Campus Blogs

Today, October 31, 2017, is the day that we celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. 500 years ago today, Martin Luther posted his famous, and to some infamous "95 Theses" to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Posting a list of theses on the church door announced an academic debate. Luther was calling for a discussion of the use of indulgences in place of penance, and the abuse of the practice to raise funds for church construction and crusades. As with much of Luther's writing, his formulation of the theses was not strictly academic in style. He could be sarcastic, stretch the point, point fingers, and go for a laugh at someone like the Pope's expense. The event quickly got out of hand, and the monk, theologian, professor, priest, and pastor, Martin Luther found himself at the head of uncontrollable events, a reform of the church, a break-up of the unity of Western Christendom, social conflict and wars, and the creation of new forms of Christian piety that we know of now as Protestantism. 500 years ago, out of this seemingly normal academic exercise in a small, relatively unknown university, the Protestant Reformation began. I have been watching the assessments, some celebratory and some not, for many months. In Germany last summer with an FPU Alumni Tour we stopped in Worms where Luther defied the emperor, Charles V with some other famous words. Asked to recant his errors he said that he could not do so unless persuaded by Scripture and evident reason, an concluded "here I stand, I can do no other." At Worms is a 19^th century monument to Luther and other early modern church leaders which emphasized the importance of Luther in the march of freedom, and the progress of European civilization. Luther, however, might remind us that while he spoke of the "freedom of the Christian" he did so to explain the result of the gift of grace, received by faith that freed the believer from the anxiety of having to "do one's best," or to perform works, to receive the grace of forgiveness for one's sins. The believer was free from the religious burdens imposed by human authorities. Grace and faith were divine gifts. Without them the individual was a slave to sin and the anxiety it produced. He didn't quite have the progressive freedom of the modern and postmodern world in mind. In the last weeks, I've seen Luther celebrated for his commitment to truth, and the commitment of the individual to live in truth. And indeed, he stood up against the powers in the church and empire to dramatic effect. However, it wasn't just truth he was after. He appealed to the truth of Scripture as he had come to understand it. He returned to the sources, back to the beginnings, "ad fontes" as humanist scholars would emphasize. He would want the truth, but not just any truth. He had struggled to understand the way of salvation as presented in the Bible over many years. He gradually came to the understanding that much in contemporary practice and teaching had deviated from that authoritative truth. And furthermore, he did so as a theologian, a doctor of theology, of Scripture, one with a particular calling and responsibility within the body of the Church to teach. He would oppose other individuals who stood up to teach a different truth. It wasn't just any truth, and it wasn't just any individual, he was a particular individual with a certain responsibility to teach the truth of the revelation of received by the church, and for all who would believe. I have also read commentaries to be used in preaching from Protestant bodies that have emphasized that the meaning of the Reformation was in the ongoing reform of the church that is experienced, ideally, at all times, Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda (the reformed church always reforming). In one of those brief commentaries, none of the themes of Luther's teaching was evident, not grace, faith, the authority of scripture in the believer's life and in the church, not Christ as redeemer, or the freedom of the Christian, or the desire to live in faith knowing ourselves as "simultaneously justified and sinner," a theology of the cross, not one of glory. Instead came the call to the work of the progressive liberation of the world, and the creation of the Kingdom of God in the world. Reading through its very 20^th and 21^st century language and formulations, it seemed to me to embody a new form of the work's righteousness against which Luther rebelled and taught. And some other church leaders have concluded that, well, today Christians just don't see the point, are uninterested. The traditional theological themes of grace, faith, the authority of Scripture, and those other doctrines that Luther explored are just not part of how the Christian faith is experienced. Doctrines are not important though living as a body of faith is, seen symbolically in baptism, and witnessed also by the ongoing persecution of Christian around the world. These are no doubt important themes. The world does not recognize the doctrines that have divided denominations of the church since the Reformation, nor do many denominations emphasize those divisions. In many ways this is a healthy sign. We have learned that different church bodies have distinctive gifts to offer the church and the world, and we can live as one body of Christians even with some differences. But is seems also that those martyrs are dying for something, the something they were baptized into. I just learned from a friend and colleague who is in Wittenberg today, October 31, 2017, that 400,000 are expected to be there to celebrate this historic day. I will be watching the news to see what is reported. There are apparently many who think the work of Luther, and the Reformation, a reform for the whole of the church, are important, including the experiences and theological insights that drove him. In many, many churches last Sunday, Reformation Sunday, the Reformation was celebrated once again, this time with flare and enthusiasm. And the great themes that Luther emphasized, whether in doctrinal statements, or as ways of the Christian life shown in the "solas" the "alones" of the Reformation were voiced and rejoiced in: Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone (sola gratis, sola fides, sola scriptura). I was reminded on Sunday during the celebration that in the last two generations churches have come together to find mutual affirmations of Luther's teaching on justification, notably in the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogues that resulted in mutual affirmations, and in the joint affirmation, The Gift of Salvation, of the group that formed "Evangelicals and Catholics Together." These are movements to celebrate. We might lament the tragedy of the division of Christians and the wars around control of church teaching and its wealth in the sixteenth century. But we can also celebrate and remember with deep gratitude the brilliance of the reformers, of Martin Luther, and of the movement that created the modern, western Christian church in all its manifestations.

