Michael Boone’s Spiritual 40 Day Road Trip

tonygill — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 08:00:16 +0000

Imagine you go into atrial fibrillation and the doctors tell you that they will be back in a few minutes to “put the paddles on you” after the anesthesia takes effect. It will likely be okay, but something might go wrong. What goes through your mind during those two or three minutes? For Michael Boone, founder of MWBoone & Associates (now Boone Wealth Advisors, LLC), he started thinking “motorcycle road trip through the Western United States,” of course! Fortunately for our podcast, Michael came through the paddles just fine and after a few years of getting around to it, he took off into the “wilderness” for 40 days on a spiritual journey. He recounts the motivations for, experiences of, and lessons from this journey. We start with some discussion about his spiritual and professional background, and what it is like to be a devout Christian in the rough-and-tumble world of financial consulting. Adam Smith makes an appearance in our chat, as does Matthew (the guy from the New Testament). Michael then talks about his “moment of insight” lying on the hospital gurney and how this helped him to reshuffle his priorities. Mike explains why forty days was chosen for the trip, noting its religious significance in both the Old and New Testaments. And then it is off down the driveway on his motorcycle. He notes that he gave himself permission to fail — notably come back home at any time — but he never did turn around for the duration of the trip. He started with no reservations (literally … no hotel reservations) and just went where the spirit (Spirit) took him, taking life as it came to him. We meet a couple of characters, including Maria who he ended up helping out of the wilderness, and one of his friends to was undergoing a heart transplant as Mike’s trip came to a close. This odyssey was literally and figuratively a journey of the heart. Our discussion also entails an epiphany Tony has about how barstools are arranged. Certain themes of the trip are discussed, including the importance of “letting go,” discomfort, freedom, and (perhaps most importantly) Sabbath. Mike notes that Sabbath is not just about relaxing, but is really about “stopping,” which can be uncomfortable. We discuss some of the lessons other folks might pull from Mike’s experiences and he gives us some indication of what the future holds after learning new lessons. Recorded: August 16, 2016.

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy

tonygill — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 08:00:38 +0000

Did Protestant missionaries help plant the seeds of democracy throughout the world? We take up that question with Prof. Robert Woodberry, associate professor of political science at the National Univesity of Singapore, whose recent article “The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy” in the American Political Science Review is reinvigorating interest in the link between religion and political outcomes around the world and throughout history. Our conversation begins with an examination of the standard theories for why democracy has emerged in some places but not in others. Prof. Woodberry carefully indicates that democracy is more than just elections, but includes respect for civil liberties and the rule of law. Our conversation tuns to the role religion plays in the promotion of liberal democracy and how Bob became interested in this topic. He mentions that one of his dissertation advisors, Ken Bollen, had noticed an interesting historical correlation between Protestantism and democracy back in the 1970s, but most other scholars simply ignored that observation. It was left to Bob to pick up the torch and run with it, a task he was well-suited for given his family’s history in missionizing. Tony then asks Bob why he thinks scholars have so frequently overlooked the “religious factor” in the study of democratization, and Prof. Woodberry then provides some interesting speculations that click well with previous discussions we have had with other guests on our podcast. Prof. Woodberry then spells out his thesis, arguing that “conversionary Protestants” — Protestants interested in fulfilling the task of The Great Commission (Matthew 28: 16-20) be it in post-Reformation Europe or elsewhere — have a strong interest in convincing individuals to make a free choice to accept Jesus as their savior. In doing so, these Protestants encourage literacy, which in turn incentivizes the creation of mass printing. The voluntarism inherent in these Protestant churches also foments the development of skills associated with civic organization, which become the basis for the vibrant civil society needed to challenge autocratic rulers. Tony notes that this finding is consistent with other sociological research finding that church attenders are more likely to be involved in non-church civic organizations than their secular counterparts. Tony also encourages scholars studying “new social movements” to look at “old social movements” (i.e., churches) because they have been collectively organizing for centuries, if not millenia. Finally, Bob also notes that conversionary Protestants were strong advocates for religious liberty, which often corresponded with respect for other civil liberties such as the right to assemble and speak one’s mind. This led many of these Protestants to also speak out against the more severe abuses of colonialism such as slavery. All of this then prompts non-religious organizations to follow the lead of these Protestant groups so as to not be outdone in the competition for the hearts and minds of the general population. It is at this point where Tony gets a chance to plug his first book which connects well with Prof. Woodberry’s findings. We look at why the Catholic Church did not proceed along a similar path until very recently, and why civilizations such as Imperial China did not allow for the expansion of printing and literacy despite having invented movable typeset printing long before Europe. We conclude our discussion with Bob’s thought on the Arab Spring. Recorded: June 12, 2012.

Research On Religion » freedom

Michael Boone’s Spiritual 40 Day Road Trip

Robert Woodberry on Missionaries and Democracy