The Reckoning

Transformations that Weakened American Freemasonry Leading to an Inevitable Reckoning

By: John W. Bizzack

Narrated by: Phil Hulett

Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

ESSAY 1: The Roots of the Reckoning - The 10 Major Turning Points

ESSAY 2: The Great Masonic Drift - How Sacrificing Exclusivity & Postponing the Inevitable Led to It

ESSAY 3: The Redemption - From the Reckoning a Second Chance

The institution of American Freemasonry is approaching a fateful time in its history. Far from a carbon copy of what was envisioned at the beginning of the 18th century by those who formally organized the genius system of Freemasonry, particular situations and events make it clear as to why a reckoning is at hand. The Reckoning identifies and explores the reasons found in 10 major turning points that weakened and fundamentally transformed the course of the fraternity in America. The ensemble of issues escorting American Freemasonry to this reckoning is rooted in its interconnected historical problems, cultural snags, consistently troubling levels of Masonic literacy, and without question, fiscally-related glitches. Sparked and put in motion 12 generations or more ago, each generation found their way to fuel it by playing host to the mistakes and miscalculations of the previous and added their own. Doing so created a great situational irony. The members of an institution designed to promote and advance introspection in members did not practice what they professed when it came to look inwardly at issues besetting the organization. These and other forces have pressed for decades, centuries - on the institution as gravity presses on rock, changing its structure and its density and eventually its very essence.

©2019 John W. Bizack (P)2019 John W. Bizzack

Events that reshaped Masonry in negative ways.

A great book, full of interesting food for thought. The narrator does a commendable job, and the points made are very illuminating. Many aspects of the author's writing are reminiscent of past Masonic writers who have attempted to shine a light on problematic habits and past missteps, but where this presentation excels is in its solutions, which are not novel attempts to shake things up, but, rather a clarion call to reacquaint ourselves with the original designs of the institution so that we can bring it back to its essential spirit. By understanding the original, essential design, and the deviations made from that design, the listener comes away with a greater appreciation of what is possible by reviving what made Freemasonry work so well from the start.

One hopes that more members will review these lectures and become better acquainted with what is presented, as this could render a renaissance in modern Freemasonry more achievable.

Let's also hope that more of the author's books become available in this format in the future!