CHRISTIANIZED WORLDLINESS
ALIGNING & UNLEASHING
"GOSPEL INSPIRED PASSIONS & TALENTS"
DO MAN'S EFFORTS PRODUCE
GREATER RESULTS
THAN THE HOLY SPIRIT'S?
COMBINING COLLECTIVISM, DOMINIONISM,
AND A SOCIAL GOSPEL;
AN AMALGAM OF ECUMENICAL
APOSTASY WITH SECULAR HUMANIST
METHODOLOGIES
1 John 2:15-"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
1 John 4:5-"They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them."
Ecclesiastes 11:9-"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment."
Deuteronomy 8:6- "Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him."
Proverbs 3:7-"Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil."
Job 22:2-"Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?"
Job 9:4-"God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?"
Isaiah 5:21-"Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!"
Proverbs 26:12-"Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Proverbs 12:15-"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise."
"BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER":
WILLOWDALE CHAPEL & REDEEMER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH:
FAITH & WORK, CULTURAL MANDATE,
"Ei" ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVE"
Revelation 3:17-"Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' --- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked ---."
We previously posted about Willowdale Chapel's "Shine Like Stars" initiative at:
http://ratherexposethem.blogspot.com/2013/02/willowdale-chapel-advised-by-tim-keller.html. Because Willowdale is "missional" minded as an "emerging church", its pastor trained at Rick Warren's Saddleback church, and its affinity for Tim Keller's Redeemer Church in New York City, with its Catholic contemplative leaning, neo-reformed, savvy, cutting edge high income young professional adherents, we were not surprised that Willowdale wasn't content to just coast along on its "merits".
Now, we discover that Willowdale is continuing down the unbiblical path of putting on a good face to garner the approval and admiration of the unregenerate world, calling it the "cultural mandate", which by itself is not found anywhere in the Bible, nor is it a command of God or Jesus Christ, but rather a convenient man-made invention to impress the money classes which call Willowdale their church home, and those in the upper social strata in the surrounding neighborhoods. This is an easy sell to folks who already live their "Christian" lives parading their success and wealth in sundry ways so as to impress and influence the lesser classes of Chester County, Pennsylvania, surrounding areas, workplaces, and vacation retreats. A veneer of nominal Christianity suits them just fine, hiding the secular humanist core.
This so-called "cultural mandate" fits perfectly with Tim Keller's "Faith & Work" and "Ei" initiatives, http://old.faithandwork.org/about_ei_page2884.php, described as follows:
"The Entrepreneurship Initiative (EI) was created to encourage and support entrepreneurs within our congregation who have a bold vision to start a new arts, for-profit, or not-for-profit venture that fosters shalom and brings about gospel-centered renewal to New York City and beyond. The initiative is now expanding as a movement beyond Redeemer, as churches in other cities join our Ei Forum and develop ways to serve entrepreneurs in their communities."
On the steering committee for Ei is:
CALVIN CHIN
Before joining the Center for Faith & Work, Calvin worked in the finance industry for seventeen years. Most recently, he was a director in the investment banking group of Burnham Securities. He also gained investment advisory experience at Chase Manhattan and Sanford C. Berstein & Co., where he managed relationships with high net worth individuals. Calvin holds a B.A. from the University of Buffalo and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business. Calvin serves on the advisory board of Hope for New York and on the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of Buffalo.
Calvin Chin
Director, Entrepreneurship Initiative http://old.faithandwork.org/speakers_page2882.php#57:
Calvin directs the Entrepreneurship Initiative (Ei), an innovative ministry that supports the growth of entrepreneurs, their ventures and their stakeholders, to help bring about human flourishing to New York City and beyond. Under his leadership, Ei has been featured in several publications for its work, including Duke Divinity’s Faith & Leadership (“Block by Block”). Prior to joining CFW in 2007, Calvin worked in the finance industry for seventeen years. Most recently, he was a director in the investment banking group of Burnham Securities. He also gained investment advisory experience at Chase Manhattan and Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., where he managed relationships with high net worth individuals.
