Freemason Information
Freemasonry is a post-collegiate mostly-all male fraternity dedicated to the social development of the member to form a broader sense of the self and their community.
The Prince Hall Memorial will not bear its namesake’s image when it is erected on Cambridge Common this November. No pictures of the indentured servant-turned-abolitionist can be found, nor much description on which to base an artist’s depiction.
And while Prince Hall’s contributions to American history and the antislavery movement are familiar to historians and members of the Masonic lodge he created, he is not a well-known figure.
Read the entire store from The Boston Globe
Imagine being a Mason for 75 years having not been raised until the age of 37! That means you were a Mason before WWII and that you could have collected Social Security for 50 years! That describes Walter Breuning, the world’s oldest man at 112, who will be 113 this month. Brother Breuning lives at the Rainbow Retirement Center in Great Falls, Montana.
But Breuning is far from confined to bed. Why he gets all over town. Both the billings Gazette and the Great Falls Tribune report:
Despite his age, Breuning is not confined to the Rainbow. A few years ago, he was given a motorized four-wheel scooter, and Moore might be able to get a photo of him zipping along the sidewalks downtown — if the weather’s right.
“Ten or 12 of us here have scooters, and we can go just about anywhere,” Breuning said. (1,2)
Breuning usually rises around 6:00 AM every morning, breakfasting at 7:00. He attends to errands and meets with friends until 2:00 PM when he usually retires to his room to read, write and listen to the radio.
“Normally I eat about 600 calories for breakfast, eggs and toast, or French toast, or pancakes, or the fruit bar.” By eating just two meals a day and restricting his calories to about 1,200, his weight has remained stable at 125 pounds for the past 30 years, said the 5-foot-6 Breuning.(1,2)
Breuning has received a great deal of attention since attaining the status of oldest living man. Governor Brian Schweitzer recently paid him a visit and they talked politics and history for hours. Following Governor Schweitzer was Imperial Potentate Jack Jones making the trip from Tampa, Florida to honor this man. John Moore, a famous Pulitzer photographer from Denver, came to take his picture.
KRTV of Great Falls also came and they tell us:
Members of the organization (Masons) came from all over the state – and country – to honor the legend, including the Imperial Potentate of Shriners International and the highest ranking Shriner in the world, Jack Jones.
Walter was given a plaque and pin for his seven-plus decades of dedication to the cause during a Sunday ceremony at the Rainbow Assisted Living Center in Great Falls.
“There’s many men who are interested in these organizations, but when it comes to commitment, Walter is the man,” explained Grand Warden Tom Duffy, Jr. “He’s had years of commitment, 75 plus in Masonry and Shrinedom. Boy, if Webster had a definition behind it, wouldn’t it be Walter right behind ‘commitment’?” (3)
Middle picture shows De Smet, South Dakota where Breuning grew up.
A man who has seen and done much, that’s Walter Breuning. But he has much more to do. He is still travelling upon that Level of time from whose bourne no traveler returns.
SOURCES:
(1) Oldest Man Has Hands Full With Media, Great Falls Tribune –
(2) At 112, World’s Oldest Man Has No Time For Nonesense, Billings Gazette –
(3) Walter Breuning Receives Another Honor, KRTV –
“My heart can adopt all forms, I follow the religion of Love: Whichever road the camel of Love takes, that is my religion and my faith”
-Ibn Arabi
By Carlos Antonio Martinez, Jr., J.D., PH.D., M.A., 33º
Contrary to the majority of “Exoteric Spiritual Systems” Free-Masonry lacks totalitarian ambition. It accepts that although its method is “just and perfect”, it is not the only one through which its goals are accomplished. It recognizes that its modus-operandi is merely one more of the Traditional Avenues of Access to Knowledge, just like in the Occidental world so were the diverse Gnostic Schools with which it shares a number of basic elements.
For the individual who knows how and when to advance beyond the appearances which at times seem discordant and contradictory and reaches the central nucleus of a proposed concept and/or theory, it must not be difficult to encounter profound parallelisms among Traditions which emanate from the same fountain. Thus, it is with minimum or no effort that we can realize how Free-Masonry shares so many essential tenets, attributes and characteristics with other socio-cultural movements which have emerged all throughout the history of mankind; Movements which in the form of academies, cults, private associations, clubs, congregations, guilds and corporations united and still unite “men and women of good repute and customs” who labor incessantly in the construction of their Inner Temples.
