Charisma: Pinning down the Butterfly

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Charisma: Pinning Down the Butterfly

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Factual: History

Francine Stock's history of the alluring yet elusive quality that is charisma

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Charisma: Pinning Down the Butterfly: The New Corinthians

The New Corinthians

BBC Radio 4 - Charisma: Pinning Down the Butterfly, The New Corinthians

The contemporary paradox of charisma in banking, Christianity and beyond.

The contemporary paradox of charisma in banking, Christianity and beyond. Francine Stock tries to pin down charisma. From 2015.

Francine Stock's final attempt to pin down the alluring yet elusive quality of charisma.
10.The New Corinthians

Francine Stock examines the paradox at the heart of charisma today: that we recognise its intangibility and often debunk it, but continue to crave it and even believe we can buy it. 

Her starting point is the banking crisis of 2008. She talks with Elesa Zhendorfer about her new book on the role of charismatic leadership in the volatile world of banking; and hears from business journalist and broadcaster Peter Day, who passionately denounces the narcissistic role of so-called charismatic leaders in business and finance today. 

Francine then returns to the beginnings of her search, hearing about today's version of charismatic Christianity in today's largely secular society, and its attempts to use charisma for the common good, in accordance with St Paul's original definition. 

Francine Stock concludes by wondering whether we can turn this gift of grace to shared advantage: "After all," she states, "We get the charismatics we deserve."

Producer : Beaty Rubens.

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