In this last talk, Mark and Tony discuss how ‘Faith, Hope and Love’ shape all wise human enterprise not just religious activity. They share stories from their long careers in corporate life and consulting, of how Faith, Hope and Love gave breakthrough perspectives on projects and problem solving. They argue that all humans share in an instinct and desire for Faith, Hope and Love so Christians don’t have a mortgage on these qualities. But we do have the gospel that confirms and anchors them, so we Christians can advocate and pursue them on behalf of everybody – and not just in church but in the wider fields of all human enterprise.
Mark is one of our most popular speakers and for a good reason; he is a revolutionary thinker who combines deep theological insight with down to earth language. Thus he makes profound truths accessible for ordinary people like us.
Mark’s career exemplifies the ‘whole of life’ identity that characterises Gospel Conversations. He was a truck driver in early life, studied at Westminster Theological College, started a community church which was the fellowship highlight for many lives, then plunged into consulting to leaders and organisations with Tony Golsby-Smith for many years. Their conversations and experiences of finding God in the public space provided lots of the ideas and passions behind GC. Mark led a large liberal arts college in New Zealand before writing a great book on leadership, “The Arts of the Wise Leader” and returning to consulting.
Mark wrote an influential book on the thinking of Paul which developed the core idea of his doctoral thesis—that Paul reframed the modern world not just Christianity.