The vision paper of the Economic Wisdom Project (EWP) asserts that its 12 Elements of Economic Wisdom are “grounded in biblical and theological learning” and “in organic continuity with historic Christian thought and practice” (p. 8). Exploring how the EWP connects wtih theology, biblical studies and Christian history is one of the key tasks theological […]
Seminary Spotlight
Grand Rapids Theological Seminary By Darrell Yoder, Adjunct Professor At Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (GRTS), we seek to contribute to the mission of the Oikonomia Network within our spheres of influence. Since 2008, we have used a variety of venues to explore the integration of faith, work, and economics (FWE) with students, faculty, pastors, and congregants. […]
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ON at Western Seminary By Jim Hislop, director of the Center for Leadership Development With the encouragement of our program as part of the Oikonomia Network, several professors at Western Seminary have begun incorporating theological approaches to work and economics into courses they have been teaching for years. Courses like Discovering and Developing Your Ministry Potential, […]
God and Work Lives
Connecting Our God Lives and Our Work Lives Klaus Issler, Professor of Christian Education & Theology, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University What are some ways in which people can bring their God-lives into their work-lives? The brief reflections presented here consider three insightful frameworks. The first offers a broader scope of insight, while the […]
Good Fruit
Andrew Arndt, lead pastor of Bloom Church and regional network coordinator for the Kern Pastors Network in the Rocky Mountain region One of the great joys of serving as a regional coordinator of the Kern Pastors Network is gathering together with other Kern Pastors to wrestle with the profounder questions of life, ministry, and how […]
ETS Event
The Oikonomia Network (ON) will once again host a public lunch event at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. Titled “The Global Economy: Implications for the Church,” this year’s event will be hosted by Scott Rae and will feature two co-presenters: P.J. Hill, professor emeritus of economics at Wheaton College, and the ON’s […]
ON Point
Greg Forster Every day, we can see new reasons why it’s so urgent for pastors to connect discipleship to work and economics. As I write this column, The New York Times has just published an article criticizing evangelicals for overemphasizing transnational adoption as a response to global poverty. Admittedly, the author strains to blow some problems out […]
Seminary Spotlight
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Craig Mitchell, Associate Professor of Cultural Studies, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS) began its participation in the Oikonomia Network in 2010. Our ON program is housed in the Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement, which I direct. The center was established in order to open doors for the […]
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The Oikonomia Network at Moody Theological Seminary Sajan Mathews, Professor of Systematic Theology, Moody Theological Seminary Though Moody Theological Seminary (MTS) is only in its first year as an Oikonomia Network school, it has already taken significant steps toward helping pastors, faculty, students, and (through Moody Radio) the general public integrate faith, work, and economics, leading […]
Spiritual Capital
What’s So Spiritual about Capital? Bruce Baker, Assistant Professor of Business Ethics, Seattle Pacific University Spiritual capital is becoming a hot topic. It helps explain the appeal of new ideas like Bill Gates’ “creative capitalism” and John Mackey’s “conscious capitalism.” Yet it goes beyond these secular notions by recognizing that working to create value is […]
Hope for a Community
W. Jay Moon, Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary Let me describe a community to you. Most of the fathers in this community wake up each day with no place to go for work. In fact, unemployment sometimes reaches over 80 percent. Extended families pool their meager resources in order to provide for […]
Spiritual Capital
What’s So Spiritual about Capital? Bruce Baker, Assistant Professor of Business Ethics, Seattle Pacific University Spiritual capital is becoming a hot topic. It helps explain the appeal of new ideas like Bill Gates’ “creative capitalism” and John Mackey’s “conscious capitalism.” Yet it goes beyond these secular notions by recognizing that working to create value is […]
ON Point
By Greg Forster As the school year begins, our mission to equip pastors to cultivate fruitful work and economic wisdom enters its next chapter. This summer brought continued growth and new opportunities to the Oikonomia Network (ON), and we’re looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us this fall. We’re growing in […]
Seminary Spotlight
Susan Heeren Reese, Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation, Sioux Falls Seminary Nathan Hitchcock, Assistant Professor of Church History and Theology, Sioux Falls Seminary Jessica Berg, Developer of Social Entrepreneur Studies, Sioux Falls Seminary Sioux Falls Seminary received a grant last year to explore the integration of faith, work, and economics. The initiative has been a […]
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The Oikonomia Network at Trinity By Donald Guthrie Trinity Evangelical Divinity School is now embarking on its second academic year as an Oikonomia Network school. From the beginning of Trinity’s ON partnership, it became apparent that no single faculty member, or even one department, could successfully relate ON goals to the university’s mission. Therefore, institutional leaders […]