Reprinted from the Chalmers Center; part three of a series. We’ve been sharing Ministry Design Principles in a series of posts (you can read last week’s here). All these principles can, in some sense, be bundled under 6 aspects of holistic poverty alleviation—1) forming the kingdom community, 2) addressing false stories of change, 3) addressing broken practices, 4) addressing broken individuals, 5) addressing broken…
By Pam Tinsley, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. Ever since a bald eagle flew over our son and daughter-in-law’s outdoor wedding – and a friend observed that eagles are a sign of blessing – I’ve been mesmerized when an eagle soars overhead. If I hear a murder of crows squawking fiercely, I’ll search the skies for a nearby eagle. Recently,…
By Caitlin Rhodes-Karahadian, reprinted from the Bay Area Center for Faith, Work & Tech. “Wow, this is really beautiful,” are usually the first words out of someone’s mouth when they walk into our free coworking space for the first time. Soon after, they want to know our origin story. Why are we doing this? I usually explain that my husband…
By David Williamson, part three of a series. There are several nudges or suggestions in the early chapters of Genesis that work is done in the context of teams. No grand, rugged individualism, independence or autonomy here! The need for teamwork is most directly stated in Genesis 2:5: “There was no one to till the ground.” In this second account of…
Reprinted from the Theology of Work Project, lead contributor Greg Forster. Competition is a fact of everyday work. But is it godly for Christians to compete? Or is it something we should try to avoid as much as possible? Should we use whatever influence we have to reduce or even eliminate competition? We all know how hard it is to succeed…
By Chris Armstrong, reprinted from Humanism as a Way of Life. See previous posts in this series starting here and continuing here, here and here. Is God’s vocational will for us really inflexible? We’ve noted that bad theology says our single, mysterious vocation is inflexible—that is, eternally fixed and pre-set in the mid of God. If we’ve picked this belief up on our journey, then we may…
By Ken Benjamin; reprinted from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth…
By Victor Claar, 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 two of a series. Poverty alleviation is complex, so principles are more helpful than blueprints for designing an effective poverty alleviation ministry. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to material poverty, and context matters, too. Ministry tools and strategies that work well to facilitate lasting transformation in a rural village in Togo might not work in an urban area in the…
By Demi Prentiss, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. Nearly 50 years ago, a Roman Catholic archbishop told his flock, “How beautiful will be the day when all the baptized understand that their work, their job, is a priestly work, that just as I celebrate Mass at this altar, so each carpenter celebrates Mass at his workbench, and each metalworker, each…
The Green Room 