My purpose in writing this Blog is to explore my world today: Today I am retired, living in Branson Missouri, United States of America, North American continent, World.
I am fully committed follower of Jesus Christ. I am labeled a Southern Baptist, Missouri Baptist member of a Community Church.
In a recent face book dialogue on the topic of "Gun Control" I was labeled and labeled those who were involved in the dialogue. This was done based on post that were shared in support of our particular views regarding the topic of gun control in the USA.
I found myself submitting to the reflexive loop of The Ladder of Inference. The ladder of inference first appeared from the brain of Chris Argyris then was presented by Peter Senge in his work, "The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook where I encountered it for the first time.
I am in the process of exploring my thinking in some major areas of my life. Those of Religion, Culture, Politics, and how they shape my Worldview. My purpose in this blog is to introduce the Ladder and challenge you to think through your worldview with it in mind.
The first rung on the ladder is Real Data & Experience. Our real data and experience begins at birth and our climb begins. LIfe then adds more data and experiences which in reality begins a circular pattern. Maybe a better name would be the Circle of Inference.
As we grow and add data & experience we begin to affix meaning from which we develop assumptions. From these assumptions we come to conclusions and develop beliefs. Our beliefs then form the basis of our actions. Actions create additional data and experience.
What should happen is continuous learning, one of the core disciplines of life. We should build new data and experiences on what has come before with each cycle resulting in growth of each of the elements in our structure of belief. Why does this life long learning not happen?
The Ladder or Circle has a "Reflexive Loop" which connects back to selected data and experiences. This means that as we select new data and experiences we tend to select data and experiences that support our existing beliefs. As a child I lived in the home of an alcoholic father and submissive mother. In my later childhood my father became a Christian and our family began attending church regularly. Church attendance continued through High School. During these formative years most data and experiences were selected for me.
After High School in college I began to select more and more of the data and experience as I began to make my own assumptions, draw my own conclusions, and develop my own beliefs. As I selected my own data I tended to select data and experience that reinforced my own chosen beliefs.
As we select data and experiences that support existing beliefs those beliefs become more firmly fixed. This over time causes us to focus on smaller amounts of data and experiences thus limiting our growth and learning.
This has been demonstrated repeatedly when cultures have been introduced to new data and experiences. Steve Saint working with native cultures in Ecuador found the natives could "pull" their own teeth simply from watching a Dentist perform the operation then going from village to village without a "mission" dentist. New data, new experience resulted in learning.( Read Steve's story in)
I have been blessed by God who has directed my life to arenas of new data and experiences. I went from High School to College of the Ozarks a Presbyterian High School / College. This farm raised Baptist was flooded with data from very non christian peers, exposed to opportunities for experiences making the full range on a scale of morality. The most compelling data and experiences came from a fellow student who befriended me and poured data into me and gave opportunity for reinforcing experiences from a "biblical Christian" view.
So, here I am in my late 60's seeking to "boldly go where no man has gone before". I believe that all truth is God's truth and do not need to fear where the pursuit of truth will lead me. I am the only limiting factor in my pursuit of truth. I limit myself when I allow myself to be closed to data that on the surface appears to contradict my existing beliefs, reject that new data and in the process narrow the way to truth.
Early on in my life of pastoral ministry I was exposed to the data of homosexuality and given an opportunity of a new experience. One day a young man walked into my office at church wanting to talk. He proceeded to share that he was gay. By God's Grace I welcomed him to attend as often as he wanted, invited him to my home looking for the opportunity to share with him the hope that was within me. This was the beginning of my journey to seek the truth of homosexuality in the light of God's grace and God's faithfulness to HIs written Word.
New data and experiences continued as I was forced into a career as a Corporate Management and Development Trainor with a fortune 100 company. God led me to biblical truth being expressed in the business world leading me to return to the world of ministry with the church.
Returning to the pastorate I found myself leading mission teams in Brazil, Ecuador, Canada, El Salvador, England and the United States of America. More new data, more new experiences.
Recently the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Ronnie Floyd spoke of uniting the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board of the SBC. The challenge for SBC churches and pastors is to dialogue on the issue and not get caught in the reflexive loop of the ladder of inference. Getting caught in this loop one would observe only data that reinforced their existing belief and experiences from the years of immense success of the present separation of the boards. Getting caught in this loop would prevent new data such as the growing global culture and the fast shrinking of our world. Recently when I went to the doctor my doctor was from India. I live in Branson Mo. In Mexico Mo. where I lived is the Mexico Military Academy with students from all over the world. The mission field has come to rural central USA. Not observing this data prevents me from experiences that create for me new learning experience and keeps me imprisoned in the past.
