Jump directly to the Content

Between Two Worlds

How two pastors are helping people integrate faith and work.
Between Two Worlds
Image: BraunS/iStock

Years ago, I read John Stott's book, Between Two Worlds. Chuck Swindoll had recommended the volume to a group of pastors, and in the eyes of this 23-year-old pastor, a book recommendation from Swindoll was required reading. Stott's vision of preaching shaped my understanding of pastoral ministry and has stuck with me through the years.

The job of the preacher, Stott argues, is to form a bridge between world of the biblical text and the contemporary world. In order to accomplish this, the preacher must simultaneously exegete both worlds, trusting that "God will still speak through what he has already spoken."

Yet as I quickly discovered, exegeting the contemporary world—especially the diverse workplaces that Christians inhabit every day—is no easy task. Should a pastor be expected to be conversant with car sales or urban planning? I have repeatedly heard pastors confess that they are intimidated by the complexities of the work world of their congregants. It is ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Tripped Up
Tripped Up
How to collect gifts to fund short-term missions legally.
From the Magazine
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Evil Ideas Behind October 7
The Hamas attacks in Israel have a grotesque ideological history and deserve unflinching moral judgment.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close