When it comes to what Vince Bacote has called “political discipleship,” the church in the U.S. is already beginning to emerge – yes, it really is! – from a generation of Babylonian captivity. Young Christians aren’t interested in taking their public theology from ideological mouthpieces of the Right, and they also are not overreacting into what could have been an equal-and-opposite captivity to the Left. One gets the sense that they’re waiting for an alternative that’s worth their investment.
They want a church that is, as Ross Douthat once put it, “political but not partisan.”
If you’re looking to help students discover what the social witness of the church can be like after Babylon, have we ever got some Economic Wisdom Project Talks they’ll love!
True story: One Karam Fellowship leader played Anthony Bradley’s EWP Talk for one of his classes. After an awkward silence, one student blurted out: “You know what? I’m tired of not talking about this!” What followed was a fruitful conversation about recovering an independent witness for the church.
Anthony Bradley, in “Christian Personalism: How to Preach a Public Faith without Making Atheists,” calls out the American church in the past generation for outsourcing catechesis on politics to partisan ideologues – ultimately driving many young people away from the faith. He outlines the alternative path offered by the tradition of “Christian personalism.”
Jules Martinez, in “Reconciled to Reconcile: Making the Kingdom Visible in a Divided World,” emphasizes that if the church maintains “prophetic independence” from worldly powers, the real, practical cooperation of Christians for the common good across lines of background and political preference makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is building the kingdom of God among us.
Jennifer Woodruff Tait, Charlie Self & Jay Moon, in “Dislocation and Discovery: The Industrial Revolution and the Wesleyan Movement,” model for us the deconstruction of sterile, one-dimensional ideological constructs – “free markets” versus “capitalist oppression” – in favor of a rich, robust understanding of what is good and bad in the economic structures our modern world.
Each EWP Talk is about 15-20 minutes long, so they’re easy to use. But the conversations they’ll catalyze in your classroom, church or group will be much longer.
This semester, consider assigning your students a talk from our video library!
Here’s a closer look at these three talks that focus on grounding the gospel within the plan, call and sending of God:
Anthony Bradley | Christian Personalism: How to Preach a Public Faith without Making Atheists
Anthony Bradley of The King’s College looks at the fallout of the Religious Right, and how the school of thought known as Christian Personalism can provide an alternative approach to bringing our faith into the public square.
Consider assigning in: Culture, Ethics, Pastoral Leadership, Theology, History
Jules Martinez | Reconciled to Reconcile: Making the Kingdom Visible in a Divided World
When the church is divided by ethnic separation and political polarization, the kingdom of God is revealed less fully to our neighbors, and has a gravely diminished impact on communities. In this powerful and personal talk, Jules Martinez of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School points us toward essential kingdom virtues and practices that help local churches grow together and make the kingdom visible and effective.
Consider assigning in: Ethics, Pastoral Leadership, Culture, Spiritual Formation
Jennifer Woodruff Tait, Charlie Self & Jay Moon | Dislocation and Discovery: The Industrial Revolution and the Wesleyan Movement
The Industrial Revolution was one of the most massive cultural and economic changes in global history, and we have inherited both positive and negative narratives about its impact. Historians Jennifer Woodruff Tait and Charlie Self look at the Wesleyan movement’s response to these changes to consider how the modern economy has shaped our world in both good and bad ways. Jay Moon moderates the discussion.
Consider assigning in: History, Ethics, Culture
Check out all our Economic Wisdom Project Talks – it’s always a good time to point your students to good resources on the challenging questions they face!
