Today's interview is with Bethany Jenkins, founder and president of The Park Forum. Prior to its founding, Bethany worked at the New York Stock Exchange, at the U.S. Department of State, and on Capitol Hill. Today, we talk with Bethany about vocation, the intersection of work and faith, and community.
1) You gave up promising careers in law, government, and media in order to pursue vocational ministry. Was this a hard choice to make?
God used this time to show me how much my identity was rooted in my work and reputation, not in him.
The choice itself was fairly easy. Working with faith-based nonprofits was something that I had considered and prayed about for years. The months that followed the choice, however, were very hard. I questioned whether God would provide for me financially. I was embarrassed to tell people that I had turned down a Federal court clerkship to start an unknown nonprofit. I had to move out of my place and get roommates in order to afford living in the city. God used this time to show me how much my identity was rooted in my work and reputation, not in him.
2) Fueled by movies like The Wolf on Wall Street, there is a perception among many Americans that Wall Street is a godless and greedy place. Do you think that is fair?
We need to study our cities and industries, discern their idols, figure out why they hold sway over us, and then point to the gospel as the truest answer to our deepest longings.
I don't think it's fair to say that any place is godless since, by common grace, God testifies about himself everywhere. I do think, however, it's fair to discern what idols are commonly worshipped in our cities and industries, such as money or power. When Paul visited Athens, for example, he "was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols." Yet he studied their idols, trying to perceive what captured their affections. Then he contextualized the gospel and said that God's witness was made manifest "so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us." That's what we need to do—study our cities and industries, discern their idols, figure out why they hold sway over us, and then point to the gospel as the truest answer to our deepest longings.
3) What is it about life in New York City that the rest of the country may not understand?
I used to think that people lived in the city for the restaurants, the theater, the nightlife, and the shopping. Now, though, I don't think that's right. People may move here for those reasons, but they stay here for the people. New Yorkers are amazing, intense, ambitious, creative, and passionate. We sometimes get the reputation for being rude, but that's only because—on an average business day—Manhattan's population density is about 170,000 people per square mile. That makes it hard to say "hello" to everyone we see or "sorry" to everyone we bump into. In other words, we're not rude; we're just crowded.
4) You've recently begun work with The Gospel Coalition on profiling people in various vocations. What have you learned in this process about the intersection of work and faith?
First, everyone has a story; it's an honor to hear what people do everyday and how they feel about what they do. Second, God delights in diversity; he loves expressing his character in many ways, industries, and people. Third, not everyone can be interviewed publicly; some of my friends working in government and finance, for example, are doing redemptive work, but they can't go on the record about it. Finally, people are far too interesting and nuanced to be condensed into a 500-word published interview. (But that isn't stopping me from trying, huh?)
5) If you could offer one piece of advice to a young Christian professional about life in the fast-paced world of business, finance, or media, what would that be?
It's almost impossible to work faithfully in these industries without a community that regularly encourages you to endure, reminds you that you are a child of God, helps you integrate your faith and work, and exhorts you to live according to the gospel.
Live in community. It's almost impossible to work faithfully in these industries without a community that regularly encourages you to endure, reminds you that you are a child of God, helps you integrate your faith and work, and exhorts you to live according to the gospel. The hard part, of course, is finding that community when you're working eighty hours a week. Some people work around this by living with flatmates or joining fellowship groups that meet late at night or on weekends. It doesn't matter what you decide to do, but it does take some intentional planning.
Daniel Darling is vice-president of communications for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He is the author of several books, including his latest, Activist Faith.
