Faith, Work, and Economics
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 59, No. 2 - Spring 2017
Managing Editor: W. Madison Grace II
Christianity as a mere religion may have nothing more to it than obligatory rituals—occasional Sunday worship, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, etc.—but Christianity as a way of life calls for something greater than mere religion. However, many Christians find themselves thinking of faith as a weekend endeavor and not something applicable to the whole of life. This is understandable if one thinks of the Christian life as existing only when one is gathered for religious events. The remaining time of the week must be for something else—something other than religion. However, if one considers Christianity as a whole-life faith endeavor, more than Sunday is in mind. Christianity then becomes something that is an everyday occurrence. If this is the case then work—what most people spend their time doing—must be a part of that lived-out faith. This raises the question, does the Bible actually speak to this concept of whole-life Christianity? The answer to that question is a resounding yes and the articles that follow are engaged with the broader question of what does the Bible say about faith, work, and economics.
The completion of this issue of the Journal was a little different than many produced in that a variety of people were involved in the process leading up to the production of the essays that follow. I am thankful for all these who helped complete this issue. As always Joshua Williams has not only been a thoughtful editor for our book reviews he is also a resource for thinking through content whether it be biblical, theological, or aesthetic. Two young scholars, Cole Peck and Marc Hatcher, also have provided needed assistance in running the Journal’s office as well as producing this issue. The Land Center, The Kern Family Foundation, and the Oikoinomia Network all have aided in facilitating the presentation of the original papers. Finally, Eric Mitchell and John Taylor (who introduce the volume more clearly below) have been a tremendous help in gathering these articles and seeing them through to their completion.
