Description
Long-standing editors Richard Higginson and John Lovatt are delighted to welcome not one but two new editors, John Weaver (representing ICF) and Kim Sawers (representing Faith in Business). In John’s case it’s a matter of welcoming him back after a short previous stint! Both take the opportunity to introduce themselves and the issues they feel passionate about. John explores ICF’s impressive historical heritage and current publishing output, with the clear message: business needs redemption rather than condemnation. Kim explains the thrust and scope of faith-based business education at Seattle Pacific University where she has served for many years.
Our cover picture reflects the exuberance experienced by speaker Kina Robertshaw at the recent Lausanne Congress, a major international gathering where equipping believers to be a positive witness in the workplace was high on the agenda – much encouragement there. Sarah Edwards unpacks the thinking behind the burgeoning JustMoney Movement, urging us to think deeply and act boldly about our use of money, from banking, pensions and investing to spending sustainably.
David Parish again delves into history in his piece on ‘Faith in an Industrial Age’. He concludes that faith did have an impact on the behaviour of three notable entrepreneurs, Samuel Greg, Geoffrey Mander and George Cadbury, but that they all displayed ethical ‘blind spots’. This raises the question what are our own blind spots in the current business climate. Richard Higginson’s review of Victoria Glendinning’s Family Business looks at the role of faith (or its absence) in the life of another business titan, Spedan Lewis.
The theme of Faith in Business for the next half-year is ‘Just Grace: Forgiveness and Accountability at Work’. Contained within this are deep and challenging issues for both individuals and organisations. Peter Heslam introduces the theme while Annika Greco Thompson from Stewardship offers a further insightful perspective, highlighting the importance of generosity.
The difficult issue of AI featured in our last issue. It is something we need urgently to pray about, so we are very pleased to publish (with kind permission) a thoughtful ‘Litany for Faithful Engagement with AI’, written by Bruce Baker, a colleague of Kim’s. Please make use of this prayer either privately or publicly.
Finally, Phil Jump weighs in with a timely observation about the ease with which God is recruited to support opposing causes. He concludes that ‘Faith has much to say to the world of business, commerce and politics, but it has to be more than mere servant of their existing agendas’. Amen to that!
The Editors