Open Your Eyes—Listen to Your Conscience
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If you are human
then there is a good chance you can succumb to willful blindness.
then there is a good chance you can succumb to willful blindness.
Likely a 100% chance.
If you were blind, you would have no sin;
but because you say. ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
John 9:41
This entry
continues the call to the international church-mission community (CMC) to
practice the highest standards of transparency and accountability. It
specifically encourages people to unite and confront the Nordic Capital
Investment KB fraud (NCI) which has seriously damaged many peoples’ lives and
the reputation of the church-mission community (CMC). "...the time has
come to make [the fight against corruption] a truly global effort among
evangelicals....if the church becomes more vociferous in its opposition to
corruption...then we must beware of the risk of hypocrisy if our own house is
not put in order first....We must not turn a blind eye to or condone
corruption....” Salt and Light:
Christians' Role in Confronting Corruption (Lausanne Global Conversation, 31 October 2011)
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Willful blindness is intentionally keeping oneself unaware of facts
that would make one morally/ethically responsible. It involves looking the
other way in order to avoid problems and protect oneself, usually at the
expense of others. Part One of this
entry presents three helpful resources to help open our eyes to our own willful
blindness: Margaret Heffernan’s book, TedTalk, and BBC interview. Part Two updates us on the Shine the
Light-Together petition and its request for verifiable disclosures and
independent reviews regarding the NCI fraud. Specific names of leaders are
listed again below along with links to other organizational leaders and Board
members who carry a special responsibility to assist and hold themselves and
fellow leaders accountable.
This entry provides both an opportunity and tools
to open our eyes and to listen to our consciences.
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Part One: Willful Blindness
Book
Willful
Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at our Peril (2012), Margaret
Heffernan
“In the
case of the US Government versus Enron, the presiding judge chose to employ the
legal concept of willful blindness: you are responsible if you could have
known, and should have known, something which instead you strove not to see.
The guilty verdict sent shivers down the spine of the corporate world. In this
book, Margaret Heffernan draws on psychological studies, social statistics,
interviews with relevant protagonists, and her own experience to throw light on
willful blindness and why whistleblowers and Cassandras are so rare. Ranging
freely through history and from business to science, government to the family,
this engaging and anecdotal book will explain why willful blindness is so dangerous
in a globalized, interconnected world, before suggesting ways in which
institutions and individuals can start to combat it. Margaret Heffernan's
thought-provoking book will force us to open our eyes.” (description from Amazon
site)
TEDxTalk
The Dangers of
Willfull Blindness, TEDxDubai (2013),
Margaret Heffernan
“Gayla
Benefield was just doing her job -- until she uncovered an awful secret about
her hometown that meant its mortality rate was 80 times higher than anywhere
else in the U.S. But when she tried to tell people about it, she learned an
even more shocking truth: People didn't want to know. In a talk that's part
history lesson, part call-to-action, Margaret Heffernan demonstrates the danger
of "willful blindness" and praises ordinary people like Benefield who
are willing to speak up.” (quote from Youtube site)
BBC Interview
Willful Blindness, BBC World Service, Business Daily (16
December 2014) Margaret Heffernan
“Margaret Heffernan explores why
big organisations so often make big mistakes - and asks if the cure could be
the aviation industry's model of a 'just culture'. In the past 10 years, there
have been a string of organisational failures - from BP to the banks, and
the Catholic Church in Ireland. In each instance, hundreds, even thousands of
people could see what was going on but acted as though they were blind. Silence
ensured the problems continued and allowed them to grow. The conditions that
create the phenomenon called 'willful blindness' are pervasive across
institutions. It was a term that came up in the Enron scandal. Willful
blindness is a legal term - it states that if there is knowledge you could have
had and should have had, you are still responsible. Businesswoman and writer
Margaret Heffernan argues that the solution is a 'just culture'; which means
organisations that encourage people to speak up early and often when things go
adrift, without fear of being silenced.” (quote from BBC site)
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Part Two: NCI Update
In December 2016 there was a renewed effort for people to
read, sign, and share the STL petition. We are pleased to report that we quickly hit our goal and there are now over 200 signatures on the petition, with several people renewing
their signatures/comments. “This petition is a call to many organizations and
people, especially in the church and mission community (CMC), to assist by
transparently and verifiably disclosing how they have been affected by Nordic
Capital Investment KB fraud (NCI). In addition, members of these organizations
(past and present), donors, and the public are asked to help by respectfully
and resolutely calling for the assistance of those affected by NCI.”
