Mike McLoughlin's Blog

Faith At Work Blog has moved to BlogHarbor

Mike McLoughlin — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:55:00 -0800

The Faith at Work Blog has moved to Blog Harbor.

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Theocracy Hysteria Must Not Stop Us Taking Faith to Work

Mike McLoughlin — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 08:09:00 -0700

Secularists who oppose faith in the public arena such as workplaces often complain that allowing Christians to bring faith to work blurs the lines between church and state. Faith is a private matter, they say. So it ought to be kept for private affairs and not allowed to influence decisions in the public square. To permit it is to travel down the road to a theocracy.

A theocracy according to Webster's dictionary is “Government of a state by the immediate direction or administration of God; hence, the exercise of political authority by priests as representing the Deity.” Wikipedia has an article on the history of the word here.

TheocracyWatch, a project of Cornell University, documents the influence of religion in American politics. Many on the Left believe religion plays far too great a role in American public life. (See Street Prophets: When is a theocrat, not a theocrat? (w/poll!)) A number of these people have been recently published books on the subject.

Ross Douthat, a writer for The American Scene and Associate Editor for the Atlantic Monthly, writes a review of three of these books in the most recent issue of the magazine First Things.

“Most of these books aspire to be anthropologies, guides for the perplexed that lead the innocent reader through what the subtitle of American Theocracy calls “the perils and politics of radical religion.” There isn’t perfect agreement on what to call the religious radicals in question: Everyone employs theocrat, but Kingdom Coming also proposes Christian nationalist, while The Baptizing of America favors the clunky Christocrat. Others have suggested Christianist, the better to link religious conservatives to Osama bin Laden—and of course there’s the ubiquitous theocon, suggesting a deadly mixture of Oliver Cromwell and Paul Wolfowitz.

But the various authors are in agreement about the main point, which is that something has gone terribly wrong with the separation of church and state in this country, and that America is poised to fall into the hands of people only one step from the ayatollahs. Today’s battles aren’t just a matter of ordinary political factionalism, they insist. The hour is much later than that, and nothing less than the republic itself hangs in the balance.”

Douthat unpacks the complaints of the anti-theocrats well and shows their fears to be groundless. His review makes good fodder for those who would defend faith in the workplace from secular exclusionists.

Some others that have written on this topic:

Joe Carter at the evangelical outpost: Theocrats and Theophobes: Kevin Phillips and Carter’s Law of Political Rhetoric Also, the evangelical outpost: On Earth As It Is In Heaven: Americans and the “Theocracy” Canard

John at Brain Cramps for God: Toward a Definition of Theocracy

crimsonline: A moratorium on "theocracy" talk

GetReligion: Putting “theocracy” fears in their place

What's the Rumpus?: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean the anti-theocrats aren't out to get me

Christian Alliance for Progress Blog: The Hysteria over Theocracy

Faith at Work Blog listed by the Christian Blog Carnival - Perhaps we need a Faith at Work Carnival?

Mike McLoughlin — Thu, 18 May 2006 18:28:00 -0700

The Christian Blog Carnival is an eclectic mix of Christian faith expressions. It’s goal is to highlight Christian thought in the blogosphere. Every week a different host blogsite provides summaries and links to that week’s entries.

This week, Laura, at Pursuing Holiness is the host. Laura has some wise advice about meeting the criteria to qualify as an entry. “Blogs with content that is focused on a business, that ...

Fuller Seminary to host Faith at Work Event.

Mike McLoughlin — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 07:54:00 -0800

Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, will host the 14th Annual International Consultation on Ministry in Daily Life sponsored by the Coalition for Ministry in Daily Life. The dates are Friday to Sunday, April 21^st to 23^rd. The theme of this year’s event is Serving God in the Workplace: People Making a Difference.

Visit this link for more information and to register online. ...

Beware Churchianity Hijacking Workplace Ministry

Mike McLoughlin — Wed, 14 Dec 2005 17:40:00 -0800

One of the most moving experiences I have had in the Faith At Work movement occurred in Atlanta in 1999. A well respected church pastor got down on his knees at a gathering of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce and repented for seeing business people primarily for their money and not for the ministry God has called them to in the marketplace. Rich Marshall was the pastor. He is ...

Workplace Diversity and Faith At Work

Mike McLoughlin — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 20:21:00 -0700

I ran across this interesting article in the The Boston Globe (Firm offers transgender protections by Diane E. Lewis) on Friday. The reason Raytheon is introducing a policy on Transgender workers is so that the company can support people and allow them "to be who they are"

Now compare this with a quote from a 2004 NBC’s Today Show Interview ( Faith in the Workplace by Campbell ...

Restoring the Marketplace to Gods Economy by Transforming the Way we Work

Mike McLoughlin — Thu, 07 Jul 2005 23:35:00 -0700

In 1995, God gave a word to a marketplace intercessor, Jan Christie. She was praying for a new ministry to encourage Christians to live their faith at work. She asked God what He was doing with this new ministry. His reply was "I am going to restore the marketplace to my economy."

Ed Silvoso, author of Anointed for Business, believes God is doing just that. He teaches Jesus ...

Blogging, Faith at Work and the Future of Capitalism.

Mike McLoughlin — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 20:45:00 -0700

I am having a conversation on the e mail with Jay Gary of the Christian Futures Network about blogging, faith at work, business as mission and the future of capitalism. Here it is in slightly edited format

Good to hear the "faith at work" movement is active, and self-reflective.

[MIKE REPLY:] Thanks. Blogging is a means to be self reflective in community with others. It's a great technology to connect ...

Faith at Work Movement gaining Momentum

Mike McLoughlin — Sat, 11 Jun 2005 16:49:00 -0700

A national debate is developing in America on the role of religion in the public square especially in the workplace. Since the start of this year, PBS has done a special report on Faith in the Workplace. ABC News reported on Corporate Chaplaincy programs. CNBC TV did an assignment on God and Money hosted by Tyler Mathisen. Articles have appeared in major newspapers, the ...