Weeks before the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi urged Islamic leaders to look at their faith from another angle. Shortly after the attack, David Brooks urged all religions to do likewise. They’re referring to faith’s fourth estate.
Outsiders often see what insiders don’t. Take McKinsey’s recent report on the nonprofit sector. McKinsey works mostly in the for-profit world. As outsiders, their findings in the nonprofit sector should, as they put it, “give us pause.”
Mariano Rivera had a little help. Baseball’s all-time saves leader could only save a game if the New York Yankees held the lead when he entered it in the late innings. That’s how baseball works. It’s also how apologetics works.
Chip and Dan Heath know a few things about sticky ideas. They’re the authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New Year’s resolutions are often good ideas. Few stick however. Here are four ways I think you can make ideas sticky.
Ferguson. Chandler. “I can’t breathe.” ISIS. Beheadings. It’s Christmas time in the city. But you’d have to know the story behind the Christmas story to recognize this.
Albert Einstein said the most important thing you can do is name something. What would you name the next generation? Jon Stewart posed this question last year to Paul Taylor of the Pew Research Center. Taylor didn’t have an answer. I have one.
Our son Stephen is known for his audacious Christmas lists. Tongue in cheek, he asks for over-the-top gifts like a Maserati or 60 inch TV. I too have an audacious Christmas wish this year. I’d like to be a part of launching something similar to John Dewey’s Laboratory School.
McKinsey reports that our current models of capitalism are like Newton’s system of planetary motion – inadequate. The solution is similar to Copernicus’ system, except that this model identifies how and why capitalism can be beneficial for all.
It’s not necessary to stuff Thanksgiving with all sorts of overt religious references. While they do exist, sometimes it’s better to be satisfied seeing what the Puritans called “a drop of glory.”
“What if the secret of the universe had to do with sex?”
This was Stephen Hawking’s question to a friend during his days at Cambridge. A new movie about Hawking’s life, “The Theory of Everything,” suggests the brilliant cosmologist was on to something.
Peter Thiel says every innovative enterprise contains some cultish elements. Fringe voices contribute to innovation but the PayPal co-founder believes they are in decline. It may signal that the innovative spirit is also on the wane.
“What is a weekend?” Lady Violet, no shrinking violet, was speechless. She might not be alone. One day Jesus might be speechless, asking us, “What is a weekend?”
A few weeks back I suggested the new Copernicans think in 3D. It turns out that falls short. Dr. Paul J. Zak is one of the new Copernicans. The closer you look at his work, the more angles you see. The new Copernicans see things in 4D… 5D…
Oscar Wilde said a true friend always says unpleasant things. David Brooks is a true friend of the Christian faith. He’s also one of its toughest critics. He recently shared a few of his insights into our shortcomings. They are worth considering.
Copernicus connected the dots to develop a better picture, a heliocentric system. Today’s Copernicans seek to do the same. They’re looking for meaning but not drawn to polarizing faith positions. They want both/and. They’re thinking three-dimensionally.