One of the recurring topics of conversation I have with college students pertains to how to engage with the popular culture. Those students from more conservative churches say that the only possible Christian reaction to what the culture provides, especially in popular entertainment, is to separate and not participate in it. The more moderate students will say that a proper stance is to enjoy popular art so long as it is not too sinful in nature. But most of the students have... Read more
In my experience in church ministries, I have found that the pastoral staffs I’ve been a part of often get so caught up in the daily workings of church ministry that we often miss the Kingdom work that we are supposed to be encouraging outside the church walls. I’m as guilty of this as the next pastor. But here’s something that John Yates said that helps me gain perspective: “Much of the positive Christian influence on me and my seminary... Read more
Over at The High Calling (where I serve as the editor for the “Faith” Channel), J.B. Wood (the editor for the “Work” Channel) has offered several video insights on the reintegration of work and faith. J. B. points out that working for God does not just mean professional ministry. Everyone has a vocation, even if it isn’t to become a member of the clergy. This vocation reaches out to the whole of our lives, not just when we’re in church,... Read more
KC McGinnis, over at the young adult magazine website, RelevantMagazine.com, has written a very helpful article for college students. McGinnis, a campus minister in Iowa City (as well as a writer and a photojournalist), talks about the problem he and his peers in campus ministry have witnessed: Students keep switching their majors to religion. Usually after a powerful spiritual experience like a conference, they switch from their original majors of business and English and biology so they can pursue more... Read more
When I hear someone talk about being more “missional” or “incarnational” in my faith, I wonder where I’m supposed get all that time to hang out with people and build relationships with my neighbors. I don’t have a job that is ministry related, affording me the flexibility to hang out in coffee shops or on my neighbor’s porch. I spend nearly half my waking hours each week working, sometimes dreaming about how to create more opportunities to be “missional.” Add... Read more
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that God reveals himself in a myriad of ways besides the Bible. “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). In his book, Through a Screen Darkly: Looking Closer at Beauty, Truth, and Evil in the Movies, Christianity Today film reviewer Jeffrey Overstreet writes, “God’s truth is not available... Read more
In this audio podcast (mp3), teacher and pastor Jay Halley offers insights from God’s Word on work. We are all called to do something, whether or not we get paid for it, to serve the common good of society. While the Bible makes it clear that our primary calling is God calling us to himself in Christ, it also is clear that God calls us to serve Him here on earth. Work is God’s idea – it is how we are made.... Read more
“Jesus’ death and resurrection is the foundation, the model, and the guarantee for God’s ultimate purpose, which is to rid the world of evil altogether and to establish his new creation of justice, beauty and peace. And it’s clear from the start that this was not intended simply as a distant goal for which one was compelled to wait in passive expectation. God’s future had already broken into the present in Jesus, and the church’s task consists not least of implementing that achievement and thus... Read more
Nicholas Wolterstorff’s book on Art is appropriately titled Art in Action. In it, Woterstorff states, “Works of art equip us for action. And the range of actions for which they equip us is very nearly as broad as the range of human action itself. The purposes of art are the purposes of life. To envisage human existence without art is not to envisage human existence. Art—so often thought of as a way of getting out of the world—is man’s way of... Read more
Sheryl Sandberg is making headlines because she is challenging long-held beliefs about women and leadership. Her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. (Below, see Sandberg’s TED talk, in which she outlines what she ended up writing in the book.) Rebekah Lyons has written a great piece at Q Ideas in which she gives an appreciative critique of the book. Lyons writes, “Sandberg hooked me with her statement, ‘We [women] hold... Read more
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