We have just finished the fall 2017 MBA course in Business Ethics, "Law, Ethics and Values in a Global Environment." It is a challenge to complete the course in 8 weeks with depth of consideration of some large topics which require intensive discussion, but we get it done. We focus in three areas: ethical theories and tools (or their application in the business environment), personal reflection on ethical experience, and case studies. It is this last area of focus that I want to discuss. Each week each student in the course writes and posts a brief outline and analysis of a current ethical case study that is or has been in the news for the previous few weeks or months—they are very current. In groups students research and write a case study, analyzing a specific business, diagnosing the ethical implications and reasons for the businesses problems, and then offering a series of remedies based on an ethical model used in the class. By the time we are done each student has written on eight cases, and commented on at least sixteen. It can be intensive, but it needs to be to gain the full impact of the study. Students more than rise to the occasion. This semester we have had no end of intriguing cases to discuss: the ongoing revelations of unethical practices at the formerly trusted Wells Fargo, the turmoil, ousting and selection of a CEO at Uber, the failure to notify and remedy the data breeches at Equifax, and the sadly comical legal woes of Martin Shkreli, among others. The first three mentioned all arose from failures of leadership, failures of a specific kind. Students picked this out, noticing the particular failing that appeared in all three organizations. In each the top leadership (including, but not just the CEO) valued pursuing aggressive growth and profit goals over treating customers and employees fairly and honestly, having the integrity to protect customer identity, treating competitors and communities with respect, and even following basic laws. In each an examination of the organization's core values, even if they mentioned the values of, for example, honesty, basic fairness, respect, or service to customers, subordinated these basic values to growth, profit, aggressiveness, and expansion. These latter goals were promoted the highest or core values of the organization. I have not witnessed the convergence of major scandals like this around such basic issues in the fifteen years I have been teaching business ethics. It was instructive for me, as well as the class. We expect businesses to pursue goals, expand when they can, make a profit, and reward investors. But we also expect that they represent honestly what they offer customers or potential customers, that they charge them fairly and transparently for services that customers agree they want, that they treat the data customers supply or that they company gathers with care and appropriate security, and that they follow the laws and very basic moral agreements of our society. Modern business grew up and operates in a society, our society, with basic moral or ethical expectations. Adam Smith, the definer of early capitalism and author or The Wealth of Nations (1776), discussed this basic moral sensibility operating in his and our commercial society in his earlier The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759). The desire for profit, and the reward of employees (CEOs and topic executives in these instances) and investors does not override these basic moral and ethical standards and concerns. Doing business with someone or an organization requires trust, and that trust was violated in dramatic ways in the cases students presented. In 2010, the President and CEO of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, testified before Congress about the accidents and deaths that had resulted from problems with Toyota engineering. He gave what I think is an accurate diagnosis of the root of Toyota's missteps:

Toyota's priority has traditionally been the following: First; Safety, Second; Quality, and Third; Volume. These priorities became confused, and we were not able to stop, think, and make improvements as much as we were able to before, and our basic stance to listen to customers' voices to make better products has weakened somewhat. We pursued growth over the speed at which we were able to develop our people and our organization, and we should sincerely be mindful of that. I regret that this has resulted in the safety issues described in the recalls we face today, and I am deeply sorry for any accidents that Toyota drivers have experienced.

To date none of the companies we studied this semester have come close to recognizing the root causes of their ongoing problems. Toyota is still rebuilding. Earlier this fall, I attended an event at the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. As we walked to the entrance, we saw Toyota advertising hung in two large banners above the gates. One said, "Faithful Then" the other, "Faithful Now." Akio Toyoda described to Congress what happened in between the then and the now. Toyota seems to be aware of the ethical integrity they must have to keep the trust of the customers they serve.

Of course, we want and do get to deeper themes, those imbedded in the nobler work that businesses and organizations do in providing goods and services, promoting the public good, and to those that are part of our faith commitments and calling to serve in business in our communities. This semester we were struck by some of the most basic values necessary for our work, and what happens when we neglect them.

