Theology that Works
Drawing on Isaiah 5, Andy Crouch speaks about the challenge of separating real flourishing from mere material prosperity in the midst of economic growth and technological innovation. In a world of instant gratification, what is of lasting importance? IDEAL FOR: Ethics, Old Testament, spiritual formation
In this highly personal talk, Joshua Jipp of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School shares stories of his grandfather on the Iowa farm where he grew up. Grandpa Wayne had absorbed key economic teachings from Jesus, prioritizing contentment, productivity and community. IDEAL FOR: New Testament, ethics, spiritual formation
Evangelical Theological Society Executive Director J. Michael Thigpen describes how the image of God in the Genesis creation account structures every area of human life, including our work and economic activity. IDEAL FOR: Systematic, Old Testament, ethics
Nathan Hitchcock of Sioux Falls Seminary unpacks the meaning of the biblical term oikonomia. He points out that Paul uses this term frequently; reviewing Paul’s use of the phrase oikonomia theou in Ephesians, Hitchcock argues that God’s creation plan – the economy of God – is an audacious enterprise. IDEAL FOR: New Testament, systematic, ethics
Made to Flourish President Tom Nelson speaks on the integral relationship between faithfulness and fruitfulness, reviewing passages including the Genesis creation account, Proverbs 31 and the teachings of Jesus. IDEAL FOR: Systematic, pastoral leadership, ethics
Chris Armstrong of Wheaton College evokes key moments from church history, and from his personal history of struggle with attitudes about rest, home and work, to offer a compelling vision for why a theology of vocation must be central to the life of faith. IDEAL FOR: History, ethics, spiritual formation
The Trinity isn’t about counting to three, Fred Sanders tells us, it’s about the God who sends his Son and his Spirit, and then sends his people. Far from a dry abstraction, the doctrine of the Trinity shows us that we do our daily work within the work of God himself. IDEAL FOR: Systematic, New […]
Keith Reeves of Azusa-Pacific University describes the connection between the household, family structure, land ownership and economic opportunity in the Old Testament law and prophets, and how these connections apply today. IDEAL FOR: Old Testament, ethics
Charlie Self of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary draws together God’s communicable attributes with church experiences from Dallas and Oregon all the way to Sri Lanka and Cambodia, presenting the church’s mission is to embody joy, peace and justice in the world’s communities. IDEAL FOR: Systematic, pastoral leadership, ethics
What if we’re getting the whole sacred/secular problem backward? Chris Armstrong invites us to rethink what the church really is – a visible sign of invisible grace – before we roll up our sleeves to change the world. IDEAL FOR: Systematic, spiritual formation, ethics, missions, homiletics, liturgy
Anthony Bradley of The King’s College looks 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. IDEAL FOR: History, ethics, pastoral leadership
Deborah Gill of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary carefully unpacks the Greek text and biblical/cultural context of the church’s original misison statement, the Great Commission, to show how the church’s task is to “disciplize” in every area of life. IDEAL FOR: New Testament, missiology, spiritual formation
Christopher Brooks of Moody Theological Seminary, merging theology with his pastoral experience in Detroit, argues that poverty need not be permanent; the truth of the gospel and the imperatives of discipleship demand constructive solutions to poverty. IDEAL FOR: Ethics, pastoral leadership
Michael Wittmer shows us how to leave behind tired debates (evangelism v. justice) and false dualisms (“I left my job to go into full-time ministry”) by seeing that the call to salvation in Christ and the call to do good works in the world are the same call. IDEAL FOR: Systematic, ethics, spiritual formation
Darrell Bock of Dallas Theological Seminary unfolds the ironies and reversals in Luke – from the rich fool and Lazarus’ wealthy neighbor to Zacchaeus and the widow’s mite – that call us to use all our money for good stewardship of God’s world. IDEAL FOR: New Testament, ethics, spiritual formation