I was recently introduced to an organization called The Fellows Initiative which currently operates programs in 22 cities around the US. A Fellows program is a nine to ten-month spiritual and vocational leadership program that prepares the graduate to live an integrated life of faith. The content presented in the program includes the theology of work, vocation, calling, cultural engagement,…
By Greg Forster; part six of a series. “They told us, ‘this is our culture,’ but we told them, ‘this is God’s word.’” I was hearing a talk from a leader in the fortification-paradigm church I used to attend. As I stressed in my last post, this church did a great job of helping people overcome addictions and enslaving sins.…
In his very accessible and practical book, Fruitfulness on the Frontlines, London’s Mark Greene offers a very helpful framework for Christians trying to live out their faith. The framework is notable for at least three reasons. First, it is broadly applicable. Believers of any age, in any vocation (paid or unpaid), in any sector (public, private, or nonprofit), and…
My ears perked up one morning recently when I heard a new report that France, the land of much vacation time and the 35-hour work week, passed a new law giving workers the “right to disconnect” outside of work hours. According to Maggie Penman at NPR, “companies with more than 50 employees will be obligated to set up hours when…
America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law! –America the Beautiful (Katharine Lee Bates) It had been a long glorious morning full of adrenaline, symbolism, and splendid pomp and circumstance. Then we sang the second stanza of the hymn “America the Beautiful.” Confirming my soul in self-control and confirming my liberty in…
In a previous post I argued that the most important titles we hold at work are not the ones bestowed on us by the company or organization that employs us, but rather the ones given to us by God. Scripture gives God’s people several names, among them: salt, light, servant, prophet, priest, and king. Living into these identities is what can…
We recently ran into this article from the Catholic Herald in Britain, interviewing Martin Scorsese, director of the new film Silence. In it Scorsese talks about how getting ejected from seminary led him to realize that clergy are not the only ones with vocations. It raises some interesting thoughts about the Catholic theology of vocation and how Scorsese has exercised his vocation…
“You don’t just have a job, you have a vocation!” Really? It feels more like I need a vacation. “Come to the Discover Your Calling class at church!” they told me. I was hoping to get career advice. Instead, I guess my calling was to be a greeter on Sunday morning. “Some people have a calling,” my father said to…
The most important title you hold in your workplace is not the one given to you by the company or organization for which you work. The most important title—actually, titles—are those bestowed on you by God’s Word. God has given His people some special names. In the scriptures we are called: Salt Light Servants Prophets Priests Kings Living into these…
By Greg Forster: part four of a series. In my last post I talked about how the underlying theology of dominance paradigm churches leads to practical deism. Here are three specific ways dominance paradigm churches can overcome this: The Past: Dominance paradigm churches overestimate both the moral and religious integrity of the American past. There is, to be sure, much that…
The Green Room 