Comments
from Signatories (excerpts)
--There is
a story here that EVERYONE should know. Everyone should have the opportunity to
evaluate whether the ends justify the means.
--I thought
honesty and Christianity went together, but this case has proved that Christians
look after themselves, literally, not even each other, and prefer ignorance, I
cannot believe in all these years that not a single Christian has had the
backbone to push on those in power in their organisations to answer difficult
questions. Proverbs 8:5--O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.
--Of all of
the organizations and communities that abound in our world, the church and
mission community ought to be the one leading the way in manifesting integrity
and transparency. I view this issue as an imperative for all people and
organizations of faith.
--What an
unfortunate and hurtful situation caused by an organization you trusted. I hope
this petition will help provide transparency in future dealings.
--No matter
what good you are trying to do or who you are, any such toxin poisons the
entire pool.
--I believe
uniting to fight corruption and standing together in solidarity around this
petition is critical. It is an important way forward toward knowing the truth,
promoting healing, and building greater capacity in the church and mission
community.
--Although
we did not personally become involved in the fraudulent investment program…we
had first hand experience of the activities that devastated the lives of
mission families who invested their life savings and lost hundreds of thousands
of dollars. We stand with those who await justice in this crucial matter.
--Hopefully
people will a) get (further) informed about corruption and the importance of
transparency-accountability, and b) hold their respective leaders and
organizations accountable regarding this specific, protracted fraud. Perhaps
leaders themselves will finally take the initiative to disclose and as necessary
break rank.
--May 200
signatures become 200 million!
More Background
It has been over nine years since the NCI KB fraud began
to be publically confronted (July 2007). It has also been over two years since
four of the organizations included in the Shine the
Light-Together petition and several of their leaders were formally
presented with the petition, asking for their assistance and that they inform
other leaders in their organizations. Leaders in Youth With A Mission, Mercy
Ships, Youth For Christ, and Crossroads Church (Ferney-Voltaire, France)
received separate email-letters in August 2014 regarding the petition with
the names and comments of 200+ people who signed it. The
letters were then posted on the PETRA
People weblog 28 September 2014. Below are the names of the leaders
contacted and links for additional leaders/Board Members, etc. (Click
here to see the paper trail: (August 2014--current).
--Youth With A Mission: Loren Cunningham,
Darlene Cunningham, Lynn Green, Jim Stier, Tom Hallas, Iain Muir, and YWAM
leaders/staff around the world. “We would be grateful if you (YWAM
leaders/staff around the world) would carefully review the petition and
Statement with links to core documents.” Click here to view
the list of international offices from the organization’s website, many which
link to specific leaders.
--Mercy Ships: Donovan and Mae Palmer. “We would be grateful if you could
please review the petition and its links to core documents and share it with
members of the international Mercy Ships Executive Committee and others
Board members (e.g., Don Stephens as President, Myron Ullman as Chair,
Rosa Whitaker, Francoise Andre, Ian McColl, and Peter Schulze as Vice-Chairs,
etc.). Click here to
view the list of International Board Members and the Executive Committee from
the organization’s website.
--Youth For Christ: Geordon Rendle and John Duncan (and with Larry Williams in
2015). “We also believe it would be very important to share the petition
with other board members/officers at Youth for Christ and the previous staff at
YFC in Coppet, Switzerland.” Click here to view the
list of International Board Members from the organization’s website.
--Crossroads Church (Ferney-Voltaire, France): Larry Lloyd and Ian Rutter. "We would be
grateful if you could please review the petition and its links to core
documents and then share the petition with other current/former elders and officers
at Crossroads and current/former members and attendees at Crossroads.” Click here to view the list
of elders, officers, and pastors from the organization’s website.
Update
February 2017: We are not aware of any
further action undertaken by organizations to investigate and disclose how they
may have been affected by NCI KB in line with the specific concerns in the
petition. A few individuals over the past months have sent personal
emails, but nothing official and nothing related to taking any action. Click
here to see the paper trail: (August 2014--current). We
thus continue the resolute, public call a) for assistance from all
those affected in various ways by the NCI fraud; and b) for verifiable
disclosures/independent reviews (transparency and accountability) by four
of the organizations listed in the petition. It would also be in keeping with
good practice for transparency, accountability, and organizational health that
these organizations thoroughly review how they
have and/or have not actually dealt with the requests for assistance over the
years.
Open your
eyes.
Listen
to your conscience.
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PETRA People Network
