By Greg Forster; part five of a series. You don’t work in this movement for long without hearing about eschatology. But we don’t connect eschatology to suffering as often as we should. If we did, I think we might find that our differences over eschatology can be fruitful rather than destructive. So, let’s bicker about eschatology! (The previous post in…
By Nathan Roberts; originally published at Patheos. As I took the Amtrak up to the Faith@Work Summit in Boston, I was working on a paper about the Mind-Body Problem. I don’t want to bore you with academic details, but the gist of the problem is: how do we talk about how the brain––an electrically charged lump of meat––relates to a…
By Greg Forster; part four of a series. If you’re suffering, there is power in saying that you’re suffering. That, or something very close to it, was a comment made about blues music in Ken Burns’ documentary series “Jazz.” One way we can help people suffer without helping them suffer is simply by telling the truth about suffering in work.…
By Will Messenger We’ve been having a lively debate in the Theology of Work Project about how many chapters there are in the biblical narrative. Are there 4? 3? 5? This question comes up, for us, in the context of engaging our audiences as fully as possible, especially the Reformed, who seem always to speak of 4 chapters, and the…
By Nathan Roberts; reprinted from Patheos. It’s a little strange to have your first 8-to-5 job at an online platform called “The High Calling.” Working for a website about work is weirdly meta, like a teacher teaching teaching skills or a salesperson selling sales tactics. I find myself writing sentences like “God inspires us synchronize the work of our hands,…
By Greg Forster; part three of a series. Here’s a faith and work leader who knew how hard it was to help people endure suffering and also challenge the sources of their suffering: I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some…
By Jeff Haanen Behind the veneer of confidence, bold risk-taking, and decisive leadership, all of us in positions of influence struggle – especially CEOs. Considering these challenges tend to be perennial challenges for Christian business leaders, what experiences and/or resources can pastors, para-church leaders, and other business leaders provide for the executives in their network? What still needs…
By Deidra Riggs One afternoon, I opened my email account and found this message, from a dear friend: “This kinda pisses me off,” the message read. “I don’t want it to, but it does more than a little. Pray for me.” I scrolled down to read the forwarded message my friend had received and, with a deep sigh, immediately understood…
By Greg Forster; part two of a series. How do we help people suffer without helping them suffer? That is, how can we help people persevere through suffering, and even “rejoice in our sufferings,” without becoming complacent about their suffering or even – God forbid! – contributing to social conditions that increase suffering? This is a paradox the faith and…
By Jennifer Woodruff Tait A few years ago, some of us who are now connected with this blog, and who were at that time connected with another project, were having a planning meeting for the project. The first time we had a coffee/water/restroom break, I noticed something odd. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I’ll remind you I’m…
The Green Room 