Mike McLoughlin's Blog

So Dark the Con of Lay Man

Mike McLoughlin — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 11:37:09 -0700

Kenneth Lay is dead. The son of a preacher. CEO of Enron. Convicted fraudster. He conned the investment world into believing in the merits of Enron to the loss of more than $60 billion in market value, almost $2.1 billion in pension plans and 5,600 jobs.

Kenneth Lay is quoted as stating, “In my own case I grew up the son of a Baptist minister. From this background, ...

Dealing with Moral Dilemmas in Family Practice - Example Physician Patient Dialogue Concerning Abortion

Mike McLoughlin — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 17:46:28 -0700

Last week I was in Ottawa at a course that helped Christian professionals think through ethical challenges faced in medical practice. My last post summarized an approach to maintaining Christian ethical integrity in the face of pressure to conform to societal expectations. To illustrate this challenge I provide an edited transcript of a discussion that took place between an ethics interviewer and a Christian family physician over what to do ...

How can Christian Professionals Preserve Integrity under pressure to conform to Secular Values?

Mike McLoughlin — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 09:30:03 -0700

Rehabilitating objective moral reality. That’s the goal of a series of lectures my wife and I are attending at Augustine College in Ottawa this week. The series is led by Dr. John Patrick who is one of the founders of the college. My son Sam McLoughlin spent a year studying at Augustine. It had a profound affect on his life.

My initial reaction to the idea of ‘rehabilitating objective moral ...

Resolving the Faith Work Tension in Christian Professional Practice

Mike McLoughlin — Tue, 16 May 2006 18:55:28 -0700

Christian Professionals have real problems resolving the faith work tension in their professional practice. They ask, Is faith welcome at work? Is work valuable to God? What do I do when faith conflicts with work? Where is the balance between faith and work? Can faith make a difference at work? How?

Answers to these questions were considered at The Christian Medical and Dental Society (CMDS) of Canada conference in Kelowna...

Earning The Moral Authority to Govern

Mike McLoughlin — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:35:21 -0800

Pundits say the Conservatives have set a record for the shortest political honeymoon in Canadian history. (globeandmail.com: The curse of the Conservatives: Not again!) It is a record unlikely to be broken since it is a negative 25 minutes! That’s the time between when erstwhile Liberal David Emerson arrived at Rideau Hall and his swearing in as a Conservative cabinet member. A surprise that confounded the expectations of the ...

Biblical Authority and Faith at Work in Professional Practice

Mike McLoughlin — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 15:38:41 -0700

My wife and I will be attending the annual meeting of The Christian Medical and Dental Society (CMDS) of Canada. St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick, this week. An important item for discussion at this meeting is the Society's statement of faith including their belief in the authority of Scripture.

This discussion has been brought about by a recent challenge presented to the CMDS Executive Board by one of its ...

Applying the Four Way Test to Christian Blogging

Mike McLoughlin — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 14:57:26 -0700

Herbert J. Taylor was a Christian Business man, who influenced his generation with the gospel. He penned the Four Way Test as an ethical standard for communication in business. It is excellent wisdom for Christian bloggers. It asks four questions of all we think, say and do. For Christian bloggers, the test needs to be applied to what they write.

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all ...

Senior Writer for Globe Business asking the Wrong Questions about Daichendt's departure.

Mike McLoughlin — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 10:50:40 -0700

Gordon Pitts thinks the story about Gary Daichendt's sudden departure from Nortel is about the "peril and complexities of bringing God -- or, at least, talk of God -- into the corner office." (See The Globe and Mail: The risks of giving God a seat in the boardroom)

Daichendt has said he left because of disagreements over the direction Nortel was taking. See Pitts early piece: 'No ultimatum ...

Is this about Ethics or it about Wise dealing?

Mike McLoughlin — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 11:23:04 -0700

In the Outer has a post about Marketplace Ethics, Part I. I don't think this is about ethics, I think it is about wise dealing.

Customers pay for value received.

If another company can provide the same value that you provide at half the cost then you need to examine your business model and figure out a better way of providing that value.

If a competitor cuts the price ...

What Would Jesus Do At Work? Cultural Engagement through Serving Others in Love

Mike McLoughlin — Sat, 09 Jul 2005 12:28:26 -0700

F

or Christians to be successful in living truly integrated lives in their workplace or business, they must be challenged by a holistic world view that unifies their thinking and goes beyond a set of rules, ethical guidelines, Scriptural principles, etc. An example of an integrative question that challenges all our behavior is – What would Jesus do? WWJD is a popular trend with Christian youth, but it is ...