Leadership Reflections

Reasons for the Power of Fundamentalist Religions

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 22:51:00 GMT

The twentieth century was the first century in known history to be considerably atheistic. It was also the bloodiest century, with more than 100 million killed in war and in horrible atrocities by atheist and fascist leaders such as Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Idi Amin and the like. This shows religion is not the cause of evil but holds back much evil from taking place.

Conversely, the twenty-first century is being dominated (again) by fundamentalist religions serving as the primary metanarrative of the international community, with religious fundamentalism among the Abrahamic religions especially growing and expanding in global influence, whether it be global Evangelical Christianity or Islamic fundamentalism.

By “fundamentalist” I mean passionate adherents of a particular religion who believe in the literal, divine inspiration of their sacred scriptures.

(In the case of American Evangelical fundamentalism, some would say they have shifted their focus away from Christ as the foundation stone (1 Cor. 3:10) to their belief in the orthodox doctrine of the infallible Bible.)

At the turn of the century American fundamentalists unfortunately became known not for what they believe but for what they are against!

Challenges to fundamentalists include more than modern science and philosophy. Their greatest challenges come from within, with Christian scholars beginning to espouse “higher critical” views of the Bible. These scholars engender doubt as to the authenticity of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch as well as the authenticity of the New Testament books that bear the names of Paul and other apostles.

“Christian exegesis itself helped destroy the foundational beliefs of many in the Christian church” (Hans Kung, Christianity).

The following are some reasons why fundamentalism continues to be a powerful belief system:

1. Consistency: Fundamentalists have a basic religious value or idea that is vigorously protected out of a fear of deviating from the pure ideals of the faith, to which all believers in a particular congregation or denomination adhere.

2. Simplicity: Fundamentalist thought, attitude and systems are simple and transparent; perspectives that deviate are largely ignored.

3. Clarity: Interpretation and doctrinal structure are established for the entire group. Those with a deviant view regarding anything significant are disfellowshipped.

(For more on this topic read Hans Kung’s Christianity: Essence, History, Future, pages 636-642)

My Thoughts on September 11, 2010

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:06:00 GMT

(Delivered at a vigil in Sunset Park, Brooklyn on September 11, 2010.)

Today is indeed a somber day for every citizen of this nation--especially those who live in New York City--a day when we remember the 3,000 people brutally murdered by one cowardly act of terrorism, and when we remember the hundreds of firefighters and police officers who gave their lives to save others.

I remember that day like it happened yesterday. I was in the Empire State Building when the first plane hit and ran outside to view the towers burning after the second plane hit. I was stuck in Manhattan and could not go home to Brooklyn until the next day.

Consequently, our church identified 203 children that were traumatized because they knew someone or had a family member that died in the attack.

When the Twin Towers fell, they were symbols of our nation’s economic power and greatness, but they were not capable of encasing the great spirit of our city and nation. Thus, we were able to rise again with even more resolve and unity in the midst of the rubble, even as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead after being three days in the belly of the earth.

For example, out of the rubble of that day our Children of the City birthed a program that aided these traumatized children and their families in our community with our “Heal New York” outreach.

The terrorists were trying to put our nation in fear which would result in taking away our freedom. While we must never underestimate the resolve of our enemies, we must never allow them to control our lives--either with fear and intimidation or with our own acts of violence and disrespect against a particular religion and its followers. That would put us in the category of the terrorists, which would mean they have already won the victory!

As a Christian bishop, I have spoken and written against the proposed burning of Qurans which would do nothing but incite further hostility and break down the doors of dialogue between Christians and Muslims. At the same time, it is equally wrong for the followers of Islam to riot in the streets, burn American flags and, as has been done in the past in other nations, burn Bibles, crosses, and church buildings.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I remember His words in the Gospel of Saint Matthew chapter five when He says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” He also said to His followers as recorded in Saint John’s Gospel, “Peace I give you, my peace I leave with you, not as the world gives give I unto you.” Again later on in that Gospel He says, “In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world”!

Finally, Jesus dealt with the root issues that cause fighting, jealousy, and global wars when He died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose from the dead--thus taking away hatred and placing within His followers His love and peace for all humankind, irrespective of their ethnicity, gender, economic status, or religion.

May we in Sunset Park serve as a shining light as we serve our community, battle against hatred in all its ugly forms, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves as Jesus told us in Matthew 22:37-40.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, may you grant the leaders of our community the wisdom to facilitate a purposeful unity capable of meeting the needs of our residents and elevating their quality of life. May all the residents have the wisdom and motivation to work effectively to support their families as well as living in harmony with their neighbors. We also bless you Lord for the fallen heroes that were murdered on that fateful day, and we especially pray for their families and friends, that we would all learn to honor their memories by living lives in accord with the constitutional freedoms so many have died to secure. May we never forget these heroes and may we never cease striving for truth and justice. Amen.

