Session three
For Restoration
JON TYSON—PRAXIS SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR AND PASTOR OF CHURCH OF THE CITY NYC
Jon Tyson reminds us of the glorious purpose (and LIMITATIONS) OF OUR CREATIVE CALLING.
Entrepreneurs create and lead ventures with a broad view of how the world should be, and how their venture seeks to contribute to that change. For many entrepreneurs, this vision is the inexorable upward progress of humanity through ingenuity. We believe that God will reconcile all things to himself and restore his reign on earth — yet our role is not to achieve this restoration but to practice it and point to it. Jon Tyson introduces the core ideas of the 4-part gospel—creation, fall, redemption and restoration—and shows us how our calling as creators and entrepreneurs fits deeply into the story of God’s work in the world. Jon presents us with a sobering challenge: rather than going out and think we are going to fix everything in arrogance, we must start by asking “What is the culture of my own heart?”
HOSTING OFFLINE?
OPEN IN PRAYER
Re-CONNECT (10 min)
Last session, we talked about love as the alpha & omega of entrepreneurship. Our prototype was to try out a new way to love a person or group differently through our work. What did you learn? How did it go?
Watch (22 min)
REFLECT (3-5 MIN)
Spend a couple minutes in silence, praying and reflecting on the videos. Ask participants to jot down questions that were raised, significant points, where they felt encouraged or challenged by the Lord, Etc.
Discuss (50 Min)
1. What is the storyline of the industry or culture you live and work in? (i.e. Why are we here? What's gone wrong? What will fix things? What will it look like then?)
2. What parts of the storyline are aligned with the full story of the gospel and what parts are not? If you were starting a company in your industry from scratch, how would you rewrite that storyline through your new company’s work?”
3. Jon said, "Christians, with reclaimed authority, Christ’s authority have the job of driving out the work of the evil one and establishing the lordship of Jesus in all of life."
a. What authority did Christ reclaim?
b. What opportunities are there for you to live out that reclaimed authority in your context?
4. Jon says that "Culture is religion externalized," and, “Renewed hearts lead to a renewed culture.” Is it possible that how you do your work, and what you create through your work, says something about your own heart and what you worship? How does that idea challenge you?
PROTOTYPE (3 min)
Fill in the blank: I believe God is calling me to join in the renewal of ___________. Share what you think that might practically look like.
END IN PRAYER
FINISHED THIS SESSION?
INCUBATE
PRAXIS FELLOWS CASE STUDIES:
Our community of practice contains a global portfolio of redemptive business & nonprofit ventures. Each week together as a group or separately at home, watch one or both of the following five-minute pitch videos. Discuss where you saw aspects of the week’s topic lived out in and/or through the venture.
Non-Profit Venture: Alter - Alter is a social venture on a mission to scale the entrepreneurial champions of the world's toughest places, such as Haiti, Myanmar and Afghanistan, to create jobs where they are needed most.
Business Venture: R | TRIBE - R|TRIBE is a smartphone app that provides an innovative, first-of-its-kind approach to recovery and accountability for addiction.
Activity:
Watch this 10 minute talk by Andy Crouch on how to pursue “true transformation” in order to contribute to God’s redemptive project in the world and offer a cultural alternative.
The full 25 minute podcast version of Andy’s talk is located here.
Suggested Reading:
James Davison Hunter, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, Essay III, Ch 6: "Toward a New City Commons"
Richard Mouw, When the Kings Come Marching In, "Introduction" and "Isaiah 60"
Timothy Keller and Katherine Alsdorf, Every Good Endeavor, Ch 9: "A New Story for Work"
Amy Sherman, Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good, Appendix A: Key Theological Themes Undergirding Vocational Stewardship (p 235-241)