The acceptance of this proven fact, however, must not lead us to the extreme assumption that “everything is identical”, thus reducing Traditions to its minimum common denominator and therefore losing its intrinsically characteristic richness. The fact that “within their nucleuses” Traditions seem analogous does not make their manifestations appear so before the eyes of the common folk, for in order to really appreciate it, it is necessary to make an active and persevering effort.
One of the traditions which outside the occidental frame distinguishes itself among those most proximate to Free-Masonry, is Sufism. The similarity and compatibility of Sufism with the Craft is such that, quite frequently, learned men and women refer to Free-Masonry as: “Western Sufism”, and, in like manner, they refer to Sufism as: “Free-Masonry of Islam”. Before continuing on, it is important to under-line what I consider the most fundamental difference between these two Traditions: While Free-Masonry accepts any “exoteric frame”, Sufism can only be lived plentifully within the Islamic Religion. In this occasion, therefore, notwithstanding how passion-inspiring the topic may be, I will not address the more or less true relationships existing between these two Institutions and their precursors; I will, however, focus very succinctly on points that are central and common to both Traditions.
There are two origins commonly attributed to Sufism: One, is a type of “Concealed Interior Doctrine” directly transmitted by the Prophet (may Peace be upon him!) to his most intimate Disciples; a somewhat similar to certain Gnostic Interpretations of Primitive Christianity and transmitted to our modern days by way of a “golden thread” of Initiates. And the other, entirely different from the first one, is that of the Persian Influence upon the primogenial Arabic Islam, an influence through which certain pantheist and monist depth was aggregated. It is indeed probable that both theories bear much Truth in them; But, only one reality remains uncontested: Sufism has been present in Islam since the first centuries of its existence, having, just like Free-Masonry, a best or worst fate while living its Principles of Love and Tolerance in any of the social/political contexts of the last twelve hundred years.
Though Sufism is not a monolithic block, and philosophical positions from the most orthodox to the most heterodox have been based on it, the most adequate definition may be the one given to us by Omar Ali Shah: “Doctrine which seeks to remove the veil from the eye of the heart (Ayd al-Qalb) to see what is Real (al-Haq)”. It is difficult to condense greater profoundness in such a few words, and impossible to explain them to he/she who does not feel. On the other hand, the moral aspect, just like in Free-Masonry, is not alien to Sufism; Hence the definition given by Junayd of Bagdad: “Adoption of superior qualities and abandonment of inferior ones”.
Sufism, contrary to practices and Ascetic Schools of the Indian subcontinent with which it is also compared, is vivid and practiced in open communities, thus vertebrating themselves with Progressive Ways from smaller groups headed by a “Master” to larger “Grand Orders”, of which the Naqsbandi is probably the best known. The exterior practices of Sufism are determined in great measure by belonging to either “Order”, and most specially by the “ritualistic knocking”, counsel and input of the founding “Master” who inaugurates all major ceremonies which are then followed by prayers, supplications, invocations, diets, pilgrimages and other activities which are as generic and specific to the Muslim World.
The internal practices are, on the contrary, much more faithful to Sufism and very common/familiar to it independently of the “Order” affiliated with, as it usually happens with any esoteric doctrine of difficult comprehension to the non-initiate. Let us in this occasion only mention the practice of Meditation over the Internal Reality (Haqiqah), over the thought-integrator of opposites, over the motion of Nature innate to all human beings (Fitra) and which reveals in its interior the Full Sense of Creation and the presence of Allah (Dhirku’llah) in an analogous perception.
These exercises, among other disciplines, are carried out individually, but, under the tutelage of the “Master” of a regular Community where nobody is granted admission, unless he/she has been subject to rigorous trials aimed at provoking the “Awakening of the Sufi”, an event rarely referenced to under such appellative, but, instead, commonly known as: the “Awakening of a Friend”, very close to the Masonic expression: the “Resurrection of a Brother Master Mason”.
