VERITAS: A Gospel Of Commerce And Spirituality

VERITAS is a modern parable that addresses the pressing issues facing our society as we begin this new century.  Written as a modern-day Platonic dialogue, VERITAS pits Ed Cartwell, representing the world of commerce and business, against his nephew Michael “Cappy” Cartwell, a priest representing the world of organized religion.  While such a pairing of characters is already ripe with possibilities for dialogue and exchange, the authors William Dean and Don Waldy have gone one step further and imbued Ed Cartwell with a practical spiritual enlightenment.  Ed is portrayed as a guru and evangelist of a new movement, the self-titled Gospel of Commerce and Spirituality.  It is through the character of Ed Cartwell that the authors present their vision of a world in which enlightened business leaders cultivate spiritual as well as material wealth through adherence to ethical principles and conduct.

VERITAS is intended as a classic dialogue.  The main and secondary figures in the book are not drawn to represent actual characters, but rather are intended to embody a particular point of view.  The character of Michael “Cappy” Cartwell, Ed’s younger priest nephew, continues to spout the party line in the face of Ed’s “heresies.”  A bishop and governor make brief appearances representing organized religion and politics respectively.  The one wild card in VERITAS is Ed himself, who has all of the trappings of the successful businessman, yet appears to have experienced an epiphany regarding the roles of commerce, religion and politics.

Ed’s heresies are manifold, and his epiphany borrows liberally from Eastern philosophy, mysticism, and secular humanism.  He presumes to rewrite the Beatitudes of the New Testament in terms of business practices, the relationship of employers and employees, and the obligations of industry to benefit the greater good.  For Dean and Waldy, spirituality does not necessitate a renouncement of material wealth and worldly concerns, but instead embraces those things.  There is a long-standing tradition in Christianity of God using the ordinary things of the world to reveal Himself.  The connection between spiritual practice and material reward is a mainstay of American Protestantism and was an important component of Bruce Wilkinson’s best selling Prayer of Jabez.

As Ed goes about rewriting the Beatitudes, he and Cappy touch upon many themes, some timely, some esoteric.  Reincarnation, the Fatima Secrets, the Essenes, the relationship of Christianity to Eastern religion, human relations, Christ’s humanity – these are just some of the themes touched upon in the dialogue.  VERITAS is not intended for the close-minded or those entrenched in their beliefs.  This book challenges orthodox beliefs and presents a myriad of ideas that may not be familiar to all readers.  Fortunately, Dean and Waldy have included a thorough bibliography to assist those readers who may want to further explore a particular idea presented in VERITAS.

The banter and interplay between Ed and Cappy as they touch upon these spiritual themes is reminiscent Richard Bach’s Illusions or Neale Donald Walsch’s Conversations with God series.  The Nine Blessings put forth by Ed, though a bit wordier than the original Beatitudes, do contain some compelling ideas.  My only wish as I read each blessing, was that Ed, given his years of experience in the business world, could provide more concrete examples of these ideas in action.  Ed does do a very competent job in defending his ideas from the debunking efforts of his nephew and goes on in turn to debunk beliefs and judgments put forth by Cappy.  Clearly, the authors have stacked the deck against Cappy, but he makes such an easy target.  Cappy is a good soldier following orders, but his “beliefs” have become empty dogma that have no real relevance to his life and experience.

One could argue that VERITAS is anti-Church, but to do so would be to miss the point of the book.  VERITAS is no more anti-Church than it is anti-business or anti-politics.  VERITAS merely seeks to challenge any beliefs or practices that have become institutionalized to the point where they no longer serve the needs of their adherents.  VERITAS is highly recommended for spiritual seekers who are ready to look critically at the structures and assumptions that make up our society.  One hopes that VERITAS could become a springboard to meaningful discussion and productive dialogue.

Review by Ken Smith