While Training Facilitator for Millbrook Distribution a division of Mckesson Drug I was assigned a task that eventually eliminated the need for my position. I traveled to our sales training force teaching them to use this new tool called a "lap top computer". It was part of my responsibility along with Sales Managers to meet with the sales force periodically to give new numbers, (new prices, new products, all the new stuff since the last meeting) Imagine the cost of my travel, lodging, food, time away from the sales field.
With the lap top all the new numbers could be "mailed" on a CD, read on the lap top by the sales person in the field.
Now the CD needs no longer to be mailed but emailed.
Some of the sales people adapted readily and quickly learned this new data. Others resisted the "lap top" The word from our President; "The train has left the station get on or off." Sadly many chose to get off out of fear of this new tool. Their reflexive loop prevented this new data and new experiences. They chose to attempt to stay where they were: our changing world will not allow this for us.
As Director of Missions for a Baptist Association of Churches we eliminated the cost of a physical building. I operated as Director with an Ipad, an Iphone and McDonald's. Mac had coffee and free Wifi essentials for a Baptist to do his work. I could travel to the Pastors not them travel to me. We eliminated much cost by going digital with our newsletter.
Life long learning is essential for life! Will your thriving business be needed in the future? Ask the buggy makers? What is happening with watch makers, cameras and the list grows daily.
Using the Ladder of Inference share with me my journey in Religion. (please take the time to read my blog on Dialogue, we must agree on the meaning of religion) My definition of religion is the standard definition found in the dictionary. But what dictionary? Technology has complicated the process of communication. Let us use the wikpedia free definition: A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. Based on that definition early data in my life was from a rural share crop farmer in southeast Missouri. I had 4 brothers and 4 sisters living in a 3 bedroom house.
Early life was with an alcoholic Dad who loved and supported his work force family. We did not know hunger.
Somewhere in those formative years my data input changed. Same rural farm family of eleven but now with a "born again father" and a country hell fire and brimstone church with a don't Gospel. Don't smoke or chew, play cards, or go with girls that do. Vowing that I would not spend my life picking cotton as soon as possible (one week after High School graduation I was on the campus of School of the Ozarks. My data input changed once more. My religious input became Presybeterian in name and early college in practice until.
I met Joe. Joe lived Christ. I wanted what he had and he shared and began to pour into me new data. I began my journey through the Ladder forming beliefs based on he mixtuer of old and new data. I continued my religious journey taking the reflexive loop transfering to Southwest Baptist College. There I allowed data that reenforced by beliefs and rejected data that did not support my rural conservative Southern belief system. We all have these data systems on which we have made our choices of beliefs on which we base our actions. If we stay in the refllexive loop we close our system to new data and learning.
Footnote: Truth requires an ultimate standard. My standard is the Word of God. Not the King James version, or cotton patch version of English Standard version but as translated from mauscripts as close to the orginals as possible. History proves the reliability of this foundation for a standard.
Every day we all are bombarded with new data. We are constantly making dicisions to accept or reject the new data and or fit it into an already formulated belief system. We hear and see what we have predetermined we want to see and hear. Does this cause us to miss Truth?
This same data bombardment continues in the area of Politics. My early data comes from a Democratic Republican split family. As far as my family was concerned elections were always a draw. My reflexive loop kept me in early college Independent political party. As I have learned to become a lifelong learner my position in the INdependent political party has strengthen. New data is allowed based not on party but issues held up to the light of my standard for all truth.
New data gained from travels to all kinds of culture reinforces this independance. Citizens of the United States of American can easily find themselves in a reflexive loop. In a nation whose poverty level places one among the richest of the world cannot understand poverty.
Religiously one who confines their religious data to one strain (Southern Baptist) constantly endangers themselves to a life lived in the reflexive loop. To those who want to argue I say do not fear the reliability of the Word of God. The Word of God existed long before the United States of America and the Southern Baptist Convention.
My challenge to you is to meditate on the Circle of Inference be open to opening up your mind to the quest of life long learning. For those of you who might resist fearing data: you need not fear the journey when led by a sovereign God.