Leadership Reflection 8/4/10

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:37:00 GMT

When certain politicians and/or Christian leaders speak about social justice they are really speaking about the proliferation of entitlements through government programs financed by the forced redistribution of wealth through a progressive tax structure. This is nothing more or less than Marxism.

Biblically, social justice has to do with being opposed to the oppression of the poor (read Proverbs 14:31), not a system of handouts without work. Leviticus 19 9-10 is a perfect example of providing for the poor by allowing them to work.

Nobody can look me in the eye and tell me that the United States is not the greatest land of opportunity. That is to say, anyone who works hard can reach their potential in this great nation!

Leadership Reflections, 7/29/10

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:41:00 GMT

Some quotes:
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists. Not so good when people obey and acclaim him. Worse when they despise him. But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, ‘we did it ourselves.’”
-Lao-Tzu 604-531

“If you want one year’s prosperity, grow grain. But if you want ten year’s prosperity, grow men and women.”
-Anonymous

“Four things to learn in life: To think clearly without hurry, to love everybody sincerely, to act in everything with the highest motives, to trust God unhesitatingly.”
-Helen Keller

My thoughts:
Leaders don't follow crowds, they galvanize crowds.

Great leaders bring people to higher moral ground. The wicked bring people to the lowest common denominator of the foolish.

Great leaders plan for a significant future; the foolish only for a pleasurable present.

The Power and Importance of a Prayer Meeting

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:44:00 GMT

Nowadays, pastors emphasize church growth by focusing on successful strategies for understanding their surrounding culture and target audience, and examining their congregations to determine their strengths and weaknesses. What follows is an arduous process of changing the culture of a church to reflect the new methodologies in order to fulfill its mission. The process of changing a church’s culture involves giving people a heart for evangelism, being sensitive to new people so their target audience can be reached, and empowering the congregation to have ownership of the new vision.

However, there is a fool-proof way of accomplishing all of the above so that all the strategy and hard work is not in vain. This is illustrated in the Book of Acts (Acts 2:1-4; 4:24-31). When the people of God come together and engage in prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit the following takes place: They receive God's heart for the lost, for the church's vision and mission, and they receive the strategies from God that will work to reach their communities.

If churches would allow God to download His heart, burden, and vision for their communities, we would experience the kind of impact we read about in the Book of Acts.

Discovering the MAP of Your Life

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:41:00 GMT

Arthur F. Miller Jr., the founder of People Management International, discovered after years of research that most people have 5-7 motivating gifts operating systematically in their lives. He uses the acronym MAP to describe our “Motivated Abilities Pattern.” This MAP is far more comprehensive and accurate than the typical Myers-Briggs or DISC personality profiles people take to understand themselves better. The latter deal more with our conditioned responses (behaviorism) in certain situations rather than help us discover the primary gifts that motivate us and point us to our purpose in life.

Miller’s studies have found that our patterns of giftedness have five dimensions:

(The following is from Miller’s book Why You Can't Be Anything You Want to Be, starting on page 47.)

1. Abilities: The natural competencies a person uses to accomplish the results he wants. For example: study, experiment, analyze, persuade, strategize, and teach.

2. Subject Matter: The objects of subject areas to which a person is naturally drawn and in which he achieves his most productive and fulfilling achievements. For example: numbers, concepts, people, tools, machines, and colors.

3. Circumstances: The ideal conditions in which a person functions and the factors that trigger his motivation. Examples of ideal conditions are: structured, visible, and competitive. Examples of triggering factors are: needs, problems, and potential for measurable results.

4. Operating Relationships: The way a person interacts with others in order to accomplish meaningful results. For example: team member, individualist, spark plug, facilitator, and coordinator.

5. Payoff: The singular, characteristic outcome a person seeks in order to feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. For example: excel, overcome, meet requirements, gain response, acquire goods and status, and pioneer.

Excellent Leadership Quotes

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:48:00 GMT

Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a leader among men.
-Lao Tzu

I am more afraid of an army of one hundred sheep led by a lion than an army of one hundred lions led by a sheep.
-Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord

Leaders aren't born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.
-Vince Lombardi

Living a Virtuous Life

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:43:00 GMT

“Give up money, give up fame, give up science, give the earth itself and all it contains rather than do an immoral act. And never suppose that in any possible situation, or under any circumstances, it is best for you to do a dishonorable thing, however slightly so it may appear to you...From the practice of the purest virtue, you may be assured you will derive the most sublime comforts in every moment of life, and in the moment of death.”

-Thomas Jefferson, 1785