Video review: Institutions vs Collaboration, by Clay Shirky.
Take a moment to watch the video clip. The context is technology, but consider the principles. Now apply the concept of collaboration to the church. Have we placed too much confidence in institutionalized church to fulfill our mandate? I believe the time is now for believers of all walks of life to make their contribution felt. We cannot abdicate our responsibility to the professionals employed by institutions to get the job done.
Leadership is about stewardship; stewardship of affluence, and stewardship of influence. I urge you, don’t just read blogs and quietly disagree: Engage, debate, influence. You can make a difference.
Video by: TED Ideas Worth Spreading| Language: English | Running time: 20:46 | Produced by: TED Conferences, LLC July, 2005 | Speaker/s: Clay Shirky
Many times over the last few years my attention has been drawn to Luke and The Parable of the Shrewd Manager, as the New International Version calls it. Other versions refer to this passage as The Parable of the Unjust Steward.
“Man is surely stark raving mad,” Michel de Montaigne said. “He can’t make a worm, but he makes gods by the dozen.” I imagine that we’re all aware of the subtlety and insidiousness of idolatry, yet how many times, in how many ways, do we set idols before God?
Business can sometimes be that to me. Not that business is wrong, irredeemable. No – simply, it needs always to be kept in its place, always and fully consecrated to God.
I believe for the time being it is my calling to be ‘in business’. I love it. At the same time it’s exciting and repetitive, challenging and easy, there are successes and there are bitter disappointments, people exceed expectations, people fail dismally. [click to continue…]
FaithShares Trust, established by Tom Phillips and Garrett Stevens, will offer shares of exchange traded funds based on indexes that track recommendations of organizations representing Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and nondenominational Christian groups. The funds will include large-cap stocks, excluding those that conflict with core beliefs of the various denominations.
Slowing growth and financial crises in overserved markets may mean companies have no other option than to enter Bottom of the Pyramid markets. When you do, you’ll find 4.5-billion people there eager to be included. It will be a win:win for your business, and an opportunity to demonstrate your faith in action to advance the Kingdom of God.
