A recent Atlantic article entitled, “The Slacker Trap“described the new lifestyle choice of an emerging generation of Japanese youth who have been impacted by Japan’s extended recession, economic stagnation and job insecurity. “Freeters” as they are called in Japan are mainly younger college graduates who are holding only temporary or part time jobs and are having a tough time making ends meet, let alone becoming more productive adult members of Japanese society.

Ethan Devine, the writer of the article paints a compelling picture of what chronic job instability and underemployment for Japan’s emerging generation might very well mean for the future well being of a nation. While in the 1980′s the world often looked to Japan for its economic vitality and innovation, Devine wants us to look to Japan as America’s canary in a coal mine, an early warning signal of the trouble that lies ahead for our nation, unless we take serious our decline in economic vitality and job creation.

Devine makes this salient point, “Japan’s example raises the stakes for America as it struggles to contain the Great Recession’s damage. Even if it rains jobs tomorrow, America’s current bout of high employment is already the longest in its postwar history. And youth employment is twice the national average.” So how should the Gospel-centered church committed to the common good respond to an economically displaced emerging generation that is facing a very challenging job market?

First, we need to teach a new generation that integral to the life they long to live, the life they were designed to live is work. Slothfulness is not an option. Slacking is not only condemned in Holy Scripture, it is a violation of our creation design and the created order of things. As embodied spirits, each of us was created with work in mind. We were designed with hands and feet for a purpose. To flourish as a human being is to work; and to work is to contribute to God’s good world.

Secondly, we need to remind a new generation that part of a fallen world is a fallen workplace and a fallen economic system. Economic life is always a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly. In our time, rapid globalization and massive technological changes are radically changing human work and the workplace, so dilligence, creativity, innovation and continually learning new skills that add value to economic exchange are essential  components of a lifestyle of lifetime learning.

Thirdly, the church needs to increasingly be a place and people committed to stewarding their economic vocational power for the common good. Knowing that work matters and that human flourishing includes economic flourishing, the church must increasingly step up to the plate and confront systemic economic injustices, but also encourage risk taking entreprenuership. How might an older generation with more economic experience and vocational power share their work wisdom and nurture wealth creation with an emerging generation? How might the common good be enhanced if many of the retiring boomers rather than sliding into a self-indulgent rhythm of endless games of their favorite play, would intentionally carve out time and become the mentors and economic tail wind for the emerging generation to begin businesses and companies that will produce  new jobs and economic flourishing?

Economics matter to God and economics ought to matter to us. Economic vitality is an important component of human flourishing. The Slacker Trap is not only an insightful article, it is also an open invitation to the church to move from the margins to the mainstream of cultural renewal. For such a time as this….

It was a privilege to welcome to Kansas City, The Infusion Learning Community for three days of conversation on the integral nature of faith and work in the mission of the local church. The Infusion Learning Community is a group of pastors and church leaders from around the United States that are periodically meeting together to explore how better to connect faith and work in the everyday life of the church.

I was delighted to get to spend time with Steven Garber, Amy Sherman and Stephen Grabill who are leading this worthwhile effort under the sponsorship of the Kern Family Foundation. I was also honored to share with this group of thoughtful leaders reflections on how our local church is seeking to close the Sunday to Monday gap through the celebration, teaching and equipping of our congregation with a robust theology of vocation. A highlight of our three days of conversation was a panel presentation from four members of our congregation who are seeking to live out an integral faith in their various vocations.

I am also very grateful to our Christ Community staff who hosted The Infusion Learning Community. Many of my colleagues picked up the basin and towel and modeled the servanthood of Christ, incarnating the mission of Christ Community to be a quiet catalyst to the broader body of Christ.

Economist and Economic Historian PJ Hill  

If you were asked what is the most pressing economic issue in our country what would you say? If you are like me, you would probably answer this question by pointing to our unsustainable debt trajectory, our high unemployment rate, our entitlement mentality or the growing economic inequality between the rich and the poor. Of course these are all serious issues for our nation’s flourishing and the common good, but would the institution of marriage enter your mind? Perhaps it should?

Recently I had the privilege of co-presenting with economist P.J. Hill at a pastors forum held at the Denver Athletic Club sponsored by the Kern Family Foundation. During Dr. Hill’s presentation, my ears perked up when Dr. Hill made a bold statement that took me by surprise. Dr. Hill put it this way: “The lack of marriage formation is the most pressing economic issue of our day.” Dr. Hill made the strong empirical case that the growing rate of co-habitation and out-of-wedlock births is wreaking havoc on the economic well-being of many, particularly children. A strong case can be made that abandoning or re-defining marriage has negative economic implications for our society. As an economic historian, Dr. Hill challenged us as pastors that the church’s strong support of traditional marriage is America’s greatest weapon against child poverty.

