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Resources :: Book Reviews As part of the research for The Executive Calling, I had the privilege to read numerous books by other authors on the subject of integrating faith and work. I found each of these valuable for their unique perspectives. I continue to read books on topics related to impacting our workplace and our culture and will from time to time add a new book to the review list. I recommend any of the books on this list. If I didn't like a book, I didn't include it on this list. I felt that some books, however, were more interesting, informative and useful than others. Therefore, I have also rated them with 2 to 4 stars:
Happy Reading!
Doug Sherman is founder of Career Impact Ministries, a Christian organization that helps business people integrate their faith and vocation. Mr. Sherman's career started with service in the Air Force Academy and followed with a degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. William Hendricks is a writer and consultant in communication development. The two collaborated on a fabulous book on the struggle to integrate faith and work in the business world. They argue eloquently for a Biblical view of work and the impossibility to fully develop either your spirituality or your career unless the two are integrated. The authors touch on many of the challenges that Christians face in the business world. If you read only one book on integrating faith and work, this is it!
Nash is a research fellow at Harvard Business School and McLennan is dean for religious life at Stanford University. This is a fantastic research work based on interviews with Christian managers and executives in corporations. This (along with Nash's Believers in Business) is perhaps the best examination in print on difficulties that Christians have in integrating their work with their spirituality. It is often brutal in criticizing the church for its failure to minister to the needs of Christian business people in the workplace. While the book provides a fascinating analysis of these problems, it's purpose is not to offer advice or solutions for resolving them. Still, it is a must read to understand the separation that many Christians feel between their work and their faith.
I recently picked up this book at a conference and I was blown away. Dennis Peacocke was a product of Berkeley U. and was active in the civil rights movements of the turbulent 60's. After his conversion he became a business owner and later founded Strategic Christian Services. His godly perspective has changed since the 60's, but his tendency to shake and shock us has not. In Winning the Battle for the Minds of Men, Dennis explains how the church went from turning the world upside down to becoming irrelevant. He explains how the church has created a "Christian Ghetto" where we retreat and hide from the world but he also provides the scriptural truths for how we can recapture the original vision for discipling all nations. Winning the Battle for the Minds of Men will challenge you a great deal!
On the same day that I finished reading Peacocke’s Winning the Battle for the Minds of Men, I placed an order for Doing Business God’s Way. I wasn’t disappointed. It is much more than just another “faith at work” book, as the title might suggest. The author lays down a Biblical foundation for twelve “Master Principles”, truths for righteous governments, successful businesses and healthy societies. We, the Christian Church, hold the unique key for managing His Kingdom here on earth. Unfortunately, the author explains, there is too much emphasis on our “retirement village in Heaven”. As a result, our churches are filled with people wanting the “retirement plan” but not sufficiently committed to the work which He expects from us while we are here on earth. Dennis Peacocke reminds us that the Greek root word for church is “ekklesia”, which means “those called out to rule”. Doing Business God’s Way reveals the Kingdom principles by which the Lord’s Ekklesia are intended to disciple and rule the nations.
Laura Nash is a research fellow at Harvard Business School. Believers in Business, talks about the seven "tensions" between evangelicals and business. It is an excellent study, based on extensive interviews and research, on the conflicts Christians feel in the business world. Tensions include "Love of God vs. Profit", "Family and Work", "Charity and Wealth", and "Humility and Ego". As with Church on Sunday, Work on Monday, the work is an outstanding diagnostic study of issues that Christians in business struggle with, however, it was not intended to offer solutions or answers to these issues. Read this to better understand tensions you or others may feel between work and faith.
There is quite a vast movement going on in the sub-culture of the Christian church. In fact, many people simply call it "the movement". Many ministry leaders like Henry Blackaby, Os Hillman, Lance Walnau, Kent Humphries, Dennis Peacocke, Steve Marr, Doug Spada and Johnny Enlow are calling Christians to reengage with our culture in order to transform it. Pastor Johnny Enlow shares his divine insight into the "Elijah Revolution" in which he says that the church will reclaim the seven mountains of cultural influence - Politics, Business, Education, Media, Arts & Entertainment, Family and Religion. I get a bit lost and disinterested when Johhny tries to relate each "cultural mountain" to one of the seven nations that Israel defeated when they came to the Promised Land but I do believe that God is calling us to reclaim our culture! I'm not usually into prophetic ministries, but this is one that I think is spot on and we should all read about it.
