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WORK TITLE: The Myth of Equality
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://kenwytsma.com/
CITY: Bend
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COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.kilnscollege.org/about/staff.html * https://www.ivpress.com/ken-wytsma * http://www.antiochchurch.org/media/speakers/ken-wytsma.htm#.WdOuVGhSxPY
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2014058654
Descriptive conventions:
rda
Personal name heading:
Wytsma, Ken
Birth date: 19721111
Found in: The grand paradox, 2015: E-Cip t.p. (Ken Wytsma)
The myth of equality, 2017 : ECIP t.p. (Ken Wytsma) data
view (b. Nov. 11, 1972)
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Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
PERSONAL
Born November 11, 1972; married; wife’s name Tamara; children: four daughters.
EDUCATION:Clemson University, B.E., 1997; Biola University, M.Phil., 2003.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Religious leader, innovator, communicator, and social entrepreneur. Antioch Church, Bend, OR, pastor, 2006-; Kilns College, Bend, OR, president, 2008-; Justice Conference, founder, 2010.
WRITINGS
Contributor of articles to periodicals, including Relevant, Church Leaders, Huffington Post, Worship Leader, and Outreach.
SIDELIGHTS
Ken Wytsma is a religious leader, communicator, innovator, and social entrepreneur. He has published several books on justice, racial equality, and Christian charity. Based in Bend, Oregon, Wytsma is also pastor of Antioch Church, which he helped found in 2006; president of Christian liberal arts college Kilns College, where he also teaches philosophy and justice; and founder of the international biblical justice conference, the Justice Conference. He has also published essays and articles in Relevant, Church Leaders, Huffington Post, Worship Leader, and Outreach.
In 2013, with D.R. Jacobsen, Wytsma published Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things, which calls Christians to live a fulfilling life by helping others. Drawing on two decades of global ministry and using evangelical theology, Wytsma encourages Christians to understand and apply biblical justice in situations of racism and gender inequality, return to righteousness, connect with their own joy and the joy of others, recognize their humanity and transformative potential, and give their lives away in service to others. A Publishers Weekly contributor praised the book, saying that Wytsma provides “a solid philosophy for understanding the role of justice in today’s society and in modern Christianity.”
Wytsma’s next book, the 2015 The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God, and the Necessity of Faith, informs Christians that the walk of faith should not be easy, neat, and obstacle free. It is often messy, uncomfortable, and filled with disappointment. Wytsma teaches that God’s ways can be contradictory, doubt is acceptable, and struggle can imbue meaning. He explains the true nature of Christian faith, how faith works, paradoxes that Christians confront, and how to push through the messiness to develop a relationship with God. Writing in Publishers Weekly, a reviewer commented on Wytsma’s examples from scripture and life experiences, saying that “his honest exploration of the questions and doubts Christians have speaks to both newer believers” and long-time followers.
Wytsma’s The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege, published in 2017, explores today’s examples of inequality, privilege, racial injustice, and social tensions. He describes the origins of this injustice and disenfranchisement of blacks after the end of slavery in the South, admonishes the white normative standard prevalent in American society, offers a discussion of how Christians can change things for the better, and encourages ministers of the Gospel to play a reconciling role. In Publishers Weekly, a contributor said that Wytsma “has a gift for persuasive argument, well displayed in his deployment of history, biblical theology, and current affairs.” Publishers Weekly named the book a Top 5 Religion Book of 2017.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, January 14, 2013, review of Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things, p. 57; December 8, 2014, review of The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God, and the Necessity of Faith, p. 73; April 10, 2017, review of The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege, p. 70.
ONLINE
Ken Wytsma LinkedIn Page, https://www.linkedin.com (January 24, 2018).
Ken Wytsma Website, http://kenwytsma.com/ (January 1, 2018), author profile.
Ken Wytsma is a leader, innovator, and social entrepreneur. His work takes him around the world as a frequent international speaker on justice, theology, and leadership. Ken is known for his depth of insight and ability to inspire others to think deeply about faith, life, and leadership.
Ken is the founder of The Justice Conference, which has reached over thirty thousand people across seven countries with a message on a theology of justice and God’s call to give our lives away. He is also the lead pastor of global ministries at Antioch Church and is president of Kilns College, where he teaches courses on philosophy and justice.
Ken is the author of Pursuing Justice, The Grand Paradox, Create vs. Copy and The Myth of Equality, recently named as one of the top five Religion books of 2017 by Publishers Weekly. He has written widely, with articles appearing in RELEVANT Magazine, Huffington Post, Church Leaders, OUTREACH, Worship Magazine and more. Ken lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Tamara, and their four daughters.
Ken Wytsma is a leader, communicator, and social entrepreneur. He is the author of Pursuing Justice, The Grand Paradox, and Create vs. Copy. Publishers Weekly has called him “one of the new breed of evangelical Christians returning to scripture to redeem justice as a central tenet of faith.”
Ken is the founder of The Justice Conference, an annual international conference that introduces people to a wide range of organizations and conversations related to biblical justice, which has reached over twenty thousand people at conferences across five continents.