It was a delight to spend time with Dr. Hill whose wisdom and insight were apparent in every word he spoke. I left Denver grateful for having had time with someone of Dr. Hill’s intellectual stature and I was reminded once again that God’s design for human flourishing matters. God designed marriage and the family with our own well-being in mind as well as the flourishing of society. The local church that is committed to proclaiming the Gospel and advancing the common good must do everything it can to nurture and support the institution of marriage. Whether we are single or married, let’s be champions in our support for traditional marriage. Much of the common good is depending on it.

I am a Downton Abbey fan, no secret about that, but I have kept secret (until now) that I am a big fan of actress Maggie Smith. At the spry young age of 78, Maggie Smith is the shining star of the Downton Abbey cast and doing some her finest work. In a recent Wall Street Journal interview, Maggie Smith described her life this way: “Now that my career is starting, it’s rather difficult to keep up with it.”

Don’t you just love Maggie Smith’s perspective on her work? I don’t know Maggie Smith’s worldview, but I do know she is getting part of the story right. If a biblical view of work is fundamentally about our contribution to God’s good world and the common good, how have we as followers of Jesus often bought into such a distorted view of aging and retirement? Why is our view of retirement so often tied to financial security and personal comfort rather than financial simplicity and personal contribution? Perhaps Maggie Smith has something important to say to us?

Our work does not have to have a remunerative goal and health or other reasons may require us to make needed adjustments in our schedules or places of contribution, but each one of us regardless of our biological age have a vocational calling to steward which doesn’t end at 65 or 68 years of age. Psalm 1 reminds us that a “tree planted by streams of living water bears fruit in its season.” Have we come to grips with the truth that one of the most fruitful seasons of our lives can be in our later years?

As a nation we are struggling with the economic realties of an aging population demographic. It seems to me that one of the responsible adjustments we need to make as a society is to rethink what retirement means and encourage our more seasoned citizens to bring the wealth of their skills and wisdom in creative and productive ways to foster the common good. Will we the church speak wisely and winsomely in the public square, bringing a biblical view of aging and retirement to the table? Will we help our culture see our seasoned citizens not as a burden to bear, but a treasure to embrace? Maggie Smith’s gifted acting is worthy to be applauded, but so is her refreshing view of work.

I am a Downton Abbey fan, no secret about that, but I have kept secret (until now) that I am a big fan of actress Maggie Smith. At the spry young age of 78, Maggie Smith is the shining star of the Downton Abbey cast and doing some her finest work. In a recent Wall Street Journal interview, Maggie Smith described her life this way: “Now that my career is starting, it’s rather difficult to keep up with it.”

Don’t you just love Maggie Smith’s perspective on her work? I don’t know Maggie Smith’s worldview, but I do know she is getting part of the story right. If a biblical view of work is fundamentally about our contribution to God’s good world and the common good, how have we as followers of Jesus often bought into such a distorted view of aging and retirement? Why is our view of retirement so often tied to financial security and personal comfort rather than financial simplicity and personal contribution? Perhaps Maggie Smith has something important to say to us?

Our work does not have to have a remunerative goal and health or other reasons may require us to make needed adjustments in our schedules or places of contribution, but each one of us regardless of our biological age have a vocational calling to steward which doesn’t end at 65 or 68 years of age. Psalm 1 reminds us that a “tree planted by streams of living water bears fruit in its season.” Have we come to grips with the truth that one of the most fruitful seasons of our lives can be in our later years?

As a nation we are struggling with the economic realties of an aging population demographic. It seems to me that one of the responsible adjustments we need to make as a society is to rethink what retirement means and encourage our more seasoned citizens to bring the wealth of their skills and wisdom in creative and productive ways to foster the common good. Will we the church speak wisely and winsomely in the public square, bringing a biblical view of aging and retirement to the table? Will we help our culture see our seasoned citizens not as a burden to bear, but a treasure to embrace? Maggie Smith’s gifted acting is worthy to be applauded, but so is her refreshing view of work.

New York Times Columnist, Ross Douthat

This past summer I had the privilege of meeting Ross Douthat who describes himself as the lone conservative voice at The New York Times. Ross Douthat’s personal warmth and gentle demeanor adds a great deal of persuasive force to his well thought out ideas.

Recently Ross published a commentary piece brimming with insight entitled, A World Without Work.  Evaluating the data on the decline of particularly blue collar jobs in America, Ross makes the case that more is at stake than merely the economic price tag. What is also at stake is human flourishing.  Ross writes, “…the decline of work carries social costs as well as an economic price tag. Even a grinding job tends to be an important source of social capital, providing everyday structure for people who live alone, a place to meet friends and kindle romances for people who lack other forms of community, a path away from crime and prison for young men, an example to children and a source of self-respect for parents.”

