Sign in with Facebook
Derek VanRoekel
https://www.goodreads.com/derekvanroekel
The antidote to authoritarianism is authority itself, rightly defined. The sociologist Robert Nisbet correctly differentiated between authority and power. He defined power as “something external and based upon force,” while authority is
...more
Society is teaching us authority is bad and we should rid ourselves of the authorities in our lives in the name of freedom and individualism. What we actually need, on the contrary, is more authority in our lives. But it must be true and good authority.
“Advances fed on one another, occurring almost simultaneously and spontaneously, at Harvard and MIT and Princeton and Bell Labs and an apartment in Berlin and even, most improbably but interestingly, in a basement in Ames, Iowa.”
― The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
― The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution
“We see now young evangelicals walking away from evangelicalism not because they do not believe what the church teaches, but because they believe the church itself does not believe what the church teaches.”
― Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America
― Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America
“Often, we pray for wisdom when, in fact, we are seeking knowledge. Tell me what to do, Lord. Tell me which commitment to accept, what words to say, where to live, and who to work for. We may even remind God that in James 1:5 he told us we would receive wisdom if we asked. But we are not asking for understanding; we are asking for information. And in doing so, we betray our unwillingness to move from immaturity to maturity as a disciple.”
― In His Image: 10 Ways God Calls Us to Reflect His Character
― In His Image: 10 Ways God Calls Us to Reflect His Character
“The antidote to authoritarianism is authority itself, rightly defined. The sociologist Robert Nisbet correctly differentiated between authority and power. He defined power as “something external and based upon force,” while authority is rooted in persuasion and allegiance. Authority does not bully or intimidate with raw force but is rooted in vital social relationships and to truths more transcendent than the will-to-power or the force of a personality. “Power arises only when authority breaks down,” Nisbet argued.”
― Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America
― Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America
Derek’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Derek’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
308 books
|
26 friends
76 books
|
14 friends
199 books
|
106 friends
342 books
|
291 friends
175 books
|
34 friends
357 books
|
18 friends
257 books
|
13 friends
94 books
|
6 friends
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Derek
Lists liked by Derek
