Okay, so my blog is not exactly setting the world on fire but it has just passed 20,000 page views. To date, the most popular post (accounting for about 4.4% of all page views across 160 posts) has been “On Justice and Righteousness (mishpat & tsadaq)—Strong’s 4941 & 6663,” an excerpt from my book, Eden’s Bridge: The Marketplace in Creation and Mission.
I find this intriguing because given all the other content of the blog, this post is fundamentally biblical and theological study. Mostly what I hear from folk when I share on the integration of Christian faith and economics is that they want bullet points on “what do I need to do.” I am encouraged that my most popular article is focused more on knowing God and understanding his ways.
Eden’s Bridge has been, from its start, a fledgling ministry. Without the support of an academy, I have largely funded operations out of my own pocket. I am deeply grateful to a handful of people who have come alongside and offered help when I needed it most (especially in getting to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the Global BAM Congress last April).
Right now, however, I could use your help. I believe there are two areas of concern that require more research in the business as mission movement. One is on the theoretical (biblical and theological) side where we need to more carefully consider how BAM and Christian Social Enterprise (CSE) tend to set themselves apart from Christians who are already doing “business as business” and whether creating such a dichotomy is helpful, or even a legitimate approach. Are we called to create “alternatives” to worldly institutions (like the marketplace) or are we called to lead and transform these institutions, from where they are, according to the biblical, redemptive mission of God?
The second area for research is on the practical side. There are thousands of BAM / CSE initiatives popping up all over the world but communications between them is often all but nonexistent. We need academic leadership to step up and engage in the coordinated research of assigning, then collecting, collating, and analyzing case studies to help us better understand what is happening and where, and what we can learn from melding these data in a “big picture” conversation, especially to develop best practices, answer the big questions of funding, facilitation, and mobilizing marketplace Christians from developed economies, and press the community of faith that is transforming business as we know it. The world’s poor continue to die everyday, both physically and spiritually. What is the role of the marketplace in revealing God to the world that they might be fed materially and in Christ?
Would you join with me? Donations can be made at PayPal using my email address: davedoty@edensbridge.org. Eden’s Bridge, Inc. is a U.S. registered, 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation and all gifts are tax deductible. Thank you for your continued support, especially in prayer.
Shalom,
Dave Doty
Thank You!
Eden's Bridge 