As followers of Christ, Ross Douthat’s words resonate with a truth we hold dear, namely that vocation is integral to both the image of God (the imago Dei) and the mission of God  (misseo Dei) in the world. God designed us with work in mind. Human work is integral to original creation design, so it is not surprising that when our work is distorted and when work in a culture is in decline, human flourishing is in decline too.

We are hearing a lot today about the job crisis in America, but let’s not forget that this crisis is not merely an economic one, it is a crisis that frays the very fabric of human flourishing. Ross finishes his thoughtful article with these words: “We’ve gained a world where steady work is less necessary to human survival than ever before. But human flourishing is another matter. And it is our fulfillment, rather than satisfaction of our appetites that’s threatened by the slow decline of work.”

A window of opportunity is opening for the church in America to move from the sidelines of marginalization and to humbly join the broader cultural conversation that our work matters.  We have a compelling story of work that addresses body, soul, and spirit, a story that  points the way to human flourishing and the common good. 

This week I will be in Denver participating in a pastoral forum on Vocational Formation and Pastoral Care in the Modern Economy. I will be presenting with an economist and listening with a curious mind and a teachable heart.  Ross Douthat’s wise words will be going with me and shadowing my thoughts.

Dr. Chris Armstrong, Director, Bethel Work With Purpose Initiative

Though the second major snowstorm to hit Kansas City in two weeks delayed my flight by a day, I was delighted to arrive in balmy Lake Wobegon country on Thursday for a thoughtful conversation on faith and work at Bethel Seminary. Dr.Mark McCloskey who was one of my early faith mentors was a most gracious host carving out time to pick me up at the airport as well as welcoming me to a warm and inviting coffee shop where good latte’s and good conversation flowed with joyful abundance.

From the coffee shop we headed to Bethel for a meeting with Dr. Chris Armstrong who is leading the Bethel Work with Purpose Initiative graciously funded by the Kern Family Foundation.  Although I had read some of Dr. Armstrong’s articles on faith and work, it was a special delight to meet him in person and to affirm his important institutional leadership in closing the Sunday to Monday gap and reframing the pastoral vocation. Bethel Seminary prepares a significant number of pastors who serve Evangelical churches around the country and their growing intentionality of teaching a robust theology of vocation is already beginning to make a big difference.

The main event of the day was a luncheon hosted by Dr. Chris Armstrong and devoted to the proposition that work really matters. Faculty, alums and students from the Bethel Seminary community were invited. The room was packed full and the response was enthusiastic and engaging. I was delighted to lead the conversation with Bill Haley who serves on the staff of Falls Church as well as the Washington Institute For Faith Vocation and Culture. Bill has thought a great deal about the theology of vocation as well as the practical realities of spiritual formation and pastoral care in a local church congregation that takes vocation seriously. Bill’s insight and wisdom added immeasurably to the conversation and enriched all of us. Bill is also just a whole lot of fun to be around.

Though it was a short time in the Twin Cities, I flew back to Kansas City with an encouraged heart, knowing God is doing a good work at Bethel under the leadership of outstanding faculty like Mark McCloskey and Chris Armstrong. A special thanks to the Bethel Seminary family for their warm reception and Christ-like hospitality. Keep up the good work!

“Coming home to a place I had never been before,”  were the words of the poetic John Denver flooding my mind and heart as I landed in Pittsburgh this past weekend and entered into the world of Jubilee 2013. http://www.jubileeconference.com/ Though I had never been to Jubilee, I immediately felt very much at home both with old friends I had met before and new friends I felt like I had known for a long time.

For the last thirty-five years, Jubilee has been sponsored by the Coalition for Christian Outreach, a campus ministry that partners with churches, colleges, and other organizations to develop men and women who live out their Christian faith in every area of life. This year I had the privilege of speaking at both the Jubilee 2013 pre-conference for clergy and professionals as well as doing two workshops on Work Matters to college students during the main conference. The theme of this year’s Jubilee conference was Transform Everything, reminding each person attending that the Gospel speaks to all of life; that the work of our hands matter and that vocation is integral and not incidental to God’s redemptive mission in the world.

For several years I have heard thoughtful friends say that Jubilee is the finest conference in America for college students. I left Pittsburgh not only affirming the outstanding quality of the Jubilee experience, but also with a shout in my soul and a spring in my step. Transparently the deep mess the world is in can get me down, but I was given the grace gift of a fresh dose of hope observing a next generation of college students who love Christ with their heart, mind and hands and are seeing God’s redemptive mission through a robust theology of vocation.

Hats off to Chris Carson, and all the CCO staff for your good work well done!  A special thanks is in order to Lisa Slayton and Katie Tarara for your warm hospitality and excellent leadership of the Jubilee Professionals conversation. Lisa thanks for reminding me afresh the wisdom of Mark Twain’s words: “The two most important days in your life are…the day you were born, and…the day you find out why.”  Lastly to my dear friend, Steve Garber it was a delight to be with you again and to see the fingerprints of your faithful life work so evident at Jubilee.