Calvin was born and bred in New York City. He holds a B.A. from the University of Buffalo and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business. Calvin serves on the advisory board of Hope for New York and on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Buffalo. He is also an adjunct professor of corporate finance at The King’s College. Calvin lives with his wife, Amy, and two daughters in Westchester
Calvin was born and bred in New York City. He holds a B.A. from the University of Buffalo and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business. Calvin serves on the advisory board of Hope for New York and on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Buffalo. He is also an adjunct professor of corporate finance at The King’s College. Calvin lives with his wife, Amy, and two daughters in Westchester
Calvin Chin
http://www.faithandwork.org/ei/steering-committee/:
Before joining the Center for Faith & Work, Calvin worked in the finance industry for seventeen years. Most recently, he was a director in the investment banking group of Burnham Securities. He also gained investment advisory experience at Chase Manhattan and Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., where he managed relationships with high net worth individuals. Calvin holds a B.A. from the University of Buffalo and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business. Calvin serves on the advisory board of Hope for New York and on the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of Buffalo.
Before joining the Center for Faith & Work, Calvin worked in the finance industry for seventeen years. Most recently, he was a director in the investment banking group of Burnham Securities. He also gained investment advisory experience at Chase Manhattan and Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., where he managed relationships with high net worth individuals. Calvin holds a B.A. from the University of Buffalo and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business. Calvin serves on the advisory board of Hope for New York and on the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of Buffalo.
http://www.willowdalechapel.org/index.php?pID=491, wherein Chin maligns the traditional biblical concentration on gospel preaching and salvation.
Chin was also interviewed here:
http://servingleaders.podbean.com/2013/05/24/the-great-purpose-of-entrepreneurship/
May 24, 2013 @ 1:35 pm
The Great Purpose of Entrepreneurship
Calvin Chin is interviewed by Darrin Grove about the Entrepreneurship Initiative and entrepreneurs.
From Gotham Institute are these two PDFs, which purport to say:
"What does the gospel say about renewing culture through starting new ventures?"
"2012 Ei Forum: Re-Imagine Power":
"Ei Forum: Creation and Creativity":
Serving Leaders (Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation) gave a glowing report of Calvin Chin's visit:
http://servingleaders.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/the-great-purpose-of-entrepreneurship-with-calvin-chin/, in their post dated May 24, 2013, titled:
"The Great Purpose of Entrepreneurship with Calvin Chin"
reprinted below in full unedited for educational purposes. Bold and red type are ours for emphasis:
Serving Leaders was pleased to welcome Calvin Chin, Director of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at the Center for Faith & Work, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City to Pittsburgh on May 16th at our Breakfast on the Great Purpose of Entrepreneurship. As we prepared for Calvin’s visit, we asked him to consider some questions about the work of Redeemer and its Center for Faith & Work. Here are a few thoughtful insights from Calvin:
How does a Center for Faith & Work help to realize the Redeemer Vision?
Redeemer was founded on a vision of “The Gospel Changes Everything!” It changes individuals, communities, and the world so that we have different values, intentions, and results.
Redeemer has done this by teaching us to live out the gospel in real and tangible ways—Jeremiah 29:7—so that our lives that are fully integrated, spiritually and practically.
In New York City, the identity people take from their work is much more pronounced than the rest of the country. Tim Keller tackled that first by preaching from the pulpit about the importance of cultural renewal and that work we do in the marketplace is part of cultural renewal and we must recognize that work is good but because of the fall is broken and distorted. The traditional thinking of the Christian is that work (toil and labor) is just something to do while we wait for Christ to come back or until we die and go to heaven. But this is unbiblical thinking—work is what most of us do for a large part of our waking hours and it is a vital part of renewing culture.
