Skeptical Faith

Google Image How did the communist system sustain itself in Russia and much of Eastern Europe for three decades? Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney answered this question with a short story in his recent address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The story comes from an essay by Czech dissident Vaclav Havel, who later became the country’s president, called “The Power of the Powerless.” The setting of the story is Communist Czechoslovakia, predecessor to the Czech Republic. “Every morning, a shopkeeper places a sign in his window: "Workers of the world, unite!" He doesn't believe it. No one does. But he places the sign anyway to avoid trouble, to signal compliance, to get along. And because every shopkeeper on every street does the same, the system persists.” "Living Within a Lie" So, says Carney (no relation), it’s not only through violence that communism sustained itself, but “through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they p...

Google Image Hay una iglesia en los Estados Unidos que se llama “los Discípulos de Cristo”. Sé poco sobre ella, aparte de lo que leí en su sitio web. Fue fundada en Kentucky y Virginia Occidental a finales del siglo XVIII y principios del XIX por varios hombres que querían “regresar al cristianismo simple del Nuevo Testamento”. La historia de esta iglesia, o iglesias, es un poco compleja, pero lo que iniciaron esos hombres – referido como “la tradición Stone-Campbell”, nombrada así por Barton Warren Stone y un padre y su hijo, Thomas y Alexander Campbell – finalmente evolucionó en tres denominaciones relacionadas, una de las cuales se llama “los Discípulos de Cristo”. Como dije, sé poco sobre la iglesia, pero me encanta su nombre porque refleja cómo se llamaba a los primeros seguidores de Jesús. Todos los cristianos, me parece, deberían considerarse discípulos. El Costo del Discipulado  Y hablando de discípulos, uno de mis libros favoritos de todos los tiempos es El costo del...

Google Image There’s a church in the U.S. that’s named “the Disciples of Christ.” I know little about it except from what I read on its web site. It was started in Kentucky and West Virginia in the late 1700s and early 1800s by several men who wanted to “return to simple New Testament Christianity.” The history of this church, or churches, is a bit complex, but what was started by those men – referred to as “the Stone-Campbell tradition," named for Barton Warren Stone and a father and son, Thomas and Alexander Campbell - eventually evolved into three related denominations, one of which is called “the Disciples of Christ.” As I said, I know little about the church, but I love its name because it reflects what the first followers of Jesus were called. All Christians, seems to me, should consider themselves disciples. The Cost of Discipleship And speaking of disciples, one of my all-time favorite books is The Cost of Discipleship, the famous work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Ger...

Google Image Recientemente leí un libro llamado "El diario de Jesucristo" de Bill Cain, que es dramaturgo y sacerdote jesuita estadounidense. El libro fue un regalo de un querido amigo, así que sentí cierta obligación de leerlo. Resultó que me gustó mucho esta nueva mirada a las historias del evangelio. Si no te gustan los libros que se toman libertades con las Escrituras, este no te gustará. Se nota que está escrito por un dramaturgo. Cada capítulo comienza con una historia citada directamente de los Evangelios, y luego dramatiza cada historia, imaginando cómo podría haber sido, usando un lenguaje e ideas con las que la gente de hoy puede identificarse fácilmente. Una de mis favoritas es la historia de "El mendigo en la puerta". El evangelio de Lucas describe la escena: Un hombre rico se banquetaba abundantemente cada día, y un hombre pobre, Lázaro, cubierto de heridas, anhelaba saciar su hambre con lo que caía de la mesa del rico..." Quizá recuerdes el resto ...

