Monthly Archives: March 2012

From before creation, God knew the desperate situation of exile that the Adamic race would face. Thank God, by the power of redemption empowered by Jesus’ obedience, even unto the Cross, that desperate situation shall not endure forever!

I can do nothing apart from the Vine and today, this particular essay must (as should they all, and hopefully do) begin in celebration of the Life, Death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Father God, hear our cry from the desert of our exile. Thank you Lord Jesus for being the Way of reconciliation. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see your glorious leading that brings us home, more than individuals but as your whole Church, to your bosom. Embrace us, Lord, even now as we seek to know You, to see your face, to understand your ways, and to learn humility such that we would worship you aright, in our work, which is service to your Kingdom. We are broken but know that we are being restored by your Holy Spirit within us. All to your glory, Lord, in the precious name above all names, that of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Amen.

We are struck by the contrast between the desperation of the world as it is and the biblical story of redemptive promise. That contrast reminds and challenges us to recall God’s promise of a future, that our hope will not be cut off (Proverbs 23:18). There is wisdom for our souls and if we find it, there will be a future, and our hope will not be cut off (Proverbs 24:14).

God says: ^“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:11), that all God’s children shall return to their territory (Jeremiah 31:17).

How will this future come? How will we prosper, overcoming the calamity of this world? How do we get from the disorder of our world today to the order and hope of that future?

The first step toward re-ordering the world is evangelistic, sharing the good news of the Gospel. So why and how does the Gospel re-order the world? and, How does marketplace evangelism contribute to that endeavor?

God did not choose Israel for their particular righteousness. Abraham was chosen for God’s particular purposes from among other contemporary God-fearers (like Melchizedeck) as a man of faith. Abraham trusted God to fulfill His promise of a son. He chose to walk not according to his own understanding . . . he just believed God.

Through Abraham, God chose Israel and gave them His Law (the Torah). An outcome of obedience to Torah is prosperity, insofar as it can be achieved in the fallen state of the Adamic exile. God’s plans for Israel reached beyond the redemption of this particular people. By the witness of their worship as a society, by their good works and service to God, they would glorify and make his name known to the surrounding nations. By coming to know the God of Israel, the Abrahamic promise, the blessing of all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3), would come to pass.

What was to be the impact of such a social witness? It would meet the hearts of the surrounding nations right where they were. They would take note of the contrast between the life of Israel and their own. That contrast could only be attributed to the God of Israel dwelling in their midst.

What would that social witness look like? It would be seen in the welfare of the whole of Hebrew society. The aim of shalom is far more than simply peace as the absence of conflict. Shalom includes safety, security, contentment, provision, well-being, as general welfare, even prosperity, that surpasses that of the nations of this world.

How can such a social witness be achieved? Only by the transforming Word of God, as it changes hearts and character, and produces behavioral change. Israel would be a strange people in the context of their surrounding world. Their behavior would create a situation so different it would compel the surrounding nations to come to God:

“Now it will come about that In the last days, The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” – Isaiah 2:2-3

Again, how was such a state of things to come about?

“See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.” – Deuteronomy 4:5

By seeking to know God and living obediently in His ways, Israel would become that witness, revealing God’s glory. The manifest evidence would appear to the other nations in the Israelite society:

“So keep and do [My statues and judgements], for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” – Deuteronomy 4:6

Before we jump too far too fast, we must keep Jesus’ debate with the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath in mind (Matthew 12:1–13). It is easy to create a list of Do’s and Don’t’s though it will never be easy to keep them. And even if we are able, it is ultimately a false piety. But we are endowed with the Spirit behind the Law and, as Jesus makes clear in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:17–48), our expectation is too actually live to a ethical level and accountability higher than the Law. We are released from the Law but serve God in the newness of the Spirit (Romans 7:6), living an even better way.

There is much to be gleaned from the Law and Prophets, and the discerning wisdom emanating from the Spirit as it communes with our own leads us toward that better way. Let us take the Law seriously, as it was grace upon grace for those to whom it was given and informs us still today as we seek to know God and understand and follow His ways.