Guest author: Peter Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of peacemaking & conflict studies. For many Americans, September 11 was a defining moment 16 years ago. One of the comic strips in the morning paper directed my attention this way. It read: “Never Forget” and included a shadow outline of the Manhattan skyline with the World Trade Towers. It got me thinking about the role of memory and what message I was to be taking from the comic stip. What exactly should not be forgotten? Evil deeds? Symbols of capitalist conquest? First responders? Terrorists? So, my musings began with what we are not to forget and it was not clear to me. But, more than that, it is not just what we remember but how we remember that makes a significant difference. For instance, the Israelites were counseled to always remember that they were once slaves/mistreated aliens in Egypt, so this should inform the ways that they related to strangers living among them thenceforth: with compassion and justice rather than exploitation and disregard. Thus, remembering is critical for current action. The preeminent story for Christians is the life of Jesus, a narrative which we are to “Never Forget.” But here, again, it is not merely what we remember but how we remember. One way of remembering could be steeped in bitterness and the desire for revenge against those who persecuted and killed Jesus. Rising up in rebellion against Rome was a tempting option for some. Later generations of Christians fell prey to the temptation to blame the Jews as those responsible for orchestrating the death of Jesus. In such cases, remembering of the death of Jesus becomes fuel for revenge. But the story of Jesus, rightly remembered, is one of healing and the quest for right relationships amongst humans. When Jesus holds his last supper with his disciples, he predicts his death and tells them that the new covenant will be centered in his self-offering of his whole being; bread and wine symbolizing his body and blood. Thus, rather than encouraging his disciples to focus their remembering on the perpetrators and the atrocity of putting an innocent person to death, he invites their (and our) remembering to be oriented around his consistent way of life, which death could not vanquish, self-offering love. The work of restorative justice has to do with leading people in an exercise of remembering that emphasizes how we remember, not just what we remember. For, when offenders are called upon to remember their deeds, they do so with guidance to take responsibility, to not make excuses, and to apologize. And when victims are called upon to remember the offense they suffered, they are counseled to do so with honesty, speaking from their pain and confusion. And both parties are counseled to listen respectfully, which is a major contributor toward remembering the events in a way that leads toward healing and harm repair rather than further hurt and destruction. So, we might ask ourselves whenever we are encouraged to “Never Forget,” what is it that needs remembering and in what ways can our remembering be most helpful toward bringing about the flourishing humanity?

Doug Noll speaks about and teaches people how to solve difficult, intractable and highly emotional problems. He was a business and commercial trial lawyer for 22 years before turning to leadership development, problem-solving and peacemaking. He is a senior consultant with Mobius Executive Leadership and maintains a high-level mediation and arbitration practice. For his innovative work, Noll has been voted as one of the Best Lawyers in America since 2005, by US News & World Report and has been recognized since 2006 as a Northern California Super Lawyer. He is listed in the International Who’s Who of Commercial Mediation. He has been honored as Lawyer of the Year in 2014 by Best Lawyers in America. In 2014, Doug was honored as a Purpose Prize Fellow by Encore.org. Along with his colleague Laurel Kaufer, Noll was named California Attorney of the Year in 2012 for their pro bono Prison of Peace project. That work was instrumental to his latest book, De-escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less. The FPU Alumni Office and CPACS will host a book signing for Noll on Thursday, September 28, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall on the main campus, 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno. Doug Noll is also the author of the book Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts (Prometheus Books, April 2011) and winner of the Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution (CPR) International Peace and Justice Book Award for 2011. In addition, Noll wrote Sex, Politics & Religion at the Office: The New Competitive Advantage (Auberry Press 2006) with John Boogaert, and Peacemaking: Practicing at the Intersection of Law and Human Conflict (Cascadia 2002) as well as numerous articles on peacemaking, restorative justice, conflict resolution and mediation. He is a mediator trainer, lecturer and continuing education panelist. Noll is an adjunct faculty member of the Pepperdine School of Law Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution and teaches “The Psychology of Conflict Communication” and “Decision Making.” Doug Noll makes his home in the foothills above Clovis, CA with his wife, Aleya.