Google Image I recently read a book called “The Diary of Jesus Christ” by Bill Cain, who is an American playwright and Jesuit priest. It was a gift from a dear friend, so I felt some obligation to read it. As it turned out, I very much liked this fresh look at the gospel stories. If you don’t like books that take liberties with the Scripture, you won’t like this one. You can tell it’s written by a playwright. Each chapter begins with a direct-quote story from the Gospels, then goes on to dramatize each story, imagining what it might have been like in Jesus' time, using language and ideas with which people today can easily identify. One of my favorite chapters is the story of “The Beggar at the Gate.” The gospel of Luke describes the scene: A rich man feasted sumptuously every day, and a poor man, Lazarus, covered with sores, longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table….” You may recall the rest of the story. This is how Cain tells it. Arms Crossed, Looking...

Google Image Los programas de capacitación en liderazgo estaban muy de moda en el mundo corporativo hace una docena de años más o menos. Sé que todavía existen, pero tengo la sensación de que ya no son tan populares. “El desarrollo del liderazgo mejora las habilidades, el conocimiento y las capacidades de una persona para liderar a otros de manera efectiva”, dice una promoción en línea. “Implica aprender nuevos conceptos, aplicar nuevos comportamientos, recibir retroalimentación y reflexionar sobre el desempeño. …Se trata de adquirir habilidades técnicas o funcionales y desarrollar habilidades emocionales, sociales y cognitivas esenciales para liderar en entornos complejos y dinámicos.” Cuando trabajaba yo, encontraba que la literatura sobre liderazgo estaba llena de un lenguaje vago que ocultaba la idea de que el liderazgo era realmente sobre “hacer que otros hagan lo que tú quieres”. Otro tip de lierazgo Bien, eso puede ser un tipo de liderazgo, pero hay otro que está más cercano a...

Google Image Leadership training programs were all the rage in the corporate world a dozen or so years ago. I know that they’re still around, but I have the sense that they’re not as popular now. “Leadership Development enhances one’s skills, knowledge, and abilities to lead others effectively,” says an online promotion. “It involves learning new concepts, applying new behaviors, receiving feedback, and reflecting on performance. …It is about acquiring technical or functional skills and developing emotional, social, and cognitive skills essential for leading in complex and dynamic environments.” When I was working, I found the literature about leadership full of vague language that masked the idea that leadership was really about “getting others to do what you want.”  Another Kind of Leadership Ok, so that may be one kind of leadership, but there’s another which is closer to the concept of education, one whose focus is not within the narrow borders of the “bottom line” o...

Google Image En aquella época, a los estudiantes de seminario católico se les exigía estudiar filosofía durante sus años universitarios. Se consideraba una buena preparación para los cuatro años de estudios teológicos que generalmente seguían. En el seminario al que asistí, eso incluía una gran dosis de las enseñanzas de Santo Tomás de Aquino, el filósofo y teólogo del siglo XIII que se podría decir que tuvo la mayor influencia en esos temas, así como en la búsqueda científica temprana en general, en la historia de la academia. Francamente, me resultaba difícil de leer, aunque lo admiraba mucho, incluso lo consideraba mi “santo patrón” porque compartíamos nombres. Más sobre Aquino más adelante. El Otro Brooks A menudo he citado a David Brooks, columnista del New York Times y colaborador de la revista Atlantic, en estos blogs. Pero hay otro Brooks que también escribe para la Atlantic y que es al menos igual de perspicaz —sobre la cultura moderna, la política y la vida— y ese es Arthu...

Google Image Back in the day, Catholic seminary students were required to study philosophy during their college years. It was considered to be a good preparation for the four years of theological studies that usually followed. At the seminary I attended, that included a heavy dose of the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, the 13 th century philosopher and theologian who could be said to have had the most influence on both those subjects – as well as on early scientific pursuit - in the history of academia. Frankly, I found him hard to read, though I admired him greatly, even considering him my “patron saint” because we shared our names. More about Aquinas below. Another Brooks I’ve often quoted David Brooks, the New York Times columnist and Atlantic magazine contributor in these blogs. But there’s another Brooks that also writes for the Atlantic that is at least as insightful – about modern culture, politics and life – and that’s Arthur C. Brooks, a professor of the Practice of Public L...