We hear the echoing of Israel’s call in the words of James 3:13: “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.”

The witness we bring to the marketplace is a witness of righteousness lived out in wisdom from above. There may be time and place for the conversational sharing of our faith and the Way of salvation with co-workers, customers, employees, or vendors, but our greatest witness is in the transformed character of our day-to-day work, with integrity and diligence, creating goodness and balance (shalom), bearing fruit in keeping with James’ conclusion in 3:17–18:

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

Our return from exile is only by the Way of the Cross, in submission to Christ, sacrificially and humbly serving the interests of all (Philippians 2:4).

There are two effective levels–personal and systemic–at which the redemption of the marketplace occurs. There are many who are doing the first well but considerably fewer achieving the second. That is understandable as the second, systemic reform, is far more difficult.

The first is in bringing respect for others, and even concern for their financial well-being, into play with customers, employees, vendors, and the surrounding community. To treat all people with which we interact with dignity and grace seems to be a given. If we are ill-tempered or demeaning toward others we, for the most part, would perceive that as being a poor witness of the gentleness and meekness of Christ. Even as we act charitably, we relish the warm feeling inside from having done well by another who was in need of our help.

There are likely three cases where, even among many of those who minister to these constituencies fairly well, may fall short. The first is charity of the purse. That is, there comes a point where we begin to assess the level of our giving attitude on expeditious lines. We like to be charitable but seldom do we actually do it sacrificially, that is, in such a way that it costs us more than a slight discomfort in our own lifestyles. It is great when we give but it must be balanced even further against the desire for bigger homes, new and fancier cars, lavish dining out, expensive entertainments, and golf weekends on the coast.

The second case is in charity of the Spirit. In personal contact relationships, we are often expeditious in drawing the line at taking a shot at forgiveness. But the Way of the Cross, that is the laying down of one’s life for another, goes beyond forgiveness in seeking the way of reconciliation and restoration. Many believe it expeditious to fire an employee if there is any indiscretion or moral lapse found in their behavior. But has not much more been found in our own, though perhaps unseen by others or even ourselves, buried by our blind denial? This is a sacrifice that can be costly but more in the sense of our own growing in righteousness and grace than in any economic way. It also likely holds a greater eternal value for the one forgiven, reconciled, and restored. Trust is fragile but one held accountable and restored to trust will most often cherish and honor their duty to uphold the integrity of the relationship going forward. This manner of forgiveness is that which has ultimately redeemed all of creation.

The third case, moving from a more personal to systemic orientation, where we often fall short, and a very understandable one, is in awareness, fostering a lack of focus and intention. In our busyness, we often are isolated from those beyond our personal spheres. While we in the West enjoy the highest standards of living in world history, there are yet those who languish. It is estimated that 15,000 die every day around the world simply because they are too poor to stay alive. That is one person every six seconds. In the time of our enduring another annoying television commercial for products of which we have no need, ten people have succumbed to the lack of basic nutrition and healthcare. In the eight to ten minutes required to read this essay, the number of fatalities has grown to nearly one hundred.

There are a myriad of ways we can join ourselves to the causes of eradicating political and economic injustice. There are investments of time, such as through advocacy, strategic intervention, job and business training, mentoring, and so on. There are also then investments of resources in efforts of charitable giving and investing in the poor through social venture and the like.

As I have purveyed the growth of marketplace ministries they tend to fall into three categories: spiritual care (discipleship, workplace chaplaincy, Bible study, prayer groups, etc.), economic care (employment transition support, business and economic development, community renewal, social venture and investment funding, and job and skills training) and theological development (research and publishing). These all require a great deal of time and money. The first category is seeing widespread growth. The second and third categories, for now, are still wanting but offer terrific opportunities for the Church to “love another” and, by our good works, reveal the glory of God to the world.

The road returning from the exile from Eden is a long and arduous way. But increased mobilization offers opportunity to make that road more tolerable and the distance home ever shorter. The witness of economic justice for all, that is, working toward achieving global shalom, will reveal that Christ’s body, the Church, is a wise and understanding people.

“Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” – Genesis 2:15

There is a fundamental misunderstanding about Adam’s role in the Garden of Eden, which is, for us, the earth. The Garden, our ecosystem, provides for all of our physical needs. In fact, it provides abundantly…except where sin has so corrupted the human heart that the abundance is not shared but hoarded or spent on self-indulgent or self-aggrandizing opulence. But I digress.

The misunderstanding comes from not paying careful attention when we read the Bible, which is another essay unto itself still waiting to be written. We may not have heard many sermons on the theology of work or stewardship based on Genesis 2:15 but I have yet to hear one (insofar as I can recall) that got it quite right. Since this is a field very connected to my focus on the integration of Judeo-Christian faith and economics, I spend a fair amount of time reading or listening to what others have to say about this pivotal verse in the Garden narrative of Genesis 1–2.

To date, every reading or teaching I have come across will say something about God commanding Adam to work and till the Garden. That’s the problem: that command never happened, at least it is not explicitly recorded in the text. The text simply says that God put the man in the Garden to fulfill two roles: to work and to tend. He did not tell Adam to work and to tend. All that is to say that working and tending were not so much choices that Adam made . . . as much as they were designed into what he was, his function and purpose amidst creation and vitally central to his humanity.

What this boils down to is significant. To be human means that work and environmentalism (creation care) are critical components of being true to what we are. We cannot be fully human without acknowledging and fulfilling these aspects of our created status. How then should that affect our views of consumption, waste, and conservatism?

I have become a fan of game theory. Since I believe I am physically allergic to mathematics (it makes my brain hurt real bad), it is not the application of formulaic minutiae that intrigues me so much as some of the defining concepts and understanding how to apply them to questions of moral importance. But before we get to far, let’s chat about what game theory is. I think the title of Roger Myerson’s book, Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict (Harvard University Press, 1991), goes very far. Game theory is a scientific approach to understanding the past and predicting future performance. It is a powerful tool to help overcome the downfall that besets those who refuse to understand history as it informs how to live into the future, i.e., informing wise decision-making.

Since I am much more interested in the moral issues of decision-making (which only sometimes make my brain hurt) than the migraine inducing wrath of higher mathematics, I engage game theory only as a framework for the discussion because, as said, its logic includes terminology that has enormous moral implications. I will not go deep into that terminology since derivations within the constructs of game theory introduce ideas that require proofs and theorems, which are precursive symptoms of my migraines and untowardly involve actually indulging in calculations and odd symbols that need too much explaining, so much that I refuse to have them explained to me. Frankly, proofs and theorems have no place in genteel discourse as they necessarily require at least everyone other than the speaker in most social settings being left feeling the fool and afraid to ask the detailed questions, nor take the years of additional education, necessary to grasp whatever it is the speaker seems to be rambling on about. I always nod, think of other things, and take her or his word for it.

However, all that rambling behind, there are some baseline concepts that are useful: there are two types of games (we all understand games, right?) which are actually three (and see already it is starting to involve mathematics so I will tread very lightly). The two types of games are zero-sum games and…wait for it, non-zero-sum games, the opposite of zero sum games…but not so much. Non-zero-sum games can be either negative sum games or positive sum games. Allow me to illustrate each simply.

A zero-sum game is one in which whatever reward one player achieves cannot be achieved by another player and the outcomes are of a fixed amount. For example, in a poker game, the sum total of all the bets are no more or less than the sum total of all the bets. The outcomes are simply a matter of who goes home with other folks money and who eats Ramen noodles until payday. If $100 comes to the table, that amount is exactly what leaves the table. If one person gains, another person loses. That’s the way we expect most games to be played…but it ain’t so!