May these few lines suffice to at least superficially emboss the coincidences between Sufism and Free-Masonry, in order that the individual interested in the study of Esoterism in general may benefit from the resources offered by either path, and the Free-Mason, with or without an apron, may know of a Sister Tradition in the Muslim World, a world that is now so perversely defamed and slandered by Profane and “Mason” alike, a world that, contrary to the nefarious assertions of our nation’s failed leadership, is plethoric of Hope, Faith and Charity and ever ready to extend the hand of Brotherly/Sisterly Love, Relief and Truth to all the people of the world.
Reprinted by permission of Carlos Antonio Martinez, Jr.
Mahatma Gandhi developed seven blunders of the world.
Gandhi was a man that believed in change through peace and his pacifistic rebellion in India inspired many other peaceful protests such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights crusade. He was a man that lived in a century of unimaginable violence and let the regularity of his own behavior afford the best example for that of others less informed. His seven blunders of the world should certainly give Masons pause and the contemplation of their effects provides an excellent guide for their conduct.
A child that receives a toy as a gift will quickly lose interest in it and toss it to the side. But the child that does chores to earn his allowance in order to buy the toy that he wants will cherish it for an extend period of time.
There is certainly nothing wrong with enjoying life. While every person has a right to pursue what makes him happy, a lack of conscience will only lead to suffering. Pleasure without conscience leads to alcoholism, adultery, gambling addiction, and other personal injuries.
A wise man may be able to benefit society, but if he lacks a character worthy of emulation he will never have an audience. If a man has knowledge, but is conceited because of it or uses it immorally for his own gain he is worthless.
The man that cheats and defrauds his customers may make more money in the beginning, but he will lose everything when the truth is revealed.
Scientific discovery used for the destruction of humanity rather than for its benefit, is a waste of man’s reasoning skills. Nuclear power offers incredible benefits for those who use it properly, but has caused great anxiety because it was first used for violent purposes.
It is good to worship, but if worship is unaccompanied by sacrifice no self-improvement is made. This does not mean that lambs must be slain and burned as an offering, but that divesting ourselves of the superfluities of life—which is a sacrifice—produces the fruit of worship.
A firm understanding of politics will allow a man in office to accomplish anything he pleases. However, if it is used without principle it only serves to corrupt the government and enslave the masses.
Join us tonight for Masonic Central tonight as we host another edition of our Table Talk and catch up on the events and goings on of the fraternity in the last few weeks of Freemasonry. This is also an opportunity to ask the hosts any questions that you may have about the fraternity, the show, or just call in with your questions and comments. We always love to hear from everyone out there listening, and tonight is the night to call in! Some of the topics in the air is a follow up to the social media discussion from last week, the upcoming Dan Brown book “The Lost Symbol”, and an exciting symposium coming together in 2010 in Kansas.
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Join us for this special hour long program on Masonic Central Sunday, September 6th starting at 6pm PDT/9pm EST. For your questions and comments to the show call: (347) 677-0936 during the program.
Also you can listen to the program live from our home at Masonic Central on Blog Talk Radio and join in with our live program chat, or from our player widget on our website at Freemason Information.
Michael Jackson is said to be interred in his final resting place today at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. But few, outside of certain circles, know that amidst the beautiful statues and reliquaries stands a lonely Masonic memorial, that is in fact one of the largest sculptures on the grounds.
Once upon a time, Freemasonry was huge in Los Angeles, so big in fact that it managed to carve out a section of the now prestigious cemetery to the stars.
Buried on the grounds of the park are celebrities a plenty including: Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Jean Harlow, Humphrey Bogart, Mary Pickford, Errol Flynn, Spencer Tracy, George Burns & Gracie Allen, W.C. Fields, Tom Mix, Clayton Moore, Sammy Davis Jr., Walt Disney, Red Skelton, Robert Young, Lon Chaney, Nat King Cole, Sid Grauman, Louis L’Amour to name but a few. And for those really paying attention, you may notice a few Masonic Brothers on the list.
There in a quiet and some what isolated corner of the park stands a lone Masonic memorial surrounded by hundreds (maybe thousands) of grave markers decorated not by the signs of their respective faiths but by the Square and Compass. After looking around for a few minutes, it becomes clear that this portion of the cemetery is a Masonic cemetery.
