Unemployment as Economic-Spiritual Indicator: May 2015 Report

Last updated on: June 8, 2015 at 11:50 am By Acton Institute

By Joe Carter Series Note: Jobs are one of the most important aspects of a morally functioning economy. They help us serve the needs of our neighbors and lead to human flourishing both for the individual and for communities. Conversely, not having a job can adversely affect spiritual and psychological well-being of individuals and families. Because unemployment is a spiritual problem, Christians in America need to understand and be aware of the monthly data on employment. Each month we highlight... Read more

Dear Grads: Welcome To Work

Last updated on: June 4, 2015 at 1:15 am By Acton Institute

By Elise Hilton If you’re a college grad, what was your first job out of college? Mine was working at a day-care center. It was not my dream job. I’m not sure I even knew then what my dream job was, but I knew that wasn’t it. There is a lot of talk in the media about the underemployed, people with a skill set that is not utilized fully in their current job. We also have a lot of young... Read more

Gift, Gratitude, and the Grace of Stewardship

Last updated on: June 3, 2015 at 1:41 am By Acton Institute

By Jordan Ballor There’s a misunderstanding of the nature of gifts and giving that is pervasive in our contemporary culture, and even in our churches. It’s the idea that a gift, by its very nature, requires no response from the recipient. For a gift to truly be a gift, the reasoning goes, it must be entirely and radically gratuitous, which in turn means that the recipient must be entirely passive. If any response is required, then it isn’t truly a... Read more

Pentecost Reimagined: How the Spirit Reveals New Economies

Last updated on: June 2, 2015 at 11:03 am By Acton Institute

By Charlie Self Pentecost Sunday: The Holy Spirit comes with tongues of fire and an “incendiary community” is empowered for mission. Pentecost is not the birth of the church. The church is conceived in the words and works of Jesus as he gathers followers and promises, “If any one is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believers in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:37-39) The church is born when our Resurrected Lord appears to the... Read more

It’s Not About You: Vocation as a Means of Crucifixion

Last updated on: May 28, 2015 at 4:14 pm By Acton Institute

By Joseph Sunde As I’ve noted in the past, Christians must always remain conscious of the temptations of self-chosen sacrifice and self-willed religion. Ours is a service not of our own design or choosing, and when we orient our lives accordingly, our stewardship is all the more powerful for it. In a recent reflection on vocation, Benjamin Mann offers a nice complement to these warnings, digging a bit deeper into the question of discernment, which is central to all of this. Writing specifically of... Read more

Risky Business at a Trucking Company

Last updated on: May 27, 2015 at 10:35 am By Acton Institute

By Chris Horst Trucks fill our highways, rushing goods and gifts from one place to another. In a suburb north of Denver, Prime Trailer Leasing manages a fleet of gleaming white semi-trailers. Like the Hertz of semi-trucks, Prime owns and rents its trucks to commercial customers of all varieties. Wes Gardner, the founder and owner of Prime, acknowledges that “semi trailers aren’t glamorous,” but the work his company is doing is anything but mundane. Gardner launched Prime in 1981. Over time, the company... Read more

FLOW: We Want Your Stories!

Last updated on: May 26, 2015 at 11:54 pm By Acton Institute

By Evan Koons Has For the Life of the World: Letters to the Exiles inspired you, moved you, challenged you in new ways? If so, then we really want to hear from you! Email your stories and/or testimonials to [email protected]. I’ll read them and follow-up with you, and if your story makes it to the blog, we’ll send you free stuff! Pretty cool, huh? Oh, there’s more news, too…but for that you’ll have to watch the video. So, enjoy! I can’t wait to... Read more

Work and the Fabric of Civilization

Last updated on: May 21, 2015 at 1:14 pm By Acton Institute

By Lester DeKoster The following is an adapted excerpt from Work: The Meaning of Your Life by Lester DeKoster. It is reprinted here with permission from Christian’s Library Press. The fabric of civilization, like all fabrics, is made up of countless tiny threads—each thread the work of someone. Superficially, any given thread might be readily spared or replaced—that could be my job or yours. Thinking this, we go to work on the margin, so to speak, of culture: Who needs me? Is this... Read more

Dignity: A Dinosaur

Last updated on: May 19, 2015 at 4:40 pm By Acton Institute

By Dylan Pahman What does human dignity look like in real life? A decade ago now, I worked for UPS as a revenue auditor. “Revenue auditor” is a fancy name for someone who would measure and weigh boxes to make sure customers were billing themselves correctly. In short time, my working ambition was rewarded (or so I interpreted it). My managers transferred me from a static position at a single conveyer belt to being able to float from line to... Read more

Lessons in Creative Destruction from ‘Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel’

Last updated on: May 19, 2015 at 12:25 pm By Acton Institute

By Joseph Sunde Creative destruction can be a painful thing, particularly when you’re the one being destroyed. I’ve been-there done-that, and when things hit, I can’t say that I cared too much about Joseph Schumpeter and his fancy ideas. Alas, even when we have a firm understanding of the long-term social and economic benefits of such destruction — that whatever pain we’re experiencing is for the “greater good” of humanity — we can’t help but feel unappreciated, devalued, and cast aside. Our work... Read more