There are games which result in negative sums. The classic example is war. While conquest may be yield tribute or immediate gain through loot, the downside is incalculable simply due to the long term lost productivity of those killed in the war and the productivity of all of their progeny into the unforeseeable future. The immediate loss of life in a war is only a small measure of the ultimate accumulation of losses. A lot of criminal activity is also negative sum, especially if it results in loss of life (same progeny issues as war) or physical harm (whether to limb or property), but also in the overall costs to society for legislative expenses, policing, jailing, courts, etc. A large portion of the costs of the legal system include the housing and attempts at rehabilitation of criminals. The accumulated losses of such games outweigh any measurable positive that may have resulted, though in war and crime it is difficult to justify that there is much in the way of positive gain other than some forms of immediate gratification (though the establishment of freedom and the removal of economic and political oppression can throw a monkey wrench into the calculations).

BUT! There is one type of game, the positive sum game, which holds real promise. In fact, throughout biological and cultural evolution, the proliferation of plant and animal life, as well as the advancement of creature comfort and security for humankind, it is the accumulation of positive sum games far outweighing the negative or zero sum games that delivers us to this day wherein, despite an increasing global population, material wealth is accumulating more quickly than population…and the world is getting better off.

The fundamental principle of God introducing Eve into the Garden of Eden as helpmate (before He called her Adam’s wife) is cooperation. The greater the cooperation (and the incumbent collaboration – the sharing of information, whether data, processes, or creative ideas), the greater the productive efficiency and economic growth and prosperity.

So, here the logic of game theory meets morality: we can choose how we play the game! That is, we can intentionally avoid zero and negative sum games, if we can muster up the will power, and focus entirely on how to craft positive sum games. Jeffrey Sachs, the author of The End of Poverty, makes clear that there is now more than enough wealth in the world to end abject poverty. Thus far, we (the human race) have not demonstrated the political will to make it happen.

In addition to the abundance that already exists, there is an upside potential among the global poor, of some two billion people, that remains largely untapped. The productivity of these folk, once unleashed, will enhance global economics to levels only dreamed of before. Now, for the first time in human history, we have the resources (beyond the purely financial, especially in information and communications) to make that change happen. Will we choose to do so?

I invite conversation on possible strategies that can far surpass the failed beliefs and practices of of central planning, trickle-down economics (which has lent itself to deeper levels of wealth distribution inequity), and dependency-creating aid models. What is most encouraging is that game theory models can prove that the upside of investing in small enterprises, especially among the poor and marginalized, creates a more decentralized system, which even creation bears out (look into the diverse, decentralized complexity of the global ecosystem) as holding the greatest potential, that will bear the much more fruit.

The inequitable distribution of global wealth is THE moral issue of our day. Poverty lends itself to the proliferation of numerous evils, including crime, revolution, abortion, and so on. Much of the impact of these travesties can be mitigated by economic empowerment. I believe that changing how we do things economically is the standard by which this generation will decide if we see the next major movement in advancing God’s Kingdom in hearts, as the witness of economic justice, intentionally carried out by Christians, will gloriously demonstrate the love of God for all creation.

This essay is an open challenge for the Church to step up intellectually. We are commanded to “’love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the great and foremost commandment” – Matthew 22:37-38 (Jesus reciting Deuteronomy 6:5, emphasis mine).

I was jolted to think once again about my habit of reading broadly when I realized that the last three books on my reading list were authored by three men, unrelated insofar as I know, with the same last name: Wright. I do not know that that coincidence has any meaning but I found it intriguing. The first was The Mission of God by Christopher Wright, then Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny by Robert Wright, and finally, Simply Christian by N.T. Wright. The first and last are without question Christian literature. While Robert Wright touches on questions of divinity, his approach is definitely not from any particular faith point of view, in fact, quite the opposite.

This “event” in my reading got me to thinking. If one were to read through the “Suggested Reading” and “Cited Bibliography” of Eden’s Bridge: The Marketplace in Creation and Mission (about nine pages total) they would discover a significant number of non-Christian entries. The Christian literature listed includes material from several different Christian traditions as well, including authors from perspectives of the Reformed, Roman Catholic, Evangelical, and so on. My book shelves are lined with many books on a variety of topics, including psychology, marketing, philosophy, leadership, fiction, game theory, social and cultural development, Bible commentary, church history, theology, and the list goes on and on. (I even have one on the history of the flush toilet, Flushed with Pride, that was a gift from my sister-in-law.)

