Reprinted from the Chalmers Center; part five of a series. Material poverty is complex and not reducible to a single cause. Healthy, sustainable poverty alleviation ministries need to address all five root causes of material poverty—individual brokenness, systemic brokenness, false stories of change, broken and destructive formative practices, and demonic forces. Over the last few weeks, we’ve looked at Ministry Design…
By Pam Tinsley, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return…
A conversation with Paul Taylor, reprinted from the Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech. After nearly 20 years as a pastor in Palo Alto, Paul Taylor discovered a “room” he never knew existed—a space where faith, work, and technology intersect. “It felt like I found a hidden part of the house,” he shared with Pastor Travis Jamieson, host…
By David Williamson, part five of a series. The revised script, the new drama of life post-Genesis 3, starts to be played out. Chapter 4 of Genesis begins with a comforting and hopeful statement: In spite of sin and God’s judgement, God’s grace enables Eve to bear a child. Indeed, all work, all labor, all production should be with the understanding…
Reprinted from the Theology of Work Project, lead contributors Alistair Mackenzie & Wayne Kirkland. Ethics is about knowing and doing what is good or right, and workplace ethics is about knowing and doing what is good or right at work. For the Christian, this means applying the Bible and other resources of the Christian faith to help decide and do what…
By Chris Armstrong, reprinted from Humanism as a Way of Life. Note: I gave the following in chapel at Taylor University (IN) some years ago. I think it has held up well, as an intervention on the subject of vocation, for young people in particular. An earlier version was given at Wheaton’s chapel; in the Taylor version (below) I used…
By Ken Benjamin, reprinted from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying…
By David Williamson, originally posted here at TGR. We re-run this post every Labor Day. Thank you, Lord, for David’s contributions to TGR and legacy in the movement! Labor Day Morning is traditionally the last day of summer and the beginning of Fall. Regular hours, routine, work…as I reflect on this year’s Labor Day, at first I’m grumpy. Not only…
By Greg Forster, reprinted from the Oikonomia Network. The Economic Wisdom Project is best known for our Economic Wisdom Project Talks, which are short, accessible, engaging and rich presentations suitable for use in classrooms and group discussions. But the EWP also features print resources, including our vision paper and our twelve elements of economic wisdom. Economic Wisdom for Churches, our…
Reprinted from the Chalmers Center; part four of a series. Resuming our journey through the Ministry Design Principles, we turn our attention to replacing destructive formative practices in our fundraising, in our relationships with stakeholders, and in our marketing strategies. A ministry working to walk in the path of God’s story of change pursues practices that treat all stakeholders as a community…
The Green Room 