During the past few weeks a shocking amount of media coverage has been committed to the argument about whether President Obama is a Muslim. This battle was ignited by aggressive comments from a handful of high profile Christian leaders, followed by a letter signed by 70 Christian pastors asking the media to stop giving coverage [...]
Earning Trust
Over the years I’ve had some interesting experiences that have taught me helpful insights about trust.
When I began Barna Research Group (as it was originally known), our first significant client was Disney. It was odd because Disney’s VP of Research called me out of the blue. The call was placed by their research director, a [...]
Getting Input, Making Decisions
A couple of weeks ago the FCC delivered its National Broadband Plan to Congress. It is an interesting bill based on an even more interesting process. The FCC deployed the ultimate participatory effort in the creation of this bill. Here is what they incorporated:
36 public workshops (including some streamed online) that elicited the involvement of [...]
Good Leaders Never Give Up
We’ve all heard the quotes about persevering. We’ve read the biblical exhortations to stay firm and diligent. We know that things change and with those changes come new opportunities. But sometimes the motivational quotes fail to motivate as the reality of oppression and difficulty take their toll on your psyche. I don’t know about you, [...]
Trashing the Servant
Thirty-plus years ago, both before I became a Christian as well as after I encountered Jesus Christ and asked Him to take over my life, I was involved in the politics, managing election campaigns and conducting polls for candidates. It was fascinating and occasionally satisfying. One of the most interesting aspects was the characters whom [...]
Disqualified Because of Personality?
While catching up on some back reading recently I was intrigued by an editorial in the NY Times by Ross Douthat, whose columns are often interesting. In his November 22, 2009 column, Douthat wrote that Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin, in particular, seem unsuited for the presidency because they do not have the gravitas required [...]








