Literature Archives - Page 2 of 4

Ethics at Work – from the Theology of Work Project

The Theology of Work Project has comprehensive guide to the topic of ethics in the workplace. ? You can download a copy of the PDF (54 pages) here – ?Theology of Work Project – Ethics

Alistair Mackenzie and Wayne Kirkland define the topic as follows:

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 is ethical or moral at work.? [Read more…] about Ethics at Work – from the Theology of Work Project

Gospel Centred Work – small group studies from Tim Chester

Well known author and pastor Tim Chester has put together an excellent resource for small groups wanting to explore what it means to be God’s person in the workplace. ?

Or as Chester puts it, ‘… if we are to be gospel-centred people living gospel-centred lives then we need to think through what gospel-centred work involves. What does?it mean to live for Jesus in the workplace? We need to connect Sunday morning to Monday morning.’

Why Work? – an essay from Dorothy Sayers

“In nothing has the Church so lost Her hold on reality as in Her failure to understand?and respect the secular vocation. She has allowed work and religion to become?separate departments, and is astonished to find that, as result, the secular work of the?world is turned to purely selfish and destructive ends, and that the greater part of the?world?s intelligent workers have become irreligious, or at least, uninterested in?religion.

But is it astonishing? How can any one remain interested in a religion which seems?to have no concern with nine-tenths of his life? The Church?s approach to an?intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him not to be drunk and?disorderly in his leisure hours, and to come to church on Sundays. What the Church?should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon?him is that he should make good tables.”

So wrote Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) in a famous essay entitled ‘Why Work?’. ?You can download a full copy of the essay (12 pages) here: ?Why Work – Dorothy Sayers Essay

“Life on the Frontline” – a six week course for equipping whole-life disciples

Here at Malyon Workplace, we are keen to help people explore what it means to be a whole life disciple – to understand that being a disciple of Jesus is a 24/7 commitment, being his person wherever he has placed us in our normal, everyday lives. ?

For many of us, the workplace is the most significant setting, but most of us have many, many more frontlines – the gym, the shopping centre, the local school community, our neighbourhood, the kids sporting clubs and so on.

The?LICC?folk define the a person’s frontline as,?’… the place where you spend the majority of your time outside the church, where you are in contact with non-Christians.’ [Read more…] about “Life on the Frontline” – a six week course for equipping whole-life disciples

“Theology that Works” – PDF

“Theology that Works?is?an invitation to dialogue on discipleship and work in the American church”: a 55 page PDF from Greg Forster of the?Oikonomia Network.? The Oikonomia Network?‘… is a learning community for theological educators and evanglical seminaries … [whose aim] is to prepare future pastors for responsibilities of pastoral minsitry related to work, the economy, and cultural engagement.’

Chapter titles are:

I. Renewing Whole-Life Discipleship -?‘…churches have disconnected discipleship from the largest portion of life – our economic work in the home, in our jobs, and in communities.’

II.? Achieving Virtuous Citizenship -?‘… participating in the economy in ways distinctively shaped by the calling to stewardship is one of the best ways to manifest our discipleship, blessing our neighbours by producing economic?shalom.’

III.? Stewardship and Economic Flourishing -?‘Economic flourishing has brought enormous blessings, both spiritual and theological.? But is poses a challenge as well.’

IV.? Theological and Economic Worlds Working Together -?‘The church can answer these challenges by creating critical dialogue between the theological and ecnomic spheres of thought and practice.’

V.? Answering the Call -?‘We are blessed by a growing body of movements acknowledging the need to reconnect theology and pastoral leadership with working and economic life.’

Kingdom Calling ? Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good (Amy Sherman)

Amy Sherman provides an important addition to the expanding library of materials that look at issues of integrating faith and work, and what it means to not just be a ?called out? people but a ?sent back? people ? sent to partner God in his redemptive mission in the world (see p.12).

Sherman starts with the theological foundations ? ?What does a rejoiced city look like?, she asks.? ?What do the righteous look like?? Why are we not like that??? Those familiar with Tim Keller?s writing and his focus on culture and city will find much that is familiar here but from a more focussed?workplace perspective.

Part 2 considers ?Discipling for Vocational Stewardship? (Integrating work and faith, Inspiration, Discovery, Formation) and Part 3 looks at ?Pathways of Vocational Stewardship? (deploying vocational power though four different avenues).

Check out the?Vocational Stewardship website?for additional information and resources (includes a download of Chapter 2)

One?reviewer?concluded as follows:

The book confronts us on various levels. It asks the individual to deal with his or her personal character issues because each believer serves as a representative of God?s Kingdom of righteousness in this world. It challenges every disciple to respond to the Holy Spirit?s call to develop his or her own vocational stewardship: to find out how they can use their platform, their networks, their influence, their position, their skills, and their reputation/fame to promote the common good. Kingdom Calling challenges pastors (the main targets of the book) to reexamine their ecclesiology and to refocus their task to the ultimate purpose of ?equipping the saints for the work of the ministry? (Eph. 4:11-12). It also challenges those of us in the theological academy to ensure that we are faithfully and adequately training future pastors and missionaries to promote the sub-title of the book: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good!

I would suggest that Sherman?s Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good is a significant contribution to counter global spiritual unemployment.

Taking Your Soul to Work – Self-Control: Resolving the Work-Life Dilemma (Chapter 13)

Do you know anyone who suffers from ADT ? Attention Deficit Trait??

According to Stevens and Ung,??ADT is caused by a hyperkinetic environment, when workplace pressure increases and people ?suck it up? without complaining.? ADT people multitask obsessively, answer questions in superficial ways, hurry all the time, spend little or no time with friends, work longer hours, and sleep less.? ADT people find it difficult to generate fresh ideas.?

I?m not sure that describes my current state but I can certainly relate to that as an accurate description of my life at various stages.

In situations like this, the discussion usually turns to the need for work-life balance but that is not where the authors take us.? The real issue, they say, is a lack of self-control.

Work-life balance can simply be a mask for the problem of gluttony (refer to the last post in this series).? ?We want balance so we can fit more in.? The desire for work-life balance can be just another example of being driven by excessive consumption ???the desire to have it all and juggle as many balls as possible.? [Read more…] about Taking Your Soul to Work – Self-Control: Resolving the Work-Life Dilemma (Chapter 13)

Taking Your Soul to Work – Gluttony (Chapter 4)

Do you know anyone who suffers from ADT ? Attention Deficit Trait??

According to Stevens and Ung, ?ADT is caused by a hyperkinetic environment, when workplace pressure increases and people ?suck it up? without complaining.? ADT people multitask obsessively, answer questions in superficial ways, hurry all the time, spend little or no time with friends, work longer hours, and sleep less.? ADT people find it difficult to generate fresh ideas.?

I?m not sure that describes my current state but I can certainly relate to that as an accurate description of my life at various stages.

In situations like this, the discussion usually turns to the need for work-life balance but that is not where the authors take us.? The real issue, they say, is a lack of self-control. [Read more…] about Taking Your Soul to Work – Gluttony (Chapter 4)