PIVOT QUESTIONS

1. What is your favorite word?

Peace

2. What is your least favorite word?

Disrespect

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Serving others and learning new stuff

4. What turns you off?

Movie violence

5. What is your favorite legal word?

Res ipsa loquitur (lit. “the matter speaks for itself”)

6. What sound or noise do you love?

My violin

7. What sound or noise do you hate?

Crashing metal

8. What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?

Musician

9. What profession would you not like to do?

Medical doctor

The traditional semester for undergraduate and graduate courses begins in just two weeks. I and my fellow professors are now finishing revisions to our courses. This happens often for me, as it does this year, after reading new material, new scholarship, or catching up on topics we have felt some weakness in. I know others do the same as me because we talk about it. For me this summer has meant immersion in Reformation history through travel and reading, reading and writing on Christian and Muslim relationships and mutual understanding or misunderstanding during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, some broad reading in what we might call "the modern predicament" as part for ongoing work for teaching modern history, and working through my general approach to business ethics. It's an eclectic bag, but it is in the last area that I want to offer some thoughts. As I have taken up the teaching mantle again, I have taken the opportunity to review some of the work I have previously done, and re-read some of the works I have used and recommended to students in the past. (I have posted a list of readings for business ethics here). Business ethics is often taught as how to make good or ethical, and how to avoid bad or unethical decisions. If only it were that simple. There are good things a business can do to set itself up encourage ethical work throughout its personnel and operations. We not only discuss various options, but study companies that work ethically and how they do it, and we practice developing policies and structures that lead in this direction. When I talk with alumni, Board members, friends of FPU, or personal friends and colleagues, I am often gain examples about what they are doing, how they are managing, and these sometimes end up in class discussions (often with the names changed to protect privacy). When you have a community of business people who come together with a shared ethical commitment, as we do at FPU, we can support each other, draw on others' experience, and encourage the best and most faithful impulses we have. Businesses are able to make good decisions when they have learned through practice how to achieve good results, how to pursue good ends, and how to act well in doing it. Good decisions are the result of good character, and a bit of experience and wisdom. Businesses and other organizations can and must develop ethical character to in order to thrive. For this kind of approach to ethics we need not just technique and data, though these help. We need more than dilemmas and problems to resolve. We need motivation and commitment certainly. But we also need a way of seeing the good in the work we do, the highest purposes we have, the true nature of the people we work with and for, and the goals of service and creation that we seek to achieve. We also need a sense of the high calling we have serving. In my preparation, this summer three books reminded me of the deeper meaning of the work we do in businesses and other organizations. The first is Michael Novak's Business as a Calling, Work and the Examined Life (Free Press, 1996). Novak is a Christian theologian, political thinker, and winner of the Templeton prize in religion. He writes about the Christian calling to serve, the virtues required of businesses and business people, the moral institution of business, and the responsibilities of businesses as social institutions. He says "Man the discoverer is made in the image of God. To be creative, to cooperate in bringing creation itself to its perfection is an important element in the human vocation. This belief that each human being is imago Dei—made in the image of God—was bound to lead, in an evolutionary and experimental way, to the development of an economic system whose first premise is that the principal of human wealth is human creativity." He goes on to note that this work is with and for others, and raises whole populations out of poverty when allowed to work. The second volume is James Kouzes and Barry Posner's Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, and why People Demand it" (Josey-Bass, 2003). Many know Kouzes and Posner from their The Leadership Challenge—also highly recommended. Throughout this discussion of credible leadership, Kouzes and Posner reflect on the values by which leaders act, the virtues required, and the necessity of one's actions conforming to his or her words—the integrity of a leader that brings credibility. They have chapters titled "Discovering Yourself," "Appreciating Constituents and their Diversity," Affirming Shared Values," "Serving a Purpose," and "Sustaining Hope." These are the underlying practices, capacities, purposes, and qualities that a credible leader develops, one whom others will follow and with whom they will succeed in an organization or effort. These titles reflect the deeper personal ethical and spiritual qualities of a leader. If we are to understand ethics in business we must understand ourselves and what we seek individually and corporately in deep ways. The final volume is Tom Morris's If Aristotle Ran General Motors: The New Soul of Business (Henry Holt, 1997). Morris spoke at FPU's Business Forum about 10 years ago, and received some of the most outstanding praise for any speaker we brought in the series. A former professor of philosophy at Notre Dame, Morris now consults with businesses. He translates the wisdom of philosophers for everyday life, for work, organizations, and leadership. He explains that we must see the good in what we do, the beauty in what we create, the truth as opposed to the lies swirling around us, and the spiritual dimension of our work. I have assigned this last work for a graduate course this semester. We will attempt to see the beauty, spiritual dimension, the truth, and the good and how to encourage it in what we do. This is the purpose of the study of ethics, the deeper dimension beyond decisions, processes, and rules businesses must follow. I am always encouraged by the desire and capacity of our business leaders and students to engage in this kind of of reflection.