They also need to be long enough. I had two weeks of leave before we left, and it...

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