Also, we know that work is extremely important but it cannot be the thing we rest our worth and hope on; it is very easy to make work an idol. So even before the Center for Faith & Work was created in 2002, there were ad-hoc programs early on to help people see how God cares about their work and how their work is part of worship. The Bible supports the importance of work but as a mandate God gave us rather than the foundation we rest our hope in.
The CFW’s tag line is to Equip, Connect, and Mobilize.
- Equip - theologically and practically,
- Connect – people in the marketplace who feel isolated or ineffective and need touch points with other believers to remind them of their mission
- Mobilize – by being equipped and having community inside and outside of the church community, they can be the best possible worker, boss, manager or partner as they go about influencing in their role.
Why would a church make a decision to invest in entrepreneurs?
After CFW started showing some real traction in starting great conversations about why we work so hard and what is work’s purpose in our lives and the biblical narrative of redemption, we realized something profound and deeply rooted in the Gospel. While the gospel can transform people into excellent employees and senior corporate leaders, institutions are harder to change because, as Mike Novak shared, they are living organisms with fallen people running the show and carrying out legacy practices. An intentionally integrated Christian is limited in the change they can affect even if they rise to become CEO and are in positions of significant influence.
We believe that Entrepreneurs by nature are missional! Entrepreneurs can create and run new ventures and from day one they can infuse the gospel in to its mission and practice. From the vision, to the products and services, to the organizational culture and values and to the way they engage themselves. Biblically, entrepreneurs embody the creative spirit of God. Entrepreneurs want to solve problems, meet unmet needs, or do things better or in a new way, they are all about rearranging the particulars into something new that creates value and opportunity. They are true missionaries in the marketplace trying to make Jesus Christ real and tangible to their neighbors.
What sets gospel centered entrepreneurship apart?
Gospel centered entrepreneurship is about the end result and the motivation – why we are doing it and where does it lead? Similarly, with your job and career – why are you doing it matters as much as how you are doing it. If the gospel is the center and foundation of every little thing you do then you will be will energized, emboldened, and supported—regardless of the outcome.
Gospel centered entrepreneurship also points toward the redemptive love of Christ in that being involved in an entrepreneurial venture is a spiritual and physical sacrifice. The big uncertainty in entrepreneurship is always –will it fail or succeed. Someone who has the gospel as the center of their life and their venture will be able to deal with the journey and outcome in a much more loving and joyful way. Meaning, they can let go and take comfort in how God’s spirit used them to glorify Him and the other way around.
To listen to the entire interview of Calvin, conducted by Darrin Grove on May 16th click here to get the podcast.
For more information about The Ei and the Center for Faith and Work and Redeemer go www.faithandwork.org
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A JOURNEY THROUGH NYC RELIGIONS http://www.nycreligion.info/?p=9487,
had an excellent article about all this:
A little bit of faith in Tech New York
Are New York City religions contributing to the city’s booming start-up scene? Can Manhattan’s Silicon Alley rival Silicon Valley for faith-inspired enterprise?
Excerpts:
"Katherine Leary Alsdorf, founder of Redeemer’s Faith and Work initiative, cut her teeth in tech as a CEO in Silicon Valley during the great crisis of the dotcom bust in 2001. She has a pretty good idea about the challenge of joining the inner toughness that it takes to be an entrepreneur with the values of doing good to society." "Under former Silicon Valley executive Alsdorf’s leadership, Redeemer has promoted a vision for cultural renewal in the workplace. One practical way that they are pursuing this vision is through their Entrepreneurship Initiative (EI), a network of social entrepreneurs. The effort includes workshops, conferences, mentoring and relationship-building." "At the center of EI is the belief that a business can reflect the truth and beauty of Christ by providing great services, products and honor to its customers."
"EI Director Calvin Chin points to Restore NYC, a non-profit providing rehabilitation to women rescued from sex trafficking, Inheritance of Hope, a non-profit serving children with a terminally-ill parent, and Tegu, a toy manufacturer with overseas operations and American investors, as examples of the successful ventures EI has supported. “This is just a starter,” Chin said. “We’d want people to gush over the product, service or experience.”"
