Does God care about your secular work? What can we learn from superhero civil wars? What might Wendell Berry teach you about vocation? And how is Apple’s encryption fight similar to issues of religious liberty?
To answer these questions, we’ve collected four posts for your weekend reading
The Unspoken Vocational Hierarchy
Where does work fit into God’s calling for your life? In this post from The Gospel Coalition, you see how God even uses secular work for his good. Here’s a sample:
If you think about it, most of the work carried out by biblical heroes was ‘secular’:
- Noah was a shipbuilder, a zookeeper, and a cruise-line captain
- Abraham was a real estate developer
- Esther was a pageant winner who entered a harem before she became queen
- Daniel went to Harvard, the king’s college, and became president of Iraq
God raised up Joseph as the chief operating officer of Cairo, Incorporated. In Joseph’s secular vocation he probably saved thousands from starving to death — only a few of which were family or followers of Yahweh.
What does the New Testament say? Jesus spent 85 percent of his working life as a carpenter….The Son of God likely spent most of his earthly life as a builder in a for-profit business. Read More>>
What Can Fighting Superheroes Teach the Church?
Batman vs. Superman. Captain America vs. Iron Man. Have you noticed that many of our favorite superheroes are fighting each other? In his latest “Signposts” podcast, Russell Moore explains how superhero ‘civil wars’ can help us see our church tensions in light of the gospel. Listen Now>>
I Don’t Agree with Wendell Berry on Many Things, but His View of Vocation? Wow.
Spence Spencer reflects on the writing of Wendell Berry, especially as it relates to vocation. He writes,
Vocation allows us to delight in the process of work even if we aren’t getting rich while doing it. The work itself is part of the reward when we’re doing what we’re called to do. We need to work at something that enables us to meet our needs, but if meeting those needs (and our wants) is the only purpose for our work, we’ve missed something. Read More>>
What Apple’s Encryption Fight Has to Do with Religious Freedom
Why should you pay attention to Apple’s FBI encryption debate? According to Chelsea Langston, there are strong parallels with religious liberty debates:
The continued media coverage of Apple’s case offers an opportunity for religious freedom advocates. Its example reminds us of the broad importance of protecting organizations—both secular and religious, for-profit and non-profit—from compulsion to act against their most foundational values. This comparison between the Apple case and the Hobby Lobby case is not exact, but the two are closer than we may realize. Read More>>
What are you reading this weekend?
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