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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
By Demi Prentiss, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. Oct 28, 2023, Pope Francis preached in the Casa Santa Marta, where he celebrates daily mass. He urged the church to be a place of open doors, and not of people who seek to control the faith. He called for broadened expectations of how we might recognize saints among us: We need…
By David Gill, reprinted from The 313. Claudia Goldin, the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2023 for her research on the history of women in the labor market. Her most recent book, Career & Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity (2021), summarizes her findings. An economic historian and labor economist, Goldin is the author…
By David Williamson. One of our favorite half-day ventures is the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, a short distance from our home. We enjoy it throughout the year, in full growth at the middle of summer, a brilliant array of colors in the autumn, with blooming and flowering trees in spring, and even picturesque (there are firs) in the winter.…
The Green Room 