As we did last year, the Oikonomia Network held a curricular integration workshop at the 2014 Acton University conference. Over 100 theological educators divided into tables by discipline and discussed ideas for including work and the economy in every area of the seminary curriculum. From New Testament and Old Testament classes to systematic theology, ethics, […]
Faith@Work Summit
The Oikonomia Network is stepping out into the spotlight! At the upcoming Faith@Work Summit, probably the largest and most important gathering in the modern history of the faith and work movement, ON schools and partners are making significant contributions. We’ve come a long way in a short time. The summit will take place on Oct. […]
FLOW Grows
Demand for the Acton Institute’s new church curriculum, “For the Life of the World” (FLOW), continues to grow. Several more seminaries have made plans to use FLOW with students and faculty since our report in the May newsletter. Meanwhile, sales have significantly outpaced expectations, and FLOW is reaching people through a variety of unexpected platforms. […]
FLOW Grows
Demand for the Acton Institute’s new church curriculum, “For the Life of the World” (FLOW), continues to grow. Several more seminaries have made plans to use FLOW with students and faculty since our report in the May newsletter. Meanwhile, sales have significantly outpaced expectations, and FLOW is reaching people through a variety of unexpected platforms. […]
Classroom FLOW
The Acton Institute has officially launched its revolutionary church curriculum, “For the Life of the World: Letters to the Exiles” (FLOW). Faculty in the Oikonomia Network got a special preview of the curriculum at our annual retreat in January, viewing episode 1, “Exile,” and episode 3, “The Economy of Creative Service.” The curriculum has already […]
ON Point
Our seminary spotlights and highlight reports, documenting the steadily building success of our partner schools, are two of the most popular features in our newsletter. As this school year comes to a close, it seems like a good time to look back at some of our network’s major accomplishments. Some of these accomplishments have established […]
Freedom for the Poor
Detroit pastor Chris Brooks gave a riveting talk on “The Church and Economic Renewal” at the 2014 faculty retreat of the Oikonomia Network. The following is adapted from his brand new book, “Urban Apologetics: Why the Gospel is Good News for the City,” from Kregel Publications. Political polarization has wreaked havoc on the body of […]
Faith, Work, the Poor
“Humanizing Work” was the theme of the Center for Faith & Work’s annual conference this year. During the opening session, Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was mentioned. Maslow, a 20th century American psychologist, studied people’s motivations, eventually developing his infamous hierarchy. His model was comprised of five needs, beginning with basic (physiological) needs before ascending […]
Seminary Spotlight
Dallas Theological Seminary Darrell Bock, executive director of cultural engagement at the Hendricks Center Dallas Theological Seminary’s Faith, Work, and Economics program included a variety of activities in the 2013-2014 academic year. The program engages business leaders, church members, pastors, and seminary students on issues tied to discipleship, leadership, God, and culture. Its programs reach […]
More Highlights
The Oikonomia Network at Beeson Mark DeVine, Associate Professor of Divinity Eight influential senior pastors from four states and Washington D.C., representing six theological traditions, gave intensive attention to the intersection of faith, work, and economics at a March pastors’ symposium hosted by Beeson Divinity School. The symposium was led by Greg Forster of The […]
Collected Wisdom
This month we release the final set of research notes for the Economic Wisdom Project (EWP). These notes provide extensive references for anyone seeking to connect the EWP’s 12 Elements with the Bible, theology, and church history. The newly released notes cover Elements 10-12. Notes for all 12 Elements are now available for you to […]
ON Point
By Greg Forster The Oikonomia Network recently announced the formation of a national advisory committee to help shepherd the network to the next level of maturity. I’m excited to announce that three new members have been added to the committee, each of whom will bring unique experience and expertise to the committee’s work: Chris Armstrong, […]
Day of Small Things
Kristin Lindholm, associate professor of communication, Trinity International University Have you ever read a section of Scripture and discovered a new gem you hadn’t seen before? That happened to me recently. Zechariah 4:10 has opened a new window for me on faith and work. My husband and I co-lead a small group Bible study for […]
A Family Affair
By Trevor Lee My son sat on the edge of his bed, arms folded tightly across his chest, a look of anger mixed with defiance in his eyes. He stared up at me and said, “It’s just not fair! I shouldn’t have to do any work. It’s the weekend!” While I strongly believe in people, […]
Seminary Spotlight
Western Seminary Jim Hislop, director of the Center for Leadership Development In December 2012, the faculty of Western Seminary collectively expressed a desire to incorporate the values of the Economic Wisdom Project (EWP) into an overarching theme for the seminary curriculum. While some courses would bear primary responsibility for more intensive treatment of this topic, […]