How the Church Fails Businesspeople (And What Can Be Done about It)
Stock No: WW863690
How the Church Fails Businesspeople (And What Can Be Done about It)  -     By: John C. Knapp

How the Church Fails Businesspeople (And What Can Be Done about It)

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. / 2011 / Paperback

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Stock No: WW863690

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Product Description

Why do so many Christians struggle to relate their faith to their daily work? In this book John C. Knapp argues that the church's ambiguous teachings about vocation, money, and business have long contributed to Christians' uncertainty about discipleship in the workplace. Drawing on his own expertise in business ethics and numerous interviews with Christians in diverse occupations, Knapp offers a new theological framework for Christian life in the world of business.

Product Information

Title: How the Church Fails Businesspeople (And What Can Be Done about It)
By: John C. Knapp
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 192
Vendor: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Publication Date: 2011
Dimensions: 8.50 X 5.50 (inches)
Weight: 8 ounces
ISBN: 0802863698
ISBN-13: 9780802863690
Stock No: WW863690

Publisher's Description

Why do so many Christians struggle to relate their faith to their daily work? In this book John C. Knapp argues that the church's ambiguous teachings about vocation, money, and business have long contributed to Christians' uncertainty about discipleship in the workplace. Drawing on his own expertise in business ethics and numerous interviews with Christians in diverse occupations, Knapp offers a new theological framework for Christian life in the world of business.

Author Bio

John C. Knapp is university professor and founding director of the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership at Samford University. Before entering academia, he was president of a corporate communication consulting firm. His other books include

Endorsements

There are over 2,000 Bible verses that address business, yet how often do we hear a message in church that relates to business in any practical way? John Knapp's excellent book presents a much-needed wake-up call for pastors, churches, and Christian businesspeople alike.
-Wes Cantrell
author of From the Shop Floor to the Top Floor: Releasing the CEO Within

Knapp shows how Christian faith is not an obstacle to worldly vocations but, rather, permits the engagement of our spirits with our roles in business, finance, and commerce.
-Stephen B. Young
Global Executive Director, Caux Round Table

Editorial Reviews

Wes Cantrell
-- author of From the Shop Floor to the Top Floor: Releasing the CEO Within
There are over 2,000 Bible verses that address business, yet how often do we hear a message in church that relates to business in any practical way? John Knapp's excellent book presents a much-needed wake-up call for pastors, churches, and Christian businesspeople alike.

Stephen B. Young
-- Global Executive Director, Caux Round Table
"Knapp shows how Christian faith is not an obstacle to worldly vocations but, rather, permits the engagement of our spirits with our roles in business, finance, and commerce."

The Christian Century
"Challenges both businesspeople and pastors to redefine what it means to be relevant to a new generation of church members longing for deeper integration between their professional and spiritual realms."
 
Sharing the Practice
"Both challenging and encouraging. . . . It’s an excellent book that needs wide circulation."
 
Mennonite Brethren Herald
"This accessible book will benefit both pastors and laypeople alike. Church leaders can find new possibilities to expand and animate ministry to include that portion of life where many members spend the bulk of their time. Laypeople will discover anew that their daily work is vital to God’s economy."

Author/Artist Review

Author: John C. Knapp
Located in: Birmingham, Alabama
Submitted: January 05, 2012

    Tell us a little about yourself.  John C. Knapp is founding director of the Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership at Samford University. Earlier in his career he led an Atlanta-based consultancy in corporate communication.

Dr. Knapp frequently speaks to media, public and university audiences across the United States and abroad. His other books include For the Common Good: The Ethics of Leadership in the 21st Century (Praeger, 2007); Leaders on Ethics: Real-World Perspectives on Today’s Business Challenges (Praeger, 2007); and The Business of Higher Education (ABC-CLIO, 2009), three volumes examining how universities cope with pressures to strengthen accountability and efficiency.

Dr. Knapp earned the M.A. in theological studies at Columbia Theological Seminary and the Ph.D. in theology and religion at the University of Wales (U.K.).

    What was your motivation behind this project?  Too often the church often is indifferent to the needs of countless Christians who struggle to make their faith relevant to their daily work. I have become increasingly aware of this phenomenon over the last twenty-five years, first as a consultant to an array of business and professional clients, and more recently as an educator of both business and seminary students. Many believers say the church does little or nothing to equip them for faithful living in the settings where they spend most of their waking hours and productive years. With this book, I hope to inspire ministries that better meet the needs of working people.

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  How the Church Fails Businesspeople (and What Can Be Done About It) sheds light on the cultural, historical, theological, and educational influences that have widened the gap between faith and work. Throughout the book, I incorporate real-life anecdotes and examples, many drawn from interviews with 230 Christians actively seeking to bridge their Sunday church and weekday work. These interviews were conducted mostly by working pastors in a doctoral course I taught, and they involved a diversity of respondents, from corporate CEOs and elected officials to barbers and bookkeepers. They included active members of Protestant (nine denominations) and Roman Catholic congregations in all regions of the United States. Their compelling stories and perspectives portray a church that seems preoccupied with the private sphere of life — family, health, and individual relationships with God — yet disinterested in the spiritual and ethical stresses of weekday work. To be sure, not everyone has experienced the church in this way, and some emerging ministries are effectively challenging older ways of thinking about the relevance of faith to work. But such ministries are most notable as exceptions to the rule. Other readers may simply reject the premise that equipping Christians for the workplace is a responsibility the church should accept or take seriously. Beyond analyzing the problem, the book suggests a tentative theological framework for Christian life in the workplace, and the last chapters look at the recent faith-at-work trend and consider some promising models for ministry. Each chapter includes discussion questions for group study.

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