Check our my previous blog on Dialogue, a learned communication tool that aids in data selection
I am fully committed follower of Jesus Christ. I am labeled a Southern Baptist, Missouri Baptist member of a Community Church.
In a recent face book dialogue on the topic of "Gun Control" I was labeled and labeled those who were involved in the dialogue. This was done based on post that were shared in support of our particular views regarding the topic of gun control in the USA.
I found myself submitting to the reflexive loop of The Ladder of Inference. The ladder of inference first appeared from the brain of Chris Argyris then was presented by Peter Senge in his work, "The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook where I encountered it for the first time.
I am in the process of exploring my thinking in some major areas of my life. Those of Religion, Culture, Politics, and how they shape my Worldview. My purpose in this blog is to introduce the Ladder and challenge you to think through your worldview with it in mind.
The first rung on the ladder is Real Data & Experience. Our real data and experience begins at birth and our climb begins. LIfe then adds more data and experiences which in reality begins a circular pattern. Maybe a better name would be the Circle of Inference.
As we grow and add data & experience we begin to affix meaning from which we develop assumptions. From these assumptions we come to conclusions and develop beliefs. Our beliefs then form the basis of our actions. Actions create additional data and experience.
What should happen is continuous learning, one of the core disciplines of life. We should build new data and experiences on what has come before with each cycle resulting in growth of each of the elements in our structure of belief. Why does this life long learning not happen?
The Ladder or Circle has a "Reflexive Loop" which connects back to selected data and experiences. This means that as we select new data and experiences we tend to select data and experiences that support our existing beliefs. As a child I lived in the home of an alcoholic father and submissive mother. In my later childhood my father became a Christian and our family began attending church regularly. Church attendance continued through High School. During these formative years most data and experiences were selected for me.
After High School in college I began to select more and more of the data and experience as I began to make my own assumptions, draw my own conclusions, and develop my own beliefs. As I selected my own data I tended to select data and experience that reinforced my own chosen beliefs.
As we select data and experiences that support existing beliefs those beliefs become more firmly fixed. This over time causes us to focus on smaller amounts of data and experiences thus limiting our growth and learning.
This has been demonstrated repeatedly when cultures have been introduced to new data and experiences. Steve Saint working with native cultures in Ecuador found the natives could "pull" their own teeth simply from watching a Dentist perform the operation then going from village to village without a "mission" dentist. New data, new experience resulted in learning.( Read Steve's story in)
I have been blessed by God who has directed my life to arenas of new data and experiences. I went from High School to College of the Ozarks a Presbyterian High School / College. This farm raised Baptist was flooded with data from very non christian peers, exposed to opportunities for experiences making the full range on a scale of morality. The most compelling data and experiences came from a fellow student who befriended me and poured data into me and gave opportunity for reinforcing experiences from a "biblical Christian" view.
So, here I am in my late 60's seeking to "boldly go where no man has gone before". I believe that all truth is God's truth and do not need to fear where the pursuit of truth will lead me. I am the only limiting factor in my pursuit of truth. I limit myself when I allow myself to be closed to data that on the surface appears to contradict my existing beliefs, reject that new data and in the process narrow the way to truth.
Early on in my life of pastoral ministry I was exposed to the data of homosexuality and given an opportunity of a new experience. One day a young man walked into my office at church wanting to talk. He proceeded to share that he was gay. By God's Grace I welcomed him to attend as often as he wanted, invited him to my home looking for the opportunity to share with him the hope that was within me. This was the beginning of my journey to seek the truth of homosexuality in the light of God's grace and God's faithfulness to HIs written Word.
New data and experiences continued as I was forced into a career as a Corporate Management and Development Trainor with a fortune 100 company. God led me to biblical truth being expressed in the business world leading me to return to the world of ministry with the church.
Returning to the pastorate I found myself leading mission teams in Brazil, Ecuador, Canada, El Salvador, England and the United States of America. More new data, more new experiences.
Recently the President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Ronnie Floyd spoke of uniting the North American Mission Board and the International Mission Board of the SBC. The challenge for SBC churches and pastors is to dialogue on the issue and not get caught in the reflexive loop of the ladder of inference. Getting caught in this loop one would observe only data that reinforced their existing belief and experiences from the years of immense success of the present separation of the boards. Getting caught in this loop would prevent new data such as the growing global culture and the fast shrinking of our world. Recently when I went to the doctor my doctor was from India. I live in Branson Mo. In Mexico Mo. where I lived is the Mexico Military Academy with students from all over the world. The mission field has come to rural central USA. Not observing this data prevents me from experiences that create for me new learning experience and keeps me imprisoned in the past.