Mr. Grudem is a professor at Phoenix Seminary. At only 83 pages, it is a fun and inspirational read. Mr. Grudem does an excellent job of justifying capitalism from a Christian perspective, dealing with subjects such as ownership, profit, competition, and borrowing. For Christians, it effectively dispels any concerns that corporate enterprise is somehow evil or not blessed by God. It effectively gives Christians the "green light" for careers in the business world. If your not sure that God can bless your business career, read this.
Originally from Argentina, Mr. Silvoso spent his early career in business (banking, hospital administration and financial services) before going into the ministry. Today he is the founder and president of Harvest Evangelism, which focuses on nation and marketplace transformation. “Anointed for Business” has many very inspiring and practical ideas about our important role in the marketplace, in our daily jobs. I love the idea of “anointing” in our vocation, the sense that we are “sent out”, just as missionaries are sent. But the book seemed a little disjointed – many ideas and concepts, but not a very cohesive flow or focus. Also, if you are not comfortable with intercessory and prophetic ministries, this might not be the book for you.
Jon Huntsman, founder of Huntsman Corporation, is on Forbes list of America's wealthiest people. This short book is structured around old-school aphorisms ("Play by the Rules", "Check Your Moral Compass", etc.) from which Huntsman draws an informal moral code. A fast, entertaining read, the book is written from the perspective of a business owner that established his own culture. It's good stuff, but as employees, we might face a slightly different set of challenges than an owner would. It's full of memorable quotes, however, that make it fun to read.
John Maxwell is one of the most recognized authors on business leadership. This is his only book specifically written for Christians in business. Life @ Work affirms that God calls Christians to business leadership positions and emphasizes skill, servanthood, calling and character as important facets of integrating faith. Maxwell heavily illustrates his points with stories from corporate executives that he has interviewed. As with all of John Maxwell's books on business, this is worth reading.
John Beckett is a successful business founder and owner. There is a lot of wisdom and good advice for Christians in this book on integrating faith and work. His success as a Christian who built a successful corporation and established a spiritually based culture is inspirational. However, it seems less relevant to the vast number of managers and executives who want to know how to keep their faith in corporations with secular (and sometimes corrupt) cultures that they do not own.
Kent Humphries is a businessman who later served as President for Christ @ Work, a ministry for Christian business owners. Shepherding Horses is only 50 pages long, but its message is totally unique. It explores the lack of "connection" that most business leaders feel with their church and how pastors have a specific mission with different methods to reach out and equip them. The primary audience may be pastors, but it's a great read for businessmen to get some insights into themselves!
Larry Julian is a successful consultant and speaker on leadership development. His book is a series of inspirational stories from executives in large corporations on subjects such as "avoiding bottom-line pressures", "serving a higher purpose", "finding hope", and "appreciating what is important". If you want to be uplifted by wonderful testimonies and miraculous answers to prayer, read this.
Briner, an executive for a Christian organization (ProServ Television), and Pritchard, the senior pastor of a large church in Illinois, collaborated on this work. It is an inspirational work for Christians in business and it contains many great nuggets of wisdom. However, as many such books by authors that spent little time in the secular corporate world, it focuses on uplifting topics, rather than real challenges. The authors discuss caring, teaching, relationships, and truth, but don't discuss the real pressures faced by corporate managers such as earnings performance, bad cultures, difficult bosses, problem employees, company politics, etc. It will certainly encourage you, but if you're looking for solutions to the tensions between your faith and the workplace culture, you'll need to look elsewhere.
This is a short paperback at just over 100 pages. Chapters are usually only one to one and a half pages long. It covers a long digest of practical advice, but with a lack of themes or structure. It is difficult to have much depth on fifty topics with such a short exploration of the subject. The work is inspirational at times, but some topics need further depth and exploration. Still, it is a worthwhile read that you can pick up and finish in just a few sittings.
Rich Marshall is senior pastor at a large church in California. Marshall's book makes good arguments for the blessings of God in commerce and argues strongly for the power of Christians in ministry within the workplace. His work is built on arguments that today's ministers and executives are analogous to Old Testament priests and kings. It's a cute analogy, but his book could use some more substance. It's also somewhat naive about the practicality or even the appropriateness for Christians to be overt missionaries in the work place. The author never worked in a corporation so his understanding of workplace realities is understandably a bit limited.
Ms. Jones launched an advertising agency and later wrote Jesus in Blue Jeans, Jesus CEO and The Path. She is a very active and popular speaker at churches and ministry conferences. Jesus CEO is a series of short one to two page "snippets" on 85 subjects relating to the leadership approach demonstrated by Jesus. It's too broad and not deep enough to walk away with much insight on any particular idea if you're just reading it straight through. However, all of the 85 subjects have questions for the reader to reflect further on, making it an interesting devotional or group discussion resource. |
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