And, its no surprise, the founder of the Memorial Park himself was a brother of the white apron, whose Masonic history is chronicled in Denslow’s 10,000 Famous Freemasons saying of him:
Hubert Eaton – (June 3, 1881 – September 20, 1966) Originator of the “memorial-park” plan for cemeteries, substituting tablets set level with the lawn for tombstones, providing art collections, historical buildings, etc., thereby revolutionizing cemeteries throughout the U.S. He is known as “the builder” of Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Calif., which is noted for its collection of stained glass works of American sculptors and recreations of Last Supper and Calvary. b. June 3, 1881 at Liberty, Mo., he graduated from William Jewell Coll. in Liberty in 1902. A chemist, he has been associated with many of the main mining companies of America including Anaconda, Teziutlan Copper (Mexico), Adaven Mining (Nev.). Raised in Euclid Lodge No. 58, Great Falls, Mont. in 1905 and presently member of Southern California Lodge No. 278, Los Angeles. Member of Liberty Chapter No. 3, R.A.M., Liberty, Mo., Los Angeles Commandery No. 9, K.T., Al Malaikah Shrine of Los Angeles and of Shrine Patrol. Served as junior deacon of his lodge.
In 2007, I was able to spend the afternoon at the memorial with my wife, and during that brief excursion, I was able to explore the reverential memorial, and pay homage to my beloved passed brethren. With so many passed fellow travelers in the shadow of the memorial, and the monument itself, the experience impressed upon me that at one point (in the not to distant past) Freemasonry was HUGE here and really important to these brothers laid to rest around the memorial.
Read more on Masonic Art in Los Angeles.
Rather than go into great detail in describing the memorial, I’ll let the visuals speak for themselves. But I do want to say that despite all the hoopla of the media circus that will surround Michael Jackson’s final resting place, the cemetery of his choosing is also a quiet memorial to Freemasonry and the brothers who have come this way before.
Click the thumbnail for a larger image.
Few book stores really give you whatyou pay for, and even fewer don’t sport a big box name that you can recall on opposite ends of the continent. In Los Angeles, its rare to find a unique book store that really delivers what its name implies. In fact, I can only think of one here in LA, and that’s the Bodhi Tree in West LA.
What I stumbled onto today is the home site for a new store that opened (re-opened) in the Great Lakes region, and I only wish I were closer to drop in and check it out for myself. If your anywhere near Chicago Illinois, I would highly recommend stopping in and spending some time at the Occult Bookstore in Chicago, Il., and if you do, drop me a line and give me the details.
But it really is a rare find these days, even in enlightened cities , to find a store that caters to the esoteric and occult at least in so many words.
From the site:
Occult Co. is a historic occult business based in and operated out of Chicago, IL. For years, we’ve made it our mission to immerse ourselves in the study and practical applications of metaphysics and occult practices. Our specialty lies in Rare / Antique Artifacts (inc. books, tribal fetishes, relics, occult art, ancient rites, and living stones).
…our business has experienced growth and expansion so that our rare magicio-sacred items are now available worldwide. Regardless of where you live – whether surrounded by urban sprawl or secluded in the depths of remote locales – you now have access to the supernatural potential of our high quality magickal items, some of which until now, have been unavailable anywhere in the United States.
Their webstore is do up any day now, and I can’t wait to see what they have in the mix.
What really strikes me is that the store is an oddity in a landscape made exotic by Starbucks Coffee houses housed inside of Barnes and Nobles book stores, or chairs and benches strewen about in Borders. A store like this is something I’ve contemplated opening on more than one occasion myself, so I’m glad that I’m not the only one thinking about these things and that they still have a commercial presence. There is just something about thumbing through a book on meditation and magick rather than “Looking Inside” through the virtual Amazon store.
So, iff your nearby, the Occult Booktore is located on Milwaukee Ave near Ashland and Division in Chicago IL and I encourage you to take a trip and check it out.
And, if your not close by, check out the Occult Bookstore Website.
In the mean time, what book stores do you recommend that cater to your esoteric proclivities?