In addition to serving as the founding pastor of Antioch Church in Bend, Oregon, Ken is president of Kilns College, where he teaches courses on philosophy, justice, and creative leadership. He also served for several years as the executive director of a creative office for World Relief and has experience as a senior partner for a brand strategy and marketing firm. He has also written articles appearing in RELEVANT Magazine, Church Leaders, Huffington Post, Worship Leader Magazine, OUTREACH Magazine, and more.
Ken lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Tamara, and their four daughters.
Ken Wytsma
Ken Wytsma is a leader, innovator, and social entrepreneur. His work takes him around the world as a frequent international speaker on justice, theology, and leadership. Ken is known for his depth of insight and ability to inspire others to think deeply about faith, life, and leadership. Publisher’s Weekly called Ken, “one of the new breed of evangelical Christians returning to scripture to redeem justice as a central tenet of faith.”
Ken is the founder of The Justice Conference, the lead pastor of Antioch Church and is president of Kilns College, where he teaches courses on philosophy, justice. Ken also served for several years as the executive director of a creative office for World Relief and has experience as a senior partner for a brand strategy and marketing firm.
Ken is the author of Pursuing Justice, The Grand Paradox, Create vs. Copy and The Myth of Equality. He has written widely, with articles appearing in RELEVANT Magazine, Huffington Post, Church Leaders, Worship Magazine and more. Ken lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Tamara, and their four daughters.
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Welcome! Click LIKE to receive updates from my official page. Visit my blog at http://kenwytsma.com and follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/kjwytsma
Biography
Ken Wytsma is a leader, innovator, and social entrepreneur. His work takes him around the world as a frequent international speaker on justice, theology, and leadership. Ken is known for his depth of insight and ability to inspire others to think deeply about faith, life, and leadership. Publisher’s Weekly called Ken, “one of the new breed of evangelical Christians returning to scripture to redeem justice as a central tenet of faith.”
Ken is the founder of The Justice Conference, which has reached over thirty thousand people across seven countries with a message on a theology of justice and God’s call to give our lives away. He is also the lead pastor of global ministries at Antioch Church and is president of Kilns College, where he teaches courses on philosophy and justice. Ken also served for several years as the executive director of a creative office for World Relief and has experience as a senior partner for a brand strategy and marketing firm.
Ken is the author of Pursuing Justice, The Grand Paradox, Create vs. Copy and The Myth of Equality. He has written widely, with articles appearing in RELEVANT Magazine, Huffington Post, Church Leaders, Worship Magazine and more. Ken lives in Bend, Oregon, with his wife, Tamara, and their four daughters.
Gender
Male
The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege
264.15 (Apr. 10, 2017): p70+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
* The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege
Ken Wytsma. IVP, $18 (208p) ISBN 978-08308-4482-1
Wytsma (PursuingJustice), lead pastor of Antioch Church in Bend, Ore., and president of Kilns College, has a gift for persuasive argument, well displayed in his deployment of history, biblical theology, and current affairs to demonstrate the subtle and unsubtle ways that white dominance shapes American culture and conversations about race. He does so from the perspective of a passionately committed evangelical Christian calling prophetically for justice for those who have been consistently disadvantaged by a system and culture built on what "a white normative standard" that shapes perceptions and judgments. Wytsma makes his points without accusation, the better to address an audience of white readers who may be unaccustomed to looking beneath the surface of attitudes about race or unaware of the history of Jim Crow laws and other forces that drove racial segregation. He is especially good at giving a quick tour of the post-Reconstruction history of race. Slavery was formally ended, but disenfranchisement, "Black Codes" in the South, redlining in housing, and other forms of social control perpetuated inequality. This book should be a wake-up call to Christian communities nationwide. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Myth of Equality: Uncovering the Roots of Injustice and Privilege." Publishers Weekly, 10 Apr. 2017, p. 70+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490319327/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=15dc63df. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A490319327
Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things
260.2 (Jan. 14, 2013): p57.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things
Ken Wytsma with D.R. Jacobsen. Thomas Nelson, $19.99 (344p) ISBN 978-0-8499-6466-4
First-time author Wytsma (with an assist from Jacobsen) is one of the new breed of evangelical Christians returning to scripture to redeem justice as a central tenet of faith. President of Kilns College, where he teaches philosophy, and founder of the Justice Conference, which drew nearly 4,000 young evangelicals in 2012, Wytsma infuses his writing with fresh experiences from working with the millennial generation, especially its frustration with apathy and intolerance of hypocrisy. "Apathy tells us that it's perfectly acceptable to live with illusions of our own justice," he writes, neatly linking those concerns. This accessible guide provides trustworthy scriptural analysis, examples of contemporary justice issues (such as conflict minerals in Congo, gender inequity, race in America, and creation care), and a solid philosophy for understanding the role of justice in today's society and in modern Christianity. "Justice cannot be divorced from God's heart and purposes," he writes. "It permeates them." Wytsma's authorial voice is engaging, encouraging, and invitational. His humor helps the reader recognize her own humanity and transformative potential within the unfolding moral arc of the universe. Agent: Don Jacobson (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and Die for Bigger Things." Publishers Weekly, 14 Jan. 2013, p. 57. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A315370322/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=58fa1387. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A315370322
