Kingdom Calling

by Sherman, Amy L.; McNeal, Reggie; Garber, Steven (AFT)

• ISBN13: 9780830838097
• ISBN10: 0830838090
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-01
• Publisher: Ivp Books

Summary

Imagine the scenarios:a CEO successfully negotiates a corporate merger, avoiding hundreds of layoffs in the processan artist completes a mosaic for public display at a bank, showcasing neighborhood heroesa contractor creates a work-release program in cooperation with a local prison, growing the business and seeing countless former inmates turn their lives arounda high-school principal graduates 20 percent more students than the previous year, and the school's average scores go up by a similar percentageNow imagine a parade in the streets for each event. That's the vision of Proverbs 11:10, in which thetsaddiqim--the people who see everything they have as gifts from God to be stewarded for his purposes--pursue their vocation with an eye to the greater good.Amy Sherman, director of the Center on Faith in Communities and scholar of vocational stewardship, uses thetsaddiqimas a springboard to explore how, through our faith-formed calling, we announce the kingdom of God to our everyday world. But cultural trends toward privatism and materialism threaten to dis-integrate our faith and our work. And the church, in ways large and small, has itself capitulated to those trends, while simultaneously elevating the "special calling" of professional ministry and neglecting the vocational formation of laypeople. In the process, we have, in ways large and small, subverted our kingdom mandate.God is on the move, and he calls each of us, from our various halls of power and privilege, to follow him. Here is your chance, keeping this kingdom calling in view, to steward your faith and work toward righteousness. In so doing, you will bless the world, and as you flourish, the world will celebrate.

Author Biography

Dr. Amy L. Sherman is a senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute, where she directs the Center on Faith in Communities. She also serves as a senior fellow with International Justice Mission.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 11
Acknowledgments	p. 13
Introduction: The Glorious Vision of Proverbs 11:10	p. 15
Theological Foundations
What Does a Rejoiced City Look Like?	p. 27
What Do the Righteous Look Like?	p. 45
Why We Aren't the Tsaddiqim	p. 64
How the Gospel of the Kingdom Nurtures the Tsaddiqim	p. 77
Discipling for Vocational Stewardship
Integrating Faith and Work	p. 91
The Status Quo Is Inadequate
Inspiration	p. 101
Discovery	p. 116
Formation	p. 129
Pathways of Vocational Stewardship
Deploying Vocational Power	p. 143
Four Pathways
Pathway 1	p. 151
Bloom Where You're Planted
Pathway 2	p. 169
Donate Your Skills
Pathway 3	p. 183
Launch Your Own Social Enterprise
Pathway 4	p. 199
Participate in Your Church's Targeted Initiative
Conclusion	p. 223
Rejoicing the City
Afterword	p. 232
Key Theological Themes Undergirding Vocational Stewardship	p. 235
A Discussion Guide for Congregational Small Groups	p. 242
For Further Information	p. 245
Index of Profiles by Vocation	p. 246
Notes	p. 248
About the Author	p. 272
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