On Economic Virtue, from APM's Speaking of Faith

First Person: Ellen Williams on Focusing on Love, Family, and Being

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:00:00 CST

Ellen Williams, a retired lay pastoral associate from Richmond, Virginia, submitted an essay about her reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. Ellen Williams experienced a health crisis at the same time the current meltdown was happening. She looks to the words of other writers from various fields as a way to understand and connect disparate events so that we can learn to love one another.

First Person: Abeer Razi on Remembering What's Important

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 7:00:00 CST

Abeer Raazi, a recent college graduate who studied Economics, submitted an essay about his reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. Abeer Raazi questions the discipline of society and the discipline of economics. And he looks to his religion of Islam, family, and community as teachers in living an important life filled with meaning and purpose.

First Person: Lia Hadley on New Paradigms of Community

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 12:00:00 CST

Lia Hadley has lived in Lubeck, Germany for more than 20 years now, and has personally been affected by the IT bust nearly 10 years ago now. She submitted an essay about her reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. Through her experiences as an computer technologist who needs to find new contracts regularly, she has had to reevaluate the meaning of trust and also finds new ways of forming local community in her village and through virtual socially-based programs to improve the lives of women in other villages around the globe.

First Person: Marc Mullinax on Fasting and "Holy Interruptions"

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 12:00:00 CST

Marc Mullinax, a professor of Religion and Philosophy at Mars Hill College in North Carolina, submitted an essay about her reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. Through the season of Lent and the instruction of his students, he has found ways to live a more sustainable life and be more conscientious of the community around him during these difficult fiscal times and into a new era of the next American dream.

First Person: Emily Muschinske on Comedy as Spiritual Renewal

Mon, 25 May 2009 12:00:00 CST

Emily Muschinske, a graphic designer and illustrator of children's books who was recently laid off while working in New York City, submitted an essay about her reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. She has become more skeptical of terms such as family, loyalty, and trust when used in corporate settings and discusses how comedy is one of the best ways of coping with this economic crisis.

First Person: Abeer Raazi on Remembering What's Important

Mon, 18 May 2009 12:00:00 CST

Abeer Raazi, a student living in Columbus, Ohio, submitted an essay about his reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. He talks about his unease about the disconnect between his field of study, Economics, and social concerns; the wisdom he finds in his Islamic tradition; and the need for optimism and problem-solving in this new economic present.

First Person: Careen Stoll on Dreaming and Feeling Needed as a Potter

Mon, 11 May 2009 12:00:00 CST

Careen Stoll, a potter living in Portland, Oregon, submitted an essay about his reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. She writes about the difficulty of competing with large retailers, the beauty of craftsmanship, and why a "dirty rebel" like her found solace in hearing President Obama's call for small artisans.

First Person: Khalid Kamau on Gaining Time and Community in the Black Church

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:39:00 CST

Khalid Kamau, a financial analyst who was recently laid off, submitted an essay about his reflections on the moral and spiritual aspects of the economic crisis. He talks about his free time as being an opportunity to reexamine his career, his role in the black church, and the status quo that remains within American society.

First Person: Marie Howe on Greater Simplicity and Laura Ingalls Wilder

Mon, 9 Mar 2009 14:39:00 CST

The poet Marie Howe relates personal stories of ambition and reflection, and a surprising reference to Laura Ingalls Wilder's "The Long Winter." With her daughter, she's been reading Wilder's writings about the frontier and survival as a source of inspiration and wisdom that puts into perspective her own place in these tumultuous economic times.

First Person: Anita Barrows on Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 14:39:00 CST

Poet and psychologist Anita Barrows first appeared in our program, "The Soul in Depression." She sees the moral challenges of these economic times as an opportunity to come to terms with change in a healthy sense. She also looks to poets like Rainer Maria Rilke and Pablo Neruda for ways of finding strength and compassion as we're called now to examine how we take care of each other.

First Person: Vigen Guroian on a Crisis of Imagination

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:39:00 CST

Vigen Guroian, an Orthodox Christian theologian, sees the value of this pivotal moment in history through the lens of great literature, the coming of spring and the Lenten season, and the wisdom of beekeeping.

First Person: Nathan Dungan on the Moral Failure of Protecting Children and Ourselves

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:39:00 CST

Financial advisor Nathan Dungan sees the global financial collapse as something that was architected. And, he argues, these values of consumption and materialism are instilled early on in children through marketing and family behavior. He finds culpability in all of us and says that we need to return to the strong sense of thrift and service that built the United States.

First Person: Katie Ford on Poetry, Katrina, and Wasting One's Life

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:39:00 CST

Poet Katie Ford lived through the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina, and the financial and social crisis that ensues. For her, this economic crisis is an opportunity to reevaluate what's truly worthy of trust and faith. And, she says, it's the poetry of James Wright, a man who lived through the Great Depression that helps her put the current economic climate in perspective.

First Person: Majora Carter on Being More Deliberately Joyful

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 11:39:00 CST

Activist Majora Carter says she doesn't think of her work at Sustainable South Bronx as a moral endeavor, but a pragmatic one. Nevertheless she looks on this period of economic tumult as a chance for being happy and passing that on to others.

First Person: Anchee Min on Repairing the American Individual

Fri, 6 Feb 2009 11:39:00 CST

Novelist Anchee Min grew up during the Cultural Revolution in Mao's China. Living in the United States for several decades, she offers a challenging assessment of American reactions to these times based on her harsher experiences.

