COMMENTARY

Clapham Institute Blog

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Too Early to Tell

This Friday marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s death. But did you know that two other remarkable men also died on November 22, 1963? Fifty years from now, it will be interesting to see which one is recognized as having most benefited humanity.

The Other N-Word

We’re familiar with the n-word. It’s offensive, demeaning. There is, however, another n-word. Most folks are unfamiliar with it, evidenced in the fact that we use it all the time. And when adults use the other n-word with adults, the results are not good.

Humanizing Work

With the development of business schools came the dehumanization of work. This weekend in New York City, a gathering of believers will wrestle with humanizing work. It’s a big challenge; one that Harvard Business School professor Rakesh Khurana believes might fill “a gaping moral hole at the center of business education.”

Is Harvard Regressing?

“This course will change your life,” promises Michael Puett, a Harvard professor of Chinese history. His class is the third most popular at Harvard, a school founded on this date in 1636 with a promise: “Truth for Christ and the Church.” Some might see Puett’s class as a sign that Harvard is regressing. C. S….

Linked In

Sheryl Sandberg encourages women in the workplace to “lean in.” The COO of Facebook believes they ought to challenge the common assumption that “men still run the world.” Women should, but solving this problem doesn’t start with leaning in.

Sad Songs Say So Much

Bernie Taupin and Elton John are a powerful songwriting team. Taupin writes the lyrics. John then puts them to music. But in one of Taupin’s songs, John hit the wrong chord.

Worry Warts

The British historian A. J. P. Taylor said the Enlightenment is still interesting only to those who are still worried about Christianity. The Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot turned 300 on Saturday, October 5th. But only Worry Worts found this interesting since they worry about how the Enlightenment is deforming today’s church.

Nation of Heretics

Sheila Larson made her own decisions about faith. Robert Bellah described her as a typical American Christian, holding to an individualistic faith. A prophet would suggest that Sheila’s faith is heresy. But in a nation of heretics, who’s asking for their opinion?

Not a Hometown Hero

In October 1977, The Atlantic ran a cover story on renewable energy. That year, at least 40 green innovations had proven their worth. Thirty years later most had died. The problem was insufficient funding due to a lack of institutional alignment. These are the two challenges that Jesus predicted prophets would face – fit and…

Finding a Fit

In 1995, Lorraine Cichowski found a fit. Her team played a prophetic role at USA TODAY. In 2005, Henrik Syse found a fit. For two years, he played the role of prophet, or gatekeeper, at Norges Bank Investment Management. These two stories are, however, exceptions proving a rule. Jesus predicted prophets experience difficulty finding a…