There are, I think, several advantages to reading broadly and, as the title above suggests, even significantly outside Christian literature. I will address those which seem most relevant and apparent to me: perspective, tunnel vision, and wisdom.

First is a matter of perspective. Thomas Friedman, in his seminal work on globalization, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, elucidates the advantage of having a “globalistic” view of the world. That is, he encourages the idea of becoming generalists in a world running swiftly down the paths of specialization. If one invests themselves in a narrow discipline, it is easy to lose perspective of the broader realities of the kaleidoscope of life. Our world is complex and we can quickly lose sight of how a variety of disciplines and concerns are ultimately all of one integrated whole. When it came time for me to decide whether to pursue a PhD or simply write Eden’s Bridge, I realized that I would have to give up my pursuit of the broad perspective for three or four years while narrowing my focus to the specific topic at hand. Three or four years of continuing panoramic observation amidst the fast-paced change dynamic of our hyper-speed world was simply too expensive to let go.

A significant point that Friedman touches on, and one I find especially poignant, parallels the argument for liberal arts education. If we specialize in a technical field, it is easy to get a handle on the “how” particular things work but quite possible to miss or lose real insight as to the “why” and how they relate to one another. My older brother is a world class electrical engineer, a chip designer. I also know, however, he reads a great deal other than technical journals and thus has a broader perspective on life. He may not delve as deeply or broadly as I into other materials but does so, at least in my thinking, more than most professional “technologists,” as many of those folk, especially at the bleeding edges of technology, are pressed to stay abreast of all the new developments that might inform their next moves at work. Specialization is a good thing for career development and economic progress but can create silos in which practitioners, albeit unwittingly, move away from full social integration.

The second advantage (though stated in a negative sense) is related to the first: Those who read only Christian literature (perhaps outside their professional pursuits) can end up with blinders not unlike those of a technologist in a particular specialization. We are missing too much of what is happening around us if we are effectively withdrawn from the world to which we are trying to minister. We cannot minister adequately if we have no real notion of who these people are, how they think, and the ends they are pursuing. How can we show them a better way if we do not thoroughly understand the way they are going? Jesus critiqued the critical thinking skills of “godly” people in the Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16) by saying the children of the world are wiser than the sons of light (v. 8). His next statement was the command that we should “make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon (MONEY!) of unrighteousness” (v. 9).

Do not think that I want to discourage reading Christian literature. A great deal of my seminary studies focused on the content of a wide range of Christian literature. I do want Christians to read outside Christian literature simply because we tend toward that which, while expanding our understanding of our faith, might lead us into tunnel vision. If we are to affect change in the world, we must engage it, at least initially, somewhat on its own terms, just as Jesus went into the streets and marketplace of Jerusalem to teach.

For reading in Christian literature, I would encourage reading across the boundaries of denominations and traditions to engage ideas that may challenge presuppositions. There are Christians offering well documented and Scriptural arguments on both sides of most critical social issues. It is easy to become comfortable if everything we engage is “preaching to the choir,” because it can lead to rationalizing a narrowed view of reality, even Christian reality, reinforcing the point of view we already have. Also, read things that are not the pulp fiction of the Christian world. Seek out writings from recognized and critically acclaimed authors, not just the book of the month from popular leaders. I have to read more slowly with deep authors but the material leads me into a much greaterunderstanding of Scripture and Church history than most things written for the broader Christian audience.

To close: do not fear being exposed to worldly ideas but be wise as serpents amidst the wolves (Matthew 10:16). The God who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Do not hesitate to carefully consider what may be revealed to and through those outside the Church. Even Nebuchadnezzar became an agent of God in protecting and providing for the revitalization of Israel. We should glean whatever good fruit we can from the world’s fields then prepare an open feast seasoned by our being the salt of the earth.