The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God, and the Necessity of Faith
261.51 (Dec. 8, 2014): p73.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God, and the Necessity of Faith
Ken Wytsma. Thomas Nelson, $22.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-8499-6467-1
God can seem mysterious and distant sometimes, even without being absent. That paradox is just part of faith, says Wytsma (Pursuing Justice), a pastor and founder of the Justice Conference. God's ways are different from the world's, so believers should expect some contradictions about how to find happiness. He encourages the reader to embrace and explore questions, rather than brush them aside. Learning how to trust, even when a leap of faith seems counterintuitive, is the key to moving beyond human understanding and pursuing a closer relationship with God, he says. Questions about God and purpose amid the messiness of life can be answered by focusing on Jesus and finding joy in following him, Wytsma asserts. Grounded in examples from scripture and life experiences, his honest exploration of the questions and doubts Christians have speaks to both newer believers who might not fully understand their faith, and also to long-time followers who have gotten off track or are looking to understand why they believe. Agent: Don Jacobson, D.C. Jacobson & Associates. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Grand Paradox: The Messiness of Life, the Mystery of God, and the Necessity of Faith." Publishers Weekly, 8 Dec. 2014, p. 73. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A393350344/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=cd8db5a3. Accessed 25 Dec. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A393350344
2.9.15 BOOK REVIEW: “The Grand Paradox” by Ken Wytsma
Posted on February 9, 2015 by Jeremy Willet
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I am a huge fan of transparency. Prior to reading “The Grand Paradox” by Ken Wytsma* I had just finished reading his first book, “Pursuing Justice” and immediately began making plans to attend this years Justice Conference in Chicago, IL. Recently, I have started receiving pre-release copies of books about social justice, global missions, and Christian theology, especially with the recent launch of my new website, www.jeremywillet.com. Not only do I enjoy reading these books, but it is also very helpful in my work of advocating for justice for the poorest of the poor to stay educated about current issues, trends, strategies, and philosophies in missions. You can look forward to additional blog reviews for new books coming soon**.
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I was immediately drawn into Ken’s new book when I read his honest confession about taking a “prayer fast – a break from all public prayer” because of his struggle with the hypocrisy of prayer-posture, elegant word choices, and pride when praying around other people. I personally don’t know many pastors or justice-leaders that would admit such an intimate detail of their prayer-life. In addition, I don’t know many (any) authors that would write “Maybe the only thing you needed to get out of this book was the permission to close it.” It is obvious that this book is not about the author.
Ken’s frequent mention of Brother Lawrence and his classic “The Practice of the Presence of God” was especially appreciated as a spiritual discipline reference because that small book has had a profound impact on my life! I really appreciated the thoughts on “hearing God’s voice”, and the encouragement to listen for “where God is already speaking” (nature and scripture), as I believe this is an area that all Christians desire to grow in. You can easily sense Ken’s heart for justice as he writes one of the strongest lines in the book;
“For all the tension and debate around the term, what we can’t miss is that justice in the social arena – that is, social justice – is part of a biblical justice mandate. We can debate strategies, political platforms, best practices for economics, job creation, and aid programs, but at the end of the day, what is nonnegotiable is God’s heart for justice at the center of our cities and as a part of His Kingdom.”
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“The Grand Paradox” spent a fair amount of time discussing the theme of doubt and faith. I paid special attention to this chapter as my wife and I have experienced our share of doubts and faith-testing through our 4+ years in our Ethiopia adoption.
“Faith isn’t destroyed or diminished by doubt. The opposite is true; faith is the answer to doubt.”
Another very special section of the book focuses on “What is God’s plan for my life?”. Rather than provide quotes or give a synopsis of this particular part, I would HIGHLY encourage you to purchase the book to spend quality time with the verses and stories shared. I would never encourage you to buy something that hasn’t first impacted me, and many readers of this blog are followers of Jesus that are walking with our family’s missionary journey on our prayer-support team or our financial-support team, so I love to recommend resources that may be helpful for your journey too. Ken states later in the book:
“What if heaven is not so much a different place as a different way of existing?…Eternity starts now!”
Theologically, you may not line up here (and that’s OK). Honestly, since I’m writing this, and you’re reading this, that means that we still have breath in our lungs, and therefore, neither of us have the “inside scoop” on the afterlife. But, all I know is that you and I still have breath in our lungs for a REASON, and I believe that our valuable time on earth should not be spent so much on talking about a Kingdom yet to come, but rather spent building Jesus’ Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.” Perhaps, that is a part of heaven? Perhaps that is heaven? I’m not sure, but I will always stand by Christians attempting to bring “heaven to earth” by feeding hungry children, caring for orphans and widows, preventing human trafficking, healing the sick, visiting the prisoners, clothing the homeless, and reaching the lost.
After reading “The Grand Paradox”, the one word that God left me challenged with was: humility. In fact, I wrote it on my hand when I finished the book to serve as a reminder to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8b). Not only does the book encourage humility, but the little that I’ve gotten to interact with Ken through email and social media, I sense a man of humility. In fact, he gave me a little twitter-love on the launch-day of my new website!