New Baptist Primer: ‘Flourishing Faith’

As a part of our evangelical outreach at Acton, we have commissioned four primers from different evangelical traditions on the intersection of faith, work, and economics. The books will be written from the Baptist, Wesleyan, Pentecostal, and Reformed traditions and will be released throughout this coming year. Continue Reading...

Christian Manufacturer Strives Toward Productivity and Grace

I recently wrote about Hobby Lobby’s billionaire CEO, who, in a recent Forbes profile, made it clear how deeply his Christian faith informs his economic decision-making. This week, in Christianity Today, HOPE International’s Chris Horst profiles another Christian business, Blender Products, whose owners Steve Hill and Jim Howey actively work to elevate the practices of the metal fabrication business and, above all, operate their business “unto the Lord.” Continue Reading...

Leaves and Fruit: The Spiritual Value of Manual Labor

In his Acton Commentary today, Jordan Ballor writes, All work has a spiritual dimension because the human person who works in whatever capacity does so as an image-bearer of God. “While the classic Greek mind tended to scorn work with the hands,” write Berghoef and DeKoster, “the Bible suggests that something about it structures the soul.” Continue Reading...

Calming the Waters

In today’s “On the Square” over at First Things, Leroy Huizenga reflects upon “the technopoly” of our daily lives, where so much of our time is captivated by staring at a computer screen, clicking links, reading posts, checking updates, and so on. Continue Reading...

‘Does God Like Economics?’

That’s the question asked at the “Economics for Everybody” blog. The answer? A resounding yes: Work is important to God. It’s so important that He put Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it.” Continue Reading...

God Has Set Eternity in the Human Heart

The Preacher says that God “has set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV). This is within the broader context of his discussion of the paradox of exploring the wonder of God’s creation and the vanity of human striving in a fallen world. Continue Reading...

Vocation Infusion Learning Community

This week, 40 pastors and church leaders are gathered to discuss important ideas of integrating faith, work, and vocation into our daily lives. Vocation is integral, not incidental to the missio Dei, the work that God has called us to do each day. Continue Reading...

From Success to Service

In my Acton Commentary this week, “Good Work Never Ends,” I look at the example of two local personalities, John Izenbaard of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Fred Carl Hamilton of Wyoming, Michigan, to argue that “the good work of service to others ought never end as long as we live.” Continue Reading...

What is ‘Meaningful Work’?

Telling young people that some jobs are menial, says Thomas Sowell, is a huge disservice to them and to society: It was painful, for example, to see an internationally renowned scholar say that what low-income young people needed was “meaningful work.” Continue Reading...