On Fridays we bring you the week’s best from around the web. This week’s collection includes thoughts on community, business, education, profit, and pragmatism.
1. “Let Us Pray for One Another” by Bryan Wandel, Humane Pursuits
The rock of our common life must be prayer for one another. Intercession is always already bordering on forgiveness. It is always already putting yourself in her shoes. It is always already being filled with his concerns. Always already presenting my brother or sister before God in the same way I come before Him.
2. “When it Comes to Shaping Students, Do We Have the Right Priorities?” by Lauren Carl, Institute for Faith, Work & Economics
I grew up in a Christian home, and God was first and foremost in our Sunday schedules. But if you had asked me before I got to college what my favorite—or even most memorable—part of school was, I would not have said God. Conversely, if you had asked my parents what they desired most for my education, God would have been on the top of their list.
3. “Entrepreneurship for Human Flourishing: The Role of Business in Overcoming Poverty”: As part of a panel discussion at AEI this week, Peter Greer of HOPE International explains why business should not just be tolerated, it should be enthusiastically celebrated.
4. “Is It Wrong to Earn a Profit?” by Wayne Grudem, The Gospel Coalition
The ability to earn a profit thus results in multiplying our resources while helping other people. It is a wonderful ability that God gave us, and it is not evil or morally neutral, but is fundamentally good. Through it we can reflect many of God’s attributes, such as love for others, wisdom, sovereignty, and planning for the future.
5. “The Problem With Pragmatism” by David Brooks, The New York Times
Today, lofty political idealism is out of favor. Even a president initially elected as an idealist has been reduced into a more technocratic role. But Mumford makes the case for leaders who understand evil down to its depths, who have literary sensibilities and who react with a heart brimming with moral emotion.
