Normally, when I read pieces on the woes of church denominations I toss them into the “ain’t it awful” stack. After all, have we seen any articles lately on denominations growing or re-inventing themselves? I don’t recall seeing any of them used as illustrations in “Good To Great” or “Where Good Ideas Come From.” Just the opposite. Growing numbers of observers believe denominations are going the way of once-thriving organizations like TWA, Montgomery Ward, General Foods and RCA. Having outlived their purpose, they are institutions where ideas go to retire. So, I was not surprised when I read the recent article in Christianity Today on the new president of the…

I don’t think there is a topic more widely discussed and fretted about in family philanthropy than that of donor intent. Horror stories (both true and fabricated) are floated by institutions and endowments warning parents there is a high likelihood that their children will abandon their values and wishes almost as soon as both parents have been laid to rest. The classic example is that of the Ford Foundation whose trustees, according to the story, were so blatant about diverting from Henry Ford’s instructions that his son resigned from the Board in disgust, claiming the trustees had betrayed their responsibilities by funding causes that would have been abhorrent to his…

In 1974 W.A. Criswell, the longtime pastor of First Baptist Dallas, announced that he was giving back “every penny” he earned in salary during his 30 years as pastor. An article in the Baptist Press reported Dr. Criswell as saying, “The first time I preached in a church, the deacons took up a collection and I was given $10. I gave it back to them and told them I did not preach for money.” At the time, he said he did not know how he was going to live without money, “but I had the tremendous feeling that I had given my life to God freely.” The account went on to…

I often wonder if philanthropy is one of those words that has either lost its traditional meaning (love of mankind) and never should have been used to define giving in the first place. In fact I wonder if our use of “love of mankind” actually is possible or even desirable. Yes, there are numerous examples where giving springs from sincere feelings about the poor or a genuine desire to alleviate suffering, spread the gospel, deliver health care, rescue young girls and boys from the bondage of trafficking, and restore dignity to people. No doubt these are good things. But are they really philanthropy? Are they charity? Are those actually two different things? Jeremy…

Note: Two years ago I wrote this blog about my lifelong friends, Peggy and Bill Shipley. On Saturday, August 2nd of this year, Peggy passed away.  As a tribute to her, I wanted to share what I wrote again with you today. I’ve been watching the rise of mentoring programs for underprivileged young men. Donald Miller began The Mentoring Project because he grew up without a father. Duncan Campbell started Friends of The Children for very different reasons. Both Donald and. Duncan have come to the same conclusion: being a mentor takes a long time. Sometimes it is not just the underprivileged or low-income boys needing a caring adult and…

“And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Like many of you, I grew up reading tales filled with wizards, dark…

You may have heard the old saw, “If you want to understand something try and change or reform it.” It’s true. You can never understand the intricacies and power of vested interests, tradition, inertia, fear and reluctance to adapt until you take on the challenge of changing an entrenched organization or a revered practice. Most people are not suited for the work of making change. They are enthusiastic at first and then ground down by the slowness of the process and the resistance from those that are affected by the changes. I keep a card on my desk with a quote from Machiavelli: “It must be considered that there is…

You may have heard the old saw, “If you want to understand something try and change or reform it.” It’s true. You can never understand the intricacies and power of vested interests, tradition, inertia, fear and reluctance to adapt until you take on the challenge of changing an entrenched organization or a revered practice. Most people are not suited for the work of making change. They are enthusiastic at first and then ground down by the slowness of the process and the resistance from those that are affected by the changes. I keep a card on my desk with a quote from Machiavelli: “It must be considered that there is…

If you want well-written insight into the work of speechwriters and their behind-the-scenes influence, I would suggest Barton Swaim’s new book, “The Speechwriter.” Its soul-searching honesty about the conflicts, challenges and moments of both praise and despair are good reading. Some of our finest pundits, commentators and authors have served as speechwriters. I am thinking of Michael Gerson (for George W. Bush), Peggy Noonan (for Ronald Reagan), and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (for John F. Kennedy). Standing somewhere between press secretaries, diarists and fiction writers, they all wrestled with finding words for individuals who were often not, with some exceptions, gifted with language. For all of them the task was to…

It wasn’t just a disagreement. It was a showdown that ended in both men, once fast friends, turning away from each other for the balance of their lives. They never see each other again because of their bitter feelings over a person Paul considered to be a deserter and virtual traitor while Barnabas not only defended him but fought to give him a second chance. Who was this young man causing the permanent split between two heroes of the early church? John Mark. He has an interesting story—especially for early failures and late bloomers. His mother, Mary, was wealthy and influential. Her home was the central meeting place for the…