(Originally published in September 2014 at the KPN Resources blog.) I recently was asked a truly startling question while giving a talk on the church and economics. It was a question that shows how some efforts to speak out for justice can actually undermine justice. If we misidentify the source of injustice, we will not only fail to fight it, but may actually become its unwitting accomplices. I had argued that in spite of the serious challenges it creates, the... Read more
A Monday roundup of great articles that are worth your time to read, ponder, share, or even argue with. This week’s list: Luther on Changing a Baby’s Diaper: A classic read from Luther via Gene Veith at Cranach on why fathers changing diapers (mothers, too!) is holy. It’s Not All About You: From the Patheos blog What God Wants for Your Life; it’s not exactly about vocation, but it’s a larger consideration of the issues motivating posts here on the... Read more
We’re returning to our occasional series of posts on work and vocation (linked at the bottom of this post) in Christian history by Faith and Work Channel senior editor and Christian History magazine senior editor Chris Armstrong. Enjoy! In the last post, we looked briefly at the story and doctrine of Creation – what it means to us as human workers. But we also miss the wonder and dignity of work because, although we love to meditate on the cross,... Read more
We’re returning to our occasional series of posts on work and vocation (linked at the bottom of this post) in Christian history by Faith and Work Channel senior editor and Christian History magazine senior editor Chris Armstrong. Enjoy! At the very beginning of Genesis, God shows himself as a working God, who creates valuable things. And then right away we see that we ourselves as made in his image, also to work. Timothy Keller cites biblical scholar Derek Kidner, who... Read more
A couple of months back, I was invited to come to the world headquarters of the Wesleyan denomination in Indianapolis to talk with a group of professors from Indiana Wesleyan University’s seminary about how we can train tomorrow’s pastors better in the area of faith, work, and economics. This series of posts is from the two talks I gave there. As we start our reflections today, I think a fair question is: Why does the church today find itself needing... Read more
By Christ John Otto, adapted from a mailing to the Belonging House ministry in greater Boston. Has God ever told you that your vision is too small? I have been working on a book about the most overlooked person in the Bible–Bezalel. The things that I have learned about this prophet who made the Ark of the Covenant and designed the Tabernacle have astounded me. I have been even more astounded that so little is written about him. More space... Read more
No matter what you do and what you are paid, says Paul, "It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” In this way, Christians are to be concerned more with doing what God would have us do than with what anyone, including ourselves, might otherwise love. Read more
Announcing our newest blog, Work Cited. It’s a book review blog whose aim is to guide you through the mountain of resources on faith, work, discipleship and economics: We’ll feature weekly reviews of books on faith, work, vocation, economics, and discipleship–plus other resources (movies, curriculum, even podcasts). Whether you’re reading on a phone or a codex, and whether you store your books in the cloud or on a slab of wood, we want you to know about resources for the... Read more
By Dr. Frederick W. Schmidt, Jr. I’ve been through two employment crises. Three if you include the uncertain business of doing doctoral work against the backdrop of a changing academy and a shrinking church. This is a piece of what I have learned: Focus on vocation — on God’s calling on your life. That calling won’t have a title or a job description attached to it. You won’t find it on an “org chart.” It might not even be one... Read more
This is the last in a series of ten posts featuring artwork from the Christians in the Visual Arts exhibit, “Work: Curse or Calling?” Many thanks to Margot Rogers and CIVA for allowing us to feature these beautiful, intriguing, and challenging pieces here at MISSION:WORK. Please check out CIVA’s website for more information on scheduling the exhibit for your own church, school, or workplace, and to see the other images from the exhibit (there are 28 in all.) Today’s featured... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In