Willowdale Chapel's Shine Like Stars Vision:
"Constellation Learn & Launch Community" at:
is described as, quote:
"Constellation "LLC" (Launch & Learn Community) is an ad hoc gathering of everyone interested in the idea. It's people who want to catch a vision for restoration in all areas of life and culture. It's anyone who wants to dream about what could happen as we align and unleash our gospel-inspired passions and talents."
"In the coming months we will be privileged to host some of the most innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs in the country. They'll share their stories and experiences, while also interacting with our vision. The goal is to stir our imagination; fuel our passion; and create momentum toward the launch of a new organization in the fall of 2014. And even beyond this, our aim is to help you think about your gifts and calling."
The line up of guest speakers being invited to Willowdale Chapel for "alignment" purposes is as follows:
ANDY CROUCH on "Culture Making", December 15, 2013
Andy Crouch is one of the leading voices on Christian engagement with culture. He is the Executive Editor of Christianity Today.
Ken Silva of Apprising.org says of Crouch's glorifying of heretic Rob Bell at:
"Please keep in mind here that Rob Bell happens to be the pastor that writer Andy Crouch chose to use as he opens his 2004 CT article on the Emergent Church. Crouch tells us:
The Bells started questioning their assumptions about the Bible itself–discovering the Bible as a human product,” as Rob puts it, rather than the product of divine fiat. “The Bible is still in the center for us,” Rob says, “but it’s a different kind of center. We want to embrace mystery, rather than conquer it.”
“I grew up thinking that we’ve figured out the Bible,” Kristen says, “that we knew what it means. Now I have no idea what most of it means. And yet I feel like life is big again–like life used to be black and white, and now it’s in color…”
The Bells, who flourished at evangelical institutions from Wheaton to Fuller Theological Seminary to Grand Rapids’s Calvary Church before starting Mars Hill,…[felt] that very world, as the Bells tell it, became constricting–in Kristen’s phrase, “black and white…”
And how did the Bells find their way out of the black-and-white world where they had been so successful and so dissatisfied? “Our lifeboat,” Kristen says, “was A New Kind of Christian [by Brian McLaren].” (Online source, emphasis mine)."
David Cloud of Way Of Life says this about Crouch at:
"Andy Crouch calls the emerging church “post-evangelicalism.”
He says: “The emerging movement is a protest against much of evangelicalism as currently practiced. It is post-evangelical in the way that neo-evangelicalism (in the 1950s) was post-fundamentalist. It would not be unfair to call it postmodern evangelicalism” (“The Emergent Mystique,” Christianity Today, Nov. 2004)."
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CATHERINE HOKE ROHR on "Social Sector", January 26,2014
Catherine Hoke (Rohr) is founder and CEO of Defy Ventures, a non-profit that offers entrepreneurial training and mentorship to people with criminal backgrounds.
LISA SLAYTON on "Backbone Org", February 23, 2014
Lisa Slayton is the president of the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation (PLF) and Serving Leaders guiding the mission to raise up Christ-centered leaders who work for the transformation of the city and culture.
KEVIN PALAU on "Collective Impact", March 16, 2014
Kevin Palau is the President of the Luis Palau Association. Kevin was so savvy that he built a bridge, and lasting friendship, with the now former mayor of Portland, who is openly gay.
See our previous post about Luis Palau at:
where we headed the post with this:
"ECUMENICAL LUIS PALAU & SONS: MINISTRY MODELED AFTER BILLY GRAHAM'S DECISIONAL REGENERATION LEAVING OUT MAN'S DEPRAVITY & NEED FOR REPENTANCE~WORKS WITH CATHOLIC CHURCH~USES PSYCHOHERESY"
JOANNA TAFT on "Arts Sector", April 27, 2014
Joanna Taft is the founder and Executive Director of the Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis which is a leader in grassroots cultural development in the arts.