Full Description
The golden years of Freemasonry have passed with the departure of a world never likely to return. We cannot pretend that our membership problem will simply go away. If we are to rescue our order, we must take an objective look at ourselves and understand the society we now face. Our challenge will be to renew our ideals and bring them to the attention of a new audience, one that we as yet know little about. This will require hard work, open-mindedness, creativity and above all leadership. The optimism that runs through this book depends upon our ability to change, knowing that holding on to the past will be the last thing our order does.
Contents
Introduction - Optimism and the membership problem; The plan of the book - Understanding the history and cause of the problem - Freemasonry and social change: 1800-1850; Freemasonry and social change: 1850-1950; Freemasonry and social change: 1950-present; Phase 1: The end of rules; Phase 2: Show me the money; The implications of phases 1 & 2; Phase 3: The end of decency; Reflections on phase 3 - Being positive - A certain trumpet; The need for Freemasonry 1; Social capital and the decline of trust; Building social capital - The need for Freemasonry 2 - A purpose to life; Values and relativity; Morality and context - The Masonic life - A bastion for the moral life; The virtues of Freemasonry - Management and masonry - Practice and institution: managing our future - Reminders - Reminder of the main points of the book; Recommended actions - Notes - List of illustrations; Bibliography; Notes (See bibliography for full attribution of works quoted)