While Training Facilitator for Millbrook Distribution a division of Mckesson Drug I was assigned a task that eventually eliminated the need for my position. I traveled to our sales training force teaching them to use this new tool called a "lap top computer". It was part of my responsibility along with Sales Managers to meet with the sales force periodically to give new numbers, (new prices, new products, all the new stuff since the last meeting) Imagine the cost of my travel, lodging, food, time away from the sales field.
With the lap top all the new numbers could be "mailed" on a CD, read on the lap top by the sales person in the field.
Now the CD needs no longer to be mailed but emailed.
Some of the sales people adapted readily and quickly learned this new data. Others resisted the "lap top" The word from our President; "The train has left the station get on or off." Sadly many chose to get off out of fear of this new tool. Their reflexive loop prevented this new data and new experiences. They chose to attempt to stay where they were: our changing world will not allow this for us.
As Director of Missions for a Baptist Association of Churches we eliminated the cost of a physical building. I operated as Director with an Ipad, an Iphone and McDonald's. Mac had coffee and free Wifi essentials for a Baptist to do his work. I could travel to the Pastors not them travel to me. We eliminated much cost by going digital with our newsletter.
Life long learning is essential for life! Will your thriving business be needed in the future? Ask the buggy makers? What is happening with watch makers, cameras and the list grows daily.
Using the Ladder of Inference share with me my journey in Religion. (please take the time to read my blog on Dialogue, we must agree on the meaning of religion) My definition of religion is the standard definition found in the dictionary. But what dictionary? Technology has complicated the process of communication. Let us use the wikpedia free definition: A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. Based on that definition early data in my life was from a rural share crop farmer in southeast Missouri. I had 4 brothers and 4 sisters living in a 3 bedroom house.
Early life was with an alcoholic Dad who loved and supported his work force family. We did not know hunger.
Somewhere in those formative years my data input changed. Same rural farm family of eleven but now with a "born again father" and a country hell fire and brimstone church with a don't Gospel. Don't smoke or chew, play cards, or go with girls that do. Vowing that I would not spend my life picking cotton as soon as possible (one week after High School graduation I was on the campus of School of the Ozarks. My data input changed once more. My religious input became Presybeterian in name and early college in practice until.
I met Joe. Joe lived Christ. I wanted what he had and he shared and began to pour into me new data. I began my journey through the Ladder forming beliefs based on he mixtuer of old and new data. I continued my religious journey taking the reflexive loop transfering to Southwest Baptist College. There I allowed data that reenforced by beliefs and rejected data that did not support my rural conservative Southern belief system. We all have these data systems on which we have made our choices of beliefs on which we base our actions. If we stay in the refllexive loop we close our system to new data and learning.
Footnote: Truth requires an ultimate standard. My standard is the Word of God. Not the King James version, or cotton patch version of English Standard version but as translated from mauscripts as close to the orginals as possible. History proves the reliability of this foundation for a standard.
Every day we all are bombarded with new data. We are constantly making dicisions to accept or reject the new data and or fit it into an already formulated belief system. We hear and see what we have predetermined we want to see and hear. Does this cause us to miss Truth?
This same data bombardment continues in the area of Politics. My early data comes from a Democratic Republican split family. As far as my family was concerned elections were always a draw. My reflexive loop kept me in early college Independent political party. As I have learned to become a lifelong learner my position in the INdependent political party has strengthen. New data is allowed based not on party but issues held up to the light of my standard for all truth.
New data gained from travels to all kinds of culture reinforces this independance. Citizens of the United States of American can easily find themselves in a reflexive loop. In a nation whose poverty level places one among the richest of the world cannot understand poverty.
Religiously one who confines their religious data to one strain (Southern Baptist) constantly endangers themselves to a life lived in the reflexive loop. To those who want to argue I say do not fear the reliability of the Word of God. The Word of God existed long before the United States of America and the Southern Baptist Convention.
My challenge to you is to meditate on the Circle of Inference be open to opening up your mind to the quest of life long learning. For those of you who might resist fearing data: you need not fear the journey when led by a sovereign God.
Check our my previous blog on Dialogue, a learned communication tool that aids in data selection