A while ago, I checked in with you with a dispatch from a growing genre of books: let’s call it the postwork genre. As I put it there in describing the genre, It’s the contention of many in the faith and work movement that the best way to fulfill God’s plan for the world is for everyone to work, or…
In my ecclesiastical neck of the woods (Anglicanism) we are fond of dividing holidays into civic celebrations set forth by the state, and liturgical celebrations making up the “church year” which derive from Christ’s life (and, in terms of lesser holidays, from the lives of his mom and the saints, but that’s another post.) Part of the way we view…
This week, Acton University is taking place in Grand Rapids, MI. The Green Room’s grand plan was that I could go and blog the AU experience for you, paying special attention to sessions related to an ambitious new theology of work edited by Trey Dimsdale and R. Keith Loftin. We’d then follow up with a review of the book on…
Recently, Greg Forster addressed in this space the question of whether or not the faith and work movement is overrun by Reformed folks, or at least by their theology. His answer surprised me. He thinks the answer is “no.” Greg actually says a lot of great things in that post which I agree with, but his contention that the theological leadership…
A year and a half ago, we essentially started The Green Room from scratch. We were independent, beholden to no one, and had three goals: point leaders to resources they should know about, feature leaders in the movement, and ask hard questions that would help the movement go forward. We had no idea if anyone would be interested. As it…
Your friendly neighborhood Distributist and blog curator originally wanted to share with you some quotes from G. K. Chesterton which would put you in the right frame of mind to think about human flourishing and the improvement of the faith and work movement in the New Year. What I have actually done instead is spent an hour on the website…
(This song by Isaac Watts, originally written about the Second Coming, is one of my favorite Christmas carols for many reasons. One is its vision of the redemption of this creation by a new creation which will heal it, not simply replace it.)
1 Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King!
Let ev’ry heart prepare Him room,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n, and heav’n and nature sing.
2 Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ,
while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
3 No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness
and wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love.
The Problem With Work (2011) by Kathi Weeks has been sitting on my desk now for some time in preparation for my reviewing it here. Recently, my 5-year-old walked by my desk. She is just learning to read, and she sounded out the title. “What is the problem with work?” she said. “Is it that not everyone has a job?” On the…
From the Theology of Work Project: We give because you first gave to us. Giving God, just as we love because you first loved us, we give because you first gave to us. Out of gratitude we bring gifts of money to be used for your kingdom work. With these gifts we also pledge to you our whole selves. We give…
Reprinted from Living God’s Mission We’ve been having a thought-provoking series here recently on how to change your congregation’s system to produce a church where all the members know, and behave, as though they are sent on mission. (It was sparked by this post by A. Wayne Schwab, which you may want to keep close by for reference.) One important piece of…
The Green Room 