When I first started expressing myself in Freemasonry the medium that I used was the one which all the great old Masters of Masonic scholarship used – the word, the printed word. So I wrote many words, words of explaining, of informing, of changing, of reform – so many words. Isn’t that what every Masonic author does – conveying his or her messages in many words?
Then along came Stephen Dafoe who, within Freemasonry, decided words are nice, they are the very bread and butter of every author, but they are not the totality of an integrated work of scholarship. What an author’s work needs, proposed Dafoe, was proper illustration and artwork. So Dafoe was meticulous about the covers to his books and the magazines he published. He hired Steve McKim to produce some beautiful artwork for his covers and some for the inside pages. Dafoe would always add many illustrations and pictures to his work and if you take a look at Nobly Born and The Compasses and the Cross you can see the development of this style to its utmost perfection. You can’t read a Dafoe work today with just words, or let’s say not very often anyway.
Then along came Greg Stewart. He wasn’t writing books but he was still in the profession of Masonic scholarship. Stewart is very good with words but he is also an excellent graphic designer and an originator of some of his own Masonic artwork. Stewart immediately saw the need in online Masonic websites for a marriage of the printed word and the visual. Right from the start on his websites you could actually visualize what he was also writing, culminating in his remake of Freemason Information into a consortium of Masonic writers where with the expertise of Dean Kennedy he crafted a website using word, pictures & artwork and video.
Words without pictures leaves little to the imagination and often allows no room for personalization of the message. The author is leading the reader in a direction he wants to take him/her only utilizing the printed word. The journey is well structured but if the reader becomes claustrophobic or fails to connect with the intent of the author the two will part company.
Pictures without words allows the observer’s imagination to wander off in a hundred different directions at once. There is not enough structure for the artist to be sure that the receiver understands the message that he wishes to convey.
When words and pictures are used together the mind can be brought back into a narrower focus on what the author is trying to convey, yet there is room for the reader to personalize the message and through the powers of imagination carry it into his or her own life experiences.
Which leads us to symbols. Symbols are a representation of a concept. They are drawings with a definite purpose in mind. Whether it is the Cross, the Golden Arches or the Square and Compasses, they are a picture with unspoken words attached. That is why they are so powerful; they can do double duty simultaneously. And that is why multi talented creators like Dafoe & Stewart who can turn a good word while at the same time provide great visual effects that enhance their work are so successful at what they do. Now put them in a setting where the use of symbols runs strong and you provide them with the ultimate opportunity to unleash their creativity. Add to that the fact that both men are excellent speakers and have produced Masonic radio shows to compliment the rest of their work and you have two artists who have the ability to present their work using many different avenues of perception.
Nobody knows this better than David Naughton-Shires. He may be the newcomer to the scene but he is following in the footsteps of Dafoe and Stewart. He understands, as they do, how important the use of all the human senses is in the creation of the work of an artist. He realizes that in order to get one’s work recognized, a creator has to appeal to the observer in many different ways. It is my humble opinion that Naughton-Shires is no newcomer to the knowledge of these facts nor is he new to the ability to produce such integrated work but that it has been his involvement with Freemasonry that is new to him and that has unleashed his creativity and ability into actual great creations and enabled his work to be noticed. And that is because, in my opinion, the power of the symbolism of Freemasonry is so great, so strong and so conducive to the creative artist being able to express himself that it just opens an artist’s creative juices to full flow. Freemasonry is the best platform from which to create great works because of its great symbolism, its long history spanning centuries, and its message of passion for nobleness, righteousness and equality. There are very few other settings that are as conducive to opening up the greatness of an artist.
Nauthton-Shires is carrying the New Age Of Masonic Expression into its next phase. He has a little twist on the applications of Dafoe and Stewart. Rather than producing words with enhancing visual effects, he is producing the visual, artwork, enhanced by words. This removes Masonic scholarship even further away from the bookshelves. Soon applications such as Power Point presentations which can be shown almost like movies will be a Masonic creative specialty and I have no doubt that a man like Naughton-Shires will be leading the pack in taking Masonic expression into deeper and unexplored waters.
