{"id":35606,"date":"2024-02-08T04:23:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-08T12:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35606"},"modified":"2024-02-11T08:57:14","modified_gmt":"2024-02-11T16:57:14","slug":"if-anything-is-excellent-or-praiseworthy-think-about-such-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/if-anything-is-excellent-or-praiseworthy-think-about-such-things\/","title":{"rendered":"If Anything is Excellent or Praiseworthy\u2014Think About Such Things"},"content":{"rendered":"

As I mulled over Tim Harford\u2019s How to Make the World Add Up<\/em>, I was transported to my undergraduate classes when I was a na\u00efve business student. Sitting in a business law class, we had just finished the documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room<\/em> and I felt physically ill from the information learned. I had gained new vocabulary, cooking the books<\/em> and whistleblowing<\/em> and a new understanding of greed. In Times Magazine article, Simon Constable writes, \u201c[Enron\u2019s] collapse sent ripples through the financial system, with the government introducing a set of stringent regulations for auditors, accountants and senior executives, huge requirements for record keeping, and criminal penalties for securities laws violations.\u201d [1] This scandal forever changed American business and significantly impacted American trust in the stock market.<\/p>\n

I mention the Enron scandal not to further investigate the events, but to highlight the idea of shattered trust between a massive corporation and the people it was supposed to protect. Broken trust is not easily restored. Sadly, Enron-type scandals occur across all sectors: private, public, and nonprofit. As long as we exist in a sin-filled world, we will experience the ripple effects of evil and we will face disturbing information. We are confronted with the dilemma of what to do with disruptive statistics.<\/p>\n

Especially, in the digital age, we are bombarded with information whose aim is to sow doubt and distrust. Sometimes the easiest route may seem to not believe in anyone or anything. We can maintain a nihilistic attitude that echoes Nietzsche, \u201cThere are no eternal facts, as there are no absolute truths.\u201d [2] While reading Harford, this nihilistic thinking manifests itself in what he terms as doubt induced apathy. <\/em>Harford states, \u201c\u2026the problem is not that we are too eager to believe something, but that we find reasons not to believe anything (The Data Detective, 2021).\u201d [3] He continues, \u201cWe\u2019ve lost our sense that statistics might help us make the world add up. It\u2019s not that we feel every statistic is a lie, but that we feel helpless to pick out the truths (p. 15).\u201d [4]<\/p>\n

This doubt induced apathy <\/em>is a killer of curiosity. I believe we are in dangerous territory when we stop asking questions; even worse, when we shut down other people’s questions. As Christian leaders, we know apathy is detrimental. We read Jesus’ words in Rev. 3:15, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” We reach a place where we must decide and take action with the information we have. Harford writes, \u201cIf we want to make the world add up, we need to ask questions\u2014open-minded, genuine questions (p. 281).\u201d [5] He continues, \u201cCuriosity, it turns out, can be a remarkably powerful thing (p. 269).\u201d [6] There is power in asking the right questions and remaining open to outside questions.<\/p>\n

When considering the importance of curiosity, my mind immediately shifts to Camacho\u2019s Mining for Gold<\/em> and the significance of operating with an abundance mentality. Gold is everywhere and there is an importance in seeing the value of what is in front of us. [7] The same goes for information. Good and trustworthy data does exist, but we must search for it. Ultimately, we as leaders, have the agency to choose our attitude concerning information and how we use it. Harford writes, \u201cStatistics can be used to illuminate reality with clarity and honesty (p. 12).\u201d[8] So, I must ask myself, \u201cWhat would our world look like if we spent more time emphasizing truth rather than just debunking what we believe to be false?\u201d I desire, with an abundance mindset, to announce that which is true. I find encouragement through the apostle Paul\u2019s exhortation, \u201cFinally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable\u2014if anything is excellent or praiseworthy\u2014think about such things (Phil 4:8 [NIV]).\u201d This requires an intentional mental shift and focus on my part.<\/p>\n

I was disturbed as an undergraduate student when I learned of the Enron scandal. There are realities in this world that still greatly alarm me. However, as I continue to grow as a Christian leader, I find my \u201cmeasuring stick of truth\u201d has aided me in navigating through doubt and cynicism in much healthier, God-honoring ways. I may not be able to control the information that comes at me, truthful or untruthful, but I can control my reaction to it. Harford reminds readers, “If we don\u2019t master our emotions, whether they are telling us to doubt or telling us to believe, we\u2019re in danger of fooling ourselves (p. 48).” I have felt a sense of freedom in being able to test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 Jn 4:1). Paul and Elder state, \u201cFair-minded critical reasoners cultivate not only intellectual abilities but also intellectual dispositions. These attributes are essential to excellence of thought. They determine with what insight and integrity you think. (The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools, 2020).\u201d [10] I desire to approach information with genuine curiosity and confidence grounded in the truth I know and understand, while accepting new statistics with open hands.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1] Simon Constable, \u201cHow the Enron Scandal Changed American Business Forever\u201d, accessed February 8, 2024, https:\/\/time.com\/6125253\/enron-scandal-changed-american-business-forever\/<\/a><\/p>\n

[2] \u201cA Quote by Friedrich Nietzsche.\u201d Accessed February 8, 2024. https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/quotes\/78566-there-are-no-eternal-facts-as-there-are-no-absolute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[3] Tim Harford, The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics<\/em> (p. 15). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[4] Harford, The Data Detective,<\/em> (p. 11). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[5] Harford, The Data Detective,<\/em> (p. 281). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[6] Harford, The Data Detective,<\/em> (p. 269). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[7] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders Through Coaching<\/em>\u00a0(London: IVP Press, 2019).<\/p>\n

[8] Tim Harford, The Data Detective,<\/em> (p. 12). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[9] Tim Harford, The Data Detective,<\/em> (p. 48). Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n

[10] Richard Paul and Linda Elder, The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools (Thinker’s Guide Library) <\/em>(p. 24). The Foundation for Critical Thinking. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I mulled over Tim Harford\u2019s How to Make the World Add Up, I was transported to my undergraduate classes when I was a na\u00efve business student. Sitting in a business law class, we had just finished the documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and I felt physically ill from the information learned. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":208,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3035],"class_list":["post-35606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-harford-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/208"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35606"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35742,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35606\/revisions\/35742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}