by Jim Sawyer | Knowing versus “Believing”, Moral Development
During my first days in New Zealand, I was assigned a senior companion—Elder C—I called him—to work on Auckland’s stunningly beautiful North Shore. He had arrived only six months ahead of me and soon earned a reputation. Personable, humble and “gung-ho,” Elder C was...
by Jim Sawyer | Knowing versus “Believing”, Moral Development
Meet The Mormons As New Zealand Missionaries for the Latter-day Saints, often we loaned out picture books—Meet The Mormons. We used them to make the case that Kiwi’s—a name honoring their unique flightless bird—might lead happier, more successful lives by “signing...
by Jim Sawyer | Knowing versus “Believing”, Moral Development
Tim LaHaye’s Publishing Empire According to The Guardian, Tim LaHaye’s Left Behind series—released annually between 1995 and 2007—sold at least 70 million copies and brought in as much as $15 million yearly to LaHaye and his co-writer. These books, with their gloomy...
by Jim Sawyer | Knowing versus “Believing”, Moral Development
What This Bumper Sticker Implies When I lived in Seattle several years ago, I was jolted by a bumper sticker on a car driven by someone I presumed to be an Evangelical Christian. “In the Rapture” it proclaimed, “This Car Will Be Driverless.” Indeed, I wondered: was...
by Jim Sawyer | Cultural Renewal, Moral Development
Twelve-Stepping With Al-Anon I love the Al-Anon phrase “Obedience to the Unenforceable.” Its significance stretches far beyond addiction, to offer hope—broadly—for renewing American democracy. It also relates to phrases “rule of law” and “consent of the governed.” Two...
by Jim Sawyer | American “Elders”, Moral Development
Moral Development of Our Youth I had asked a Pan American stewardess for ginger ale, but she served something else. “Are you sure this is ginger ale?” I asked. “Of course,” she responded. “It’s good for you.” Whatever. I decided to drink it. The next day, as I was...