That being said Naughton-Shires is proving he is no flash in the pan, no fluke, no 90-day wonder. Rather what I see is continued growth and depth of presentation in his work as demonstrated by his latest Issue 3 of The Masonic Art Exchange Newsletter. He has adopted a Knights Templar theme for the next four or five issues and this Newsletter is sort of an introduction to Templar art. Naughton-Shires asserts:
“Most of the ‘standard’ Templar art is seen in almost every book, magazine and article on the warriors who wore the red cross, and I will attempt to include this in my article but I hope to show art by lesser known modern day artists in the issues that will cover this subject.”
The cover page of this issue is a compelling picture of a Knight Templar called “Fear” and painted by the brilliant Argentinean artist Ignacio Bazan.
And Naughton-Shires outstanding feature article in issue #3 is titled, The Art of The Knight Templars: Artistic Representations of The Crusader Knights of God. In it he features the story and work of Benedictine Monk Mathew Paris and a plethora of early Templar art. Later issues will feature more modern Templar paintings and drawings.
The Knights Templar have been as Naughton-Shires says, “an enigma for many years.” Yet they hold an amazing attraction for modern day society that just can’t seem to get enough of the “lore of the Knights.” Like many of us Naughton-Shires has the “Templar bug” and I asked him what first intrigued him about this society?
“I have had a keen interest in the Templar since watching the movie Ivanhoe many many years ago in which they are depicted as the ‘bad guys’; of course after research I discovered that as with any group there were bad guys indeed but also many good guys.”
There is one picture in the article that really caught my eye. It looks like a tapestry and features green and orange colors. I couldn’t quite make out what was going on in what looked like a story of some kind in pictures.
Naughton-Shires explains what he knows about this work of art:
“The image is of a twelve century map of Jerusalem which depicts a crusader knight in a white mantle assisting the other knights. It is believed to actually be a depiction of St George but this is based on the Latin inscription behind his head that reads Scs Georgius”
There is also an Apron article in this issue and some other tidbits not available for viewing at the time this article was written. But then again, I wouldn’t want to tell you all the good things in Issue #3 of The Masonic Art Exchange’s Newsletter. Better you should go find out for yourself.
And as you do that note where Masonic scholarship seems to be going. We are entering a new age of Masonic Expression, one where the visual arts vault into first place ahead of the word. And leading the charge is Naughton-Shires carrying the torch from Dafoe and Stewart who are shoo-ins for the 21st Century Masonic Hall of Fame. Sometimes the pupil surpasses the Master but that remains to be seen.
Naughton-Shires is still climbing the wall of stardom. It might behoove us all to grab onto his cable tow and let him pull us into greater heights of Light and once in awhile in the rough places, the precipices that do not hold, for some of us to pull him up and out. The journey together, the journey shared is very rewarding. Naughton-Shires is beckoning for you to come along for the ride. My advice is do it and don’t look back.
A few weeks back we explored the ideas of Social Media as it intersected with Secret Societies, creating the shift from restricted knowledge to an open communication in the 21st century -ciphers replaced with pixels and WYSIWYG editors. Today, Social Media has surpassed the expectations of those who declared it a passing trend and it has become a vital component of any individual or business that wants to build their brand and broadcast their message to an ever increasing audience.
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This is more than Mafia Wars, Bejeweled, or What famous actor are you test. This is the creation and delivery of a messages and content that readers will grow to trust, will grow to rely upon, and will look to for opinion.
In other words, Social Media is not going away and that both For Profits and Non Profits need to understand the important role it plays in communicating their unique brand message. Why is participating in Social media important? By participating, organizations are able to project their own message and content and have conversations with other people about it.
Joining us this week on Masonic Central are two guests who are experts in the field of Social Media and Marketing Communication:
Br. Giles Crouch who has nearly 20 years of marketing communications experience, is co-founded of MediaBadger, a Social Media & Web PR firm. He is an active Mason for 10 years, and is presently Worshipful Master of Ad Astra Lodge in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Br. Glen Gilmore, better known in social media circles as “Trend Tracker.”. Glen is a social media consultant who is currently listed in the “Top 100 Twitter Elite” as established by TwitterGrader. He is one of the most followed people on Twitter focusing on the subject of social media. He serves as the Social Media Director for the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Glen has been a Mason for over 20 years and is also a member of the Scottish Rite.
Brothers Giles and Glen will compare notes with Dean and Greg on the growing role of Social Media’s message and brand building power and why it is a vital component to every non-profits strategy to connect with the world.
