One of the foremost evangelical leaders in building a theology for the common good is Richard Mouw, former president of Fuller Theological Seminary. In a newly-released video of his talk at Karam Forum 2020, Mouw insightfully identifies potential pitfalls among evangelical leaders driving this change, and offers a more integrated way forward in theological education. […]
Compassion and Conviction: Faithful Civic Engagement
Note: Adapted from Compassion & Conviction: The AND Campaign’s Guide to Faithful Civic Engagement, by Justin Giboney, Michael Wear and Chris Butler. No one makes political decisions from a neutral position. To make a policy decision is to choose certain values and goods over others. Political decisions are inevitably informed by a certain worldview or […]
The Sixth Commandment and American Democracy
Note: Reprinted from Made to Flourish. In 1958, Martin Luther King, Jr. made the following statement about the Civil Rights Movement: From the beginning a basic philosophy guided the movement. This guiding principle has since been referred to variously as nonviolent resistance, non-cooperation, and passive resistance. But in the first days of the protest none […]
Classic EWP Talk: Fruitfulness Matters
In today’s pandemic-adapted alternative learning environments, Economic Wisdom Project Talks are an invaluable classroom resource. One of the most important methods to avoid losing students to “Zoom fatigue” in your digital or blended class is to switch teaching modes on a regular basis – every 20 minutes is a typically recommended length. Our 15-20 minute […]
Seminary Spotlight: Asbury Theological Seminary
Note: Appropriately for the new pandemic reality, this spotlight update comes to you via Zoom video. A transcript, with links to the resources discussed in the video, is provided below. Transcript Hello, I’m Jay Moon, one of the directors of the Office of Faith, Work and Economics at Asbury Theological Seminary in the Wilmore Campus. […]
Seminary Spotlight: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
The Center for Transformational Churches (CTC) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School continues to sponsor programming, cultivate curricular integration and hold campus events focusing on whole-life discipleship and the future of theological education. Some of our key themes under that umbrella include resilient ministry, vocation, human flourishing and economic wisdom. Things have been chaotic here, as […]
I Can’t Breathe: Three Gospel Truths
Note: This article first appeared at Woodside Bible Church on May 28, and is part one of two; read part two here and check out Woodside’s other excellent resources. Citations have been omitted. This article was also published by Made to Flourish. Last week, I lost my breath. My breathlessness came because of watching the […]
Another Run at Freedom
Note: This article is reprinted from Christianity Today, where it launched a 20-week series on race, justice and the church. We encourage you to check out the series as it continues running at CT. Many minorities would rather talk about anything else. We would much prefer to converse over the joy of sports, music, cinema, […]
It’s Decision Time: Reflections on Faith, Race and Justice
Here’s an actual exchange I had after a 2019 Black History Month event that I co-organized and facilitated at a seminary to engage the community in a conversation on Faith, Race and Culture: Event Attendee: “Yeah, that was a good gathering. But, you really shouldn’t use the word ‘race.’ Choose a different word for your […]
Racialized Economics
Note: This is an excerpt from the author’s book, Race, Economics and Apologetics: Is There a Connection?, which was distributed to attendees at Karam Forum 2020. Citations have been omitted. Biologically speaking, whites and blacks are more than 99 percent the same. Biologically speaking, race should not matter; but socially, educationally, politically and economically, race […]
Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
Reprinted from the Chalmers Center; also see the Chalmers Center’s statement on racial injustice and call to prayer and lament. So what is the church supposed to do about racial injustice? Many responses to this cultural moment have emphasized that racism (and injustice in society, more generally) is ultimately a spiritual problem, so the church’s response should be to focus […]
Classic EWP Talk: A Public Faith That’s Religiously Right, Not “Religious Right”
The long-term captivity of U.S. evangelical churches to right-wing politics is leading many young evangelicals right out of our church doors. As Anthony Bradley of The King’s College highlights in this classic Economic Wisdom Project Talk, young American evangelicals “have been soured by a faith that is primarily tribalistic, that is contingent with the culture […]
What Does Justice Require?
Note: This is an excerpt of a chapter in the ON resource Economic Wisdom for Churches. See also Luke Bobo’s Race, Economics and Apologetics: Is There a Connection?, which was shared with attendees at Karam Forum 2020. THESIS 50: Christians should be taught that if the pope knew about the exploitation practiced by the indulgence-preachers, […]
Karam Forum: Traditioned Innovation and the Common Good in Theological Education
Christian higher education, like all institutions of learning across the country, find themselves in a dramatic period of disruption. The forces of change already in play in higher education are only accentuated by COVID-19’s impact on global health and economies. These developments have left university leaders, faculty, students, donors and alumni alike wondering together what […]
Christopher Brooks on Rethinking Urban Poverty
Note: This month we are reprinting our original article on Christopher Brooks’ EWP Talk on Rethinking Urban Poverty. See our playlists on Ethics, Culture and Pastoral Leadership for more resources. There’s nothing the church needs to rethink as urgently as poverty. Taking action for the flourishing of the poor is central to our solidarity with […]