First Person: Robert Millet on Giving to One Another

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 14:45:00 CST

An LDS scholar and professor of ancient scripture, Robert Millet sees the current culture lacking a better model for the redistribution of wealth. Although government regulation may not regulate salaries, he says, we can show personal generosity and charity for those less fortunate. He sees these deeds that help him spiritually and help him recognize the other.

First Person: Sharon Salzberg on the Humiliation of Suffering

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:45:00 CST

The Buddhist teacher and author Sharon Salzberg reflects on our current culture and its inability to acknowledge the inevitability of suffering. We hide from it, and hide it from others. She argues that we need not fear this, but look to others for compassion and wisdom and generosity as well as being touch with ourselves.

First Person: Greg Epstein on Human Solutions and Not Divine Ones

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:00:00 CST

The Harvard Humanist chaplain Greg Epstein finds that these economic times have prompted him to think about community and activism differently. He finds humanists and atheists are learning to define themselves in terms of activism and outreach rather than just protesting the religious faithful.

First Person: Ayman Amer on No-Interest Banking and a "House of Finance"

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:00:00 CST

Mount Mercy economics professor Ayman Amer outlines financial alternatives as they are practiced in the Islamic world. He ruminates on the shared responsibilities of government, lending bodies, communities and individuals discussing how they can they work together for mutual success. Amer uses the Islamic financial practices of no-interest banking as an example of an alternative method that could realistically be applied here in the United States.

First Person: Pankaj Mishra on the Dangers of Progress

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:00:00 CST

Pankaj Mishra, an Indian journalist and author of "The End of Suffering: The Buddha in the World," critiques the ideologies of progress and globalization. He argues that we don't have to invent some new solution to our way of living. Our traditions already have resources to heal us. We need to live like we're bound to the people around us. Perhaps doing so, he says, especially in a society where we value individualism and specialization, would have prevented the larger crisis.

First Person: David Hilfiker on Strengthening and Liberating the Poor

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:00:00 CST

SOF last spoke to Dr. David Hilfiker in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when he gave insight into the issue of poverty and its modern history. We're hearing from him again after several years and, although much has changed, Hilfiker's message about caring for the poor has remained consistent. He discusses how poverty is as much of an issue now as it ever has been, and how the current economic situation might provide an opportunity to renew a social contract between the affluent and the needy.

First Person: Joan Chittister on Christmas

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:00:00 CST

Our SOF First Person series continues with Benedictine nun and author Joan Chittister. She's been thinking and writing about Christmas, the prism through which economic crisis is coming home uncomfortably to many of us right now. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh of the kingly biblical gift-givers, she's learned, are not displays of wealth but of blessings of character -- generosity, serenity, and spirit. And her vow of stability takes on new meaning in tumultuous times.

First Person: Shane Claiborne on Opportunity for Renewed Community

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 15:30:00 CST

Our SOF First Person series continues with Evangelical monastic Shane Claiborne, author of "Jesus for President." He sees the economic downturn as a chance to reacquaint ourselves with our local communities and our need for stewardship for those least able to help themselves.

First Person: Rachel Naomi Remen and Economic Crisis as Spiritual Journey

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:30:00 CST

Our SOF First Person series continues with physician Rachel Naomi Remen, author of "Kitchen Table Wisdom." She sees these fiscally hard times as an opportunity to find our way back to the largeness of our collective story, which is part of the spiritual path we are on as we ask ourselves questions during this economic crisis: What do I trust? What do I really need?

First Person: Esther Sternberg on the Economic Crisis in Biological Terms

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 10:00:00 CST

SOF First Person continues its series on the economic downturn with Dr. Esther Sternberg, a rheumatologist and stress researcher. She doesn't see the financial crisis in moral terms in so much as biological ones. She elaborates on these scientific points and then relates them on a personal level, often by looking inward and exposing the frailty of her own humanity.

First Person: Prabhu Guptara on Applying Personal Moral Sense to One's Work Life

Tue, 2 Dec 2008 13:20:00 CST

As promised, we continue our SOF First Person project by turning to Swiss banking expert, Prabhu Guptara. Several years ago, Krista spoke with Guptara when the fallout of the Enron scandal was wreaking havoc on the U.S. economy and shaking investor confidence in corporate practices and business fundamentals. His message was simple but challenging, and also quite liberating for much of our audience -- bring your personal values into the workplace. For Guptara, doing this is one of the best ways of making ethical decisions that will lead to moral integrity -- and less corruption and scandal.

First Person: Martin Marty on Trust in Uncertain Times

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:00:00 CST

The SOF First Person project kicks off with our search for fresh ways to talk about the current economic crisis -- beginning with reflections from an acclaimed historian and theologian. He shares a good deal of his "lived theology" -- the personal, daily acts of faith that preserve sanity and restore trust even at the most uncertain times.

First Person: Rebecca Blank on the Ethics of the Free Market

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 15:00:00 CST

Informally, we launched our SOF First Person project on the economic crisis with the economist Rebecca Blank, co-author of the book "Is The Market Moral?" She brings together a faith in the power of markets and her life-long Christian faith, providing a unique ethical perspective on the free market at a time when even Alan Greenspan has been expressing his doubts about it.