What is an Industry Renewal Session?
- JR Vassar
- Aug 6, 2009
In an interview some years ago Robert Bellah, a sociologist at the University of California at Berkeley, and head of the Center of Japanese and Korean Studies, said, 'We should not underestimate the significance of a small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. In Japan a very small minority of Protestant Christians introduced ethics into politics and had an impact beyond all proportion to their numbers. They were central in the beginnings of the women's movement, labor unions, and virtually every reform movement.' Then he added; 'The quality of a culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision. Now we are many more than two percent. We could have a far greater impact on society if we were truly the salt and the light of the world. Sharing the good news of Jesus is not to be the hobby of a few eccentric enthusiasts. Mission is the concern of every follower of Jesus."
We believe that God, in Christ, is renewing all of created life. Because God has created all things, there is beauty in all things. But because of the entrance of sin into the created world there is brokenness in all things as well. Both of these realities relate to the various industries in which we work. There is beauty and brokenness in every legitimate vocational domain. The call of Christians is to join God in his work to renew all things with the message and mercy of Christ. God wants to bring his transforming grace and power to bear upon every dimension of human life. The question for us is, how do we become instruments of renewal in our various professional fields? As a fashion designer, banker, educator, artist, politician, musician, writer, or businessperson, how can you enhance the beauty of the industry in which you work while also addressing the brokenness in it? We don’t have any set answers to these questions. But, we think our community should be asking these questions and through Spirit-led dialogue and creativity, discovering some practical and inspiring directions.
Last year, we presented Vision 2010 and introduced the idea of roundtable discussions that we hoped would foster redemptive, creative thinking and action with regards to industry renewal. We are having our first session on August 20. This session will be a way to meet others in your field who want to explore what this means and what it would look like. This is not a program, but the first of hopefully several gatherings and conversations intended to foster creative and action oriented thinking. We hope you will join us.
To register for this event, visit the registration page.