Join us for this special hour and a half long program on Masonic Central this Sunday, August 30th starting at 6pm PDT/9pm EST. For your questions and comments to the guest live on the air call: (347) 677-0936 during the program.
Also you can listen to the program live from our home at Masonic Central on Blog Talk Radio and join in with our live program chat, or from our player widget on our website at Freemason Information.
Business Writer Gary Hamel of the Wall Street Journal is a bit of an outsider when it comes to religion. His background is much more wall street than the pulpit. I have no doubt that in his life he has had some experience in regards to faith, but, based on his writing credentials, Hamel is a very serious expert on business.
So what was surprising to me was to read an article that he penned in the Wall Street Journal about a conference that he attended and spoke at for Willow Creek Community Church. The article appeared in the Wall Street Journal’s blogs section and was filed under the title “Organized Religion’s ‘Management Problem’”. And, in a nut shell, it analyzed the growing decrease in church attendance and the lack of shake up taking place in the churches at the front of providing the service to the attendees. Essentially, he addressed the lack of response by churches to the change in attendance comparing it to the business sector, where a business to act in the same manner when faced with the same problem. The analogy was simple, quoting from Hamel:
Organizations lose their relevance when the rate of internal change lags the pace of external change. And that’s the problem that besets many churches today. And guess what? A lot of secular institutions are in the same boat (Freemasonry). Think about General Motors, Sony, Motorola, United Airlines, AOL, Yahoo, Sears, Starbucks—how have these companies been doing in recent years? Not too well. And not just because of the recession, but because they got stuck in the mud; they fell in love with status quo. Their employees were prisoners of precedent, locked in jails run by the custodians of convention. …Your problem isn’t unique, and it isn’t materialism, atheism, skepticism or relativism—it’s institutional inertia. And if it makes you feel better, it’s not entirely your fault. Like leaders everywhere, you’ve been mugged by change.
The rant that Hamel goes into (his words, not mine) is a good lesson to learn from, and recitation of an old rally cry, that change is necessary, t least in some respect, and that from it, new growth can come. Quoting again from Hamel:
Historically, business leaders and church leaders didn’t have to worry about fundamental paradigm shifts. They could safely assume that their basic business models would last forever. In the case of church, this meant loyal pew-warmers who would show up every week, sit passively through the same unvarying church service, drop $20 into the plate as it passed, and politely shake the pastor’s hand as they headed off for lunch. But business models aren’t eternal—and their mortality rate has been rising. In industry after industry we’ve witnessed profound paradigm shifts . . .
There is a lesson to be learned here. Does the same business model from 60 years ago apply today? Hamel continued:
The Second Law of Thermodynamics applies to organizations as well physical systems. Over time, visions become strategies, strategies get codified into policies, policies spawn practices, and practices become habits. That’s organizational entropy—and it’s why success is usually a self-correcting phenomenon. And it’s also why the hard thing—the really hard thing, isn’t inventing a brilliant strategy, but reinventing it! Given all of this, the most critical advantage a church (or any other organization) can build is an “evolutionary advantage”—an ability to constantly morph and adapt.
And, drawing from Hamel again:
Moreover, it’s usually necessary to decapitate the old leadership team before an organization can embark on a new course. In other words, fundamental change in large organizations happens the same way it happens in poorly governed dictatorships—belatedly, infrequently and convulsively. And that’s pathetic. It shouldn’t take the organizational equivalent of a deathbed experience to spur renewal. We need to change the way we change. Over the centuries, religion has become institutionalized, and in the process encrusted with elaborate hierarchies, top-heavy bureaucracies, highly specialized roles and reflexive routines. (Kinda like your company, but only more so). Religion won’t regain its relevance until church leaders chip off these calcified layers, rediscover their sense of mission, and set themselves free to reinvent “church” for a new age.
Really, there are some very sound bits in here, that Freemasonry can learn from, or that it can learn from before its to late. I highly recommend you read the article by Gary Hamel, and if you find it worthy, forward it along to your Grand Lodge leadership. There is still time to adjust the rate of internal change before it lags to far behind the pace of external change and we get lost in obscurity.