work – Acton Institute PowerBlog

October 13, 2021

We need a ‘Forbes 400 Poorest Americans’ list

In the 1936 film My Man Godfrey, an oddly well-spoken “forgotten man” whose temporary lodgings are a city dump, finds himself the object of a game played by a pair of rich sisters, one of whom takes a fancy to him. Continue Reading...

October 09, 2021

Rising to the challenges of ‘so-so automation’

Fears about job loss and human obsolescence continue to consume the cultural imagination, compounded by ongoing strides in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The job-killing robots are almost at the door, we are told, mere moments away from replacing the last traces of human inefficiency and heralding the dawn of a world without work. Continue Reading...

September 21, 2021

For nature and neighbor: A Christian vision of work and the economy

Abounding in freedom and plenty, Americans continue to grapple with competing forms of workism and careerism, struggling to find meaning and identity in an increasingly secular age. In response, many Christians have rightly taken a renewed interest in vocation and calling, reflecting on God’s original design for economic life. Continue Reading...

August 25, 2021

Finding meaning in the menial

In the opening pages of Roald Dahl’s acclaimed children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, we meet the Bucket family, which includes young Charlie, his parents, and his four grandparents. Continue Reading...

July 26, 2021

A biblical theology of work, Part 4: Enterprise and entrepreneurship

Why does business matter to God? Well, if business does not matter to God then we render a large part of human existence meaningless. The church, however, seems to be incapable in so many ways of understanding business resulting in words such as “profit” or “incentive” being seen as dirty. Continue Reading...

July 21, 2021

How a bamboo entrepreneur cooperates with nature and neighbor

Rekha Dey wasn’t always passionate about bamboo, but after touring an innovative production facility, she saw its potential. With the right business model, bamboo could be used to provide high-quality, environmentally friendly housing across India. Continue Reading...

July 20, 2021

A biblical theology of work, Part 3: Call and vocation

Are we meant to lead meaningless or purposeful lives? Ecclesiastes shows us that meaninglessness, rather than purposefulness, will fill our lives, if we are not productive. With God that cannot be so. Continue Reading...

July 15, 2021

A biblical theology of work, Part 2: Wealth creation

Wealth creation is a divine imperative, though one that generates significant responsibilities. The church fails on business and economics when leaders think only about the responsibilities of wealth and nothing at all about how that wealth is created – both are divine imperatives. Continue Reading...

July 12, 2021

How a Christian restauranteur navigated the pains of a pandemic

The pandemic-era lockdowns caused immeasurable pain to countless businesses, with restaurants experiencing disproportionate levels of pain and suffering. According to the National Restaurant Association, food-service industry sales “fell by $240 billion in 2020 from an expected level of $899 billion,” and by the end of 2020, “more than 110,000 eating and drinking places were closed for business temporarily, or for good.” Continue Reading...

May 20, 2021

Finding meaning in work: Christian vocation means working with ‘holy intent’

America’s new secular religions of “workism” and “careerism” are leading to all sorts of cultural decay, from cults of self-esteem to the decline of the family and beyond. Our work has plenty of meaning, but without the right moral foundation and transcendent focus, our quests for economic purpose can quickly devolve into a base idolatry of the self. Continue Reading...

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