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Author: The Green Room

Ever heard of a “green room”? It’s the room in a theater where actors and speakers can relax when they’re not on stage….talk to each other about what they really think, fix their makeup, get some coffee, and otherwise prepare for their next moment “on.” Well, this blog is the green room for the faith and work movement, where its leaders can kick off their shoes, grab a cup of coffee or a mug of tea, and talk heart-to-heart about where the movement’s come from, where it’s going, what’s working, and what’s not working. We hope you’ll join the conversation.

Does a Remote Worker Have to Put in 40 Hours?

By Greg Forster, reprinted from The Gospel Coalition. I’m a remote knowledge worker with a full-time job and three young children. I’ve been super conscientious about putting in 40 hours each week, but the other day my friend (who’s in much the same situation) told me her schedule. I was surprised to learn she does not put in 40 hours…

What Does Justice Look Like? Part 1

By Matt Jolley, reprinted from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. You don’t have to spend long with friends or colleagues or scroll far through social media to find people making passionate pleas for justice to be done for a cause, person, or issue that matters deeply to them. We feel the effects of injustice incredibly strongly, particularly when it’s…

Responsible to Flourish, and Help Others Flourish

Reprinted from the Oikonomia Network. The vision of the Economic Wisdom Project is summarized in twelve “elements” that provide starting points for thoughtful, biblically informed understanding of contemporary opportunities and challenges. For a handy guide to the twelve elements, download this one-page summary, taken from our EWP vision paper “A Christian Vision for Flourishing Communities”: Below is an excerpt from the paper “Twelve Elements of Economic…

Repenting of the Health-and-Wealth Gospel

Reprinted from the Chalmers Center. In the heart of Nairobi, Kenya, lies one of Africa’s largest slums—Kibera. Conditions there are harsh. People live in makeshift structures, surrounded by open ditches filled with human and animal waste. Opportunities for jobs and education are severely limited, as is access to healthcare, food, and clean water. Amid this landscape, though, the people of…

A Tax Collector’s Hospitality

By Pam Tinsley, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. After reading Matthew 10:40-42 I’ve been reflecting on what it means to give and to receive hospitality: How I might offer a “cup of cold water” – hospitality – to someone in need – or how I might receive it. In the midst of my reflections, I had two telephone interactions with…

Review: Why Business Matters to God (And…)

By David Gill, reprinted from The 313. Jeff Van Duzer served as professor of business law and ethics, dean of the School of Business and Economics, and provost at Seattle Pacific University. SPU has one of the largest and most successful business schools of any Christian college or university. Few faculties have worked harder and more intentionally at pursuing a biblical Christian view of business.…

God the Mechanic

By David Williamson. My cousin recently celebrated his 100th birthday. For years, Bud worked as an auto mechanic, first a private, retail car dealer and then in maintenance work for the Minneapolis Police Department. He was the family “go to” guy for any problems or questions related to cars.  I fondly remember riding in a “rumble seat” (Google it) on…

Coaching: A Year-Round Practice

By Joe Warton, reprinted from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. In the same way the resurrection isn’t just for Easter, personal growth isn’t just for January. But a new year does prize open a window to talk about a powerful tool that can help you and those around you grow. I’m talking about coaching. Coaching is a huge and…

Classic EWP Talks: Political but Not Partisan

Reprinted from the Oikonomia Network. When it comes to what Vince Bacote has called “political discipleship,” the church in the U.S. is already beginning to emerge – yes, it really is! – from a generation of Babylonian captivity. Young Christians aren’t interested in taking their public theology from ideological mouthpieces of the Right, and they also are not overreacting into…

The People of God Are Not a Fee-for-Service Organization

Reprinted from the Chalmers Center. We don’t often connect our work in fighting poverty (and economic life more generally) with our worship of the living God. But we should. When the collection plate is passed around in a church service, pastors often try to connect the dots to how our giving is part of worship. But it doesn’t always register with us.…