CHRIST ALIVE! LIBRARY

Library Materials

There are a lot of books that have been written over the last ten years on work, business and vocations. The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography is the most complete listing and review of marketplace-faith books. (See below)

We’ve selected a handful of books that we think do an excellent job of expressing our perspective on the call to bring the life of Christ to the workplace. (Click on image of book to order a copy from Amazon.com.)

Business as a Calling: Work and the Examined Life Michael Novak Novak outlines the inherent values of business and issues a call to do business for the common good. “Business is a profession worthy of a person’s highest ideals and aspirations, fraught with moral possibilities of both great good and great evil . . . Our work connects people with one another. It also makes possible the universal advance out of poverty and it is an essential prerequisite of democracy and institutions of a civil society.” This book is one of the best treatments from a theological and ethical perspective to date. (Review by The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography)
Your Work Matters to God Doug Sherman & William Hendricks This book is one of the most comprehensive and accessible texts available on the theology of work. In part one Sherman and Hendricks address problems resulting from the lost connection between faith and work (e.g. purposelessness and the irrelevance of religion). In part two the authors argue from Scripture that work matters to God. In part three they discuss practical implications for job selection, income and lifestyle, conflict with coworkers, leisure and relationship with church. Extensive topical and Scripture indexes are included. (Review by The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography)
The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is N.T. Wright N.T. Wright, one of the premier scholars investigating the life of Jesus, compels us to rethink our standard images of Jesus so that we will never read the Gospels the same way again. The Challenge of Jesus poses a double-edged challenge: to grow in our understanding of the historical Jesus within the Palestinian world of the first century and to follow Jesus more faithfully into the postmodern world of the twenty-first century. For those who do know Jesus, this book unveils exciting new perspectives that clearly echo Jesus’ challenge to follow him. For those who have studied nearly everything about Jesus, this book reinvigorates the quest to know Jesus more fully and join in shaping the world as his disciple. (Review from book cover)
Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda Henry & Richard Blackaby Instructing those who hold leadership positions—not only in religious capacities but also including CEOs and teachers—best-selling authors Henry and Richard Blackaby teach on approaching leadership from a biblical perspective. Henry and Richard Blackaby offer insightful counsel into the ways God develops, guides and empowers spiritual leaders. Clear guidance is given on how leaders can make a positive impact on the people and organizations they are currently leading. (Review from book cover)
The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography Pete Hammond, R. Paul Stevens & Todd Svanoe The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography is the largest resource for putting work in its proper Christian perspective. It includes annotated reviews of hundreds of books on topics such as career guidance, leisure, terminations and layoffs, business ethics, time and financial management, critical issues in the workplace, evangelism and much more.