In this episode of Gospel Works, we explore the complex relationship between power and human organizations in life and in theology. Last time we geeked out on Tolkien, and spent a lot of time talking about power theoretically. This episode will look at the same issue through the outstanding work of Bryant Myers, who wrote Walking with the Poor, because the relationship of power to the gospel is most obvious in the lives of those who don't have any.

In this episode, which we highly recommend skipping if you aren't familiar with The Lord of the Rings, we explore the complex relationship between power and human organizations in life and in theology. We use Tolkien's Lord of the Rings to examine why domination is a temptation to sin even when well-intentioned. On the way, we talk about zero sum games, the difference between "power-over" and "power-to", and biblical examples of authority. Our conversation concludes with a few practical applications for the workplace.

We're back! In the first episode of season 2, we look at human organizations, which are all made of imperfect people. Just like people, they are spiritual and physical and relational, and they affect every part of our lives. We draw from the Bible, Walter Wink, and others in order to examine how community structures relate to our lives and work.

We have talked a lot about work on this podcast, but we want to end season 1 by reminding ourselves that work is not an absolute good. Rest and peace are also a biblically mandated and good part of God's creation. Much of the theology of rest comes from people without many constraints on their professional time or energy: monks, pastors, and professors. In this episode, we try to discuss rest in a way that speaks to emergency room doctors, overwhelmed parents, and other folks that have a LOT going on.

In the episode, we talk about one of the most maligned jobs in our society: the lawyer. Boo! HISS! We are joined by Michael Carrico, who is not only a great guy, nature lover, and cyclist, but also a long-time lawyer specializing in special education and employment law in New Mexico. We talk about the journey from electrical engineering to law school, and how it has impacted Mike's life and clients. We end with a great discussion about the theological ramifications of the mandate to seek reparations for your client which must be held in tension with the very real benefits of forgiveness and reconciliation.

In this episode, we explore fascinating questions raised by the late Timothy Keller, former pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC in his 2016 book Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work. This book has been foundational to our understanding of work in the kingdom, and we explore topics such as the idolatry of work, confronting corruption, and the necessity of living the faith in the workplace.

Experts may be much better in their area of expertise than non-experts, but they still fail consistently under certain conditions: time pressure, stress, tiredness, and distraction. Expertise, no matter how deep, is not enough. In this episode, we talk about how expertise intersects with the limitations of the human mind, and how the wise person manages those limitations. On the way, we talk about advances in surgery practice, the development of the B-17 bomber, AI, bible study, and how it all relates the gospel to our work.

Experts have been shown to perform significantly better at tasks in their area of expertise than non-experts. Not exactly a shocking finding. It is surprising to learn that they don't perform much better at all on the same tasks when the tests are non representative of real life situations, i.e., when they are randomized. In this episode, we talk about the chunking theory of expertise, the world of blindfolded chess, AI, the book of Job, and how all that relates the gospel to our work.

We are back with another episode of Working on Wisdom (WoW), our attempt at a shorter-form series within The Gospel Works podcast. We are going to examine how the book of Proverbs speaks to ordinary work and ordinary workers. In this episode, we will look at a proverbial section, Proverbs 20:5-9, and discuss Solomon's perspective on managing people. TLDR It's kind of hard, for some very specific reasons. And that's something worth talking about.

In the episode, we talk about one of the more under-appreciated and counter-cultural roles in our society: the stay-at-home mother. We are joined by Tabitha Roybal, an R&D chemist for Sara Lee, who has chosen to leave the lab to focus on her family, and the impact that has had on her life and faith. We talk about the journey from the lab to the home, the adventure (and monotony) of raising 6 kids, and end with a great discussion about the theological importance of finding affirmation and significance.