Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2549

Typed letter from James C. Ingebretsen, President, Spiritual Mobilization, PO Box 877, San Jacinto, California,with a note clipped to it: “Dear Mr. Heath: The attached letter was dictated by Mr. Ingebretsen just prior to leaving on an extended trip. The letter is being sent without his signature to expedite its delivery to you. Winnie L. West, Secretary to Mr. Ingebretsen”

April 18, 1957

 

Dear Friend:

Your thoughtful letter of April 10th and enclosures have been forwarded on to me at our new headquarters, pictured above, but unhappily reached me within a few hours of the time when I must leave on an extended trip East. I have an idea there isn’t nearly as much difference between you and Dr. Ohmann as your letter to me and letter to the Harvard Business Review suggest. No doubt you will be hearing from Dr. Ohmann and I shall be very grateful to have you send me a copy of his reply. I felt from his article and from my talks with him that his main point was that we were in danger of concentrating on means (production of more and more goods and services) while forgetting entirely what the purpose of all that was – to serve man. And if there was some evidence, even in a free enter­prise economy (perhaps more so in a socialist) that we were thoughtlessly destroying what we were trying to gain and that the answer had to be found in a higher quality of spiritual leadership at the top level.

 Have you read Whyte’s “The Organization Man” which is another book raising serious questions about the caliber of management leadership and policy in present-day industrial America?

 That Ohmann’s way of looking at or writing about certain aspects of the problems doesn’t coincide with my own doesn’t disturb me a bit. I still think his Harvard Business Review article is an important one for people who have our concern to know about and to study. And Ohmann himself indicated quite clearly that he was simply trying to get thought started and it is quite evident from your letters and others that he has succeeded rather remarkably.

 I am taking the liberty of sending your letter on to Bill Johnson, editor of Faith and Freedom in the hope that he will take time to read what you have to say more carefully against Ohmann’s article and let you have the benefit of any more con­sidered reactions he may have.

 May God continue to bless you in all you do.

 

 Cordially,

               

  James C. Ingebretsen