Moving Toward Redemptive Action

This article was originally published here by Praxis Labs

— by Jon Hart

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with several audiences at a liberal arts college. I began my talks by posing a question: “What is going on in the world?” The first answer (from students) came quickly and definitively: “chaos.”

Later that day, I offered the same question to a group of professors, and sure enough, the first answer: “chaos.”

If that was the sentiment on a beautiful, serene campus where the primary work is to teach and to learn, we shouldn’t be surprised how true it feels everywhere — in our work, in our communities, in the news we absorb everyday, and (especially) in the wilds of social media. We’re experiencing a growing collective helplessness that the problems we face in our world are increasingly complex and we don’t know where to turn for solutions.

In the face of this sense of powerlessness amidst chaos, I believe that now more than ever, each of us needs a robust vision for how our work can be a vehicle for redemptive possibility: to bring a little more beauty and justice into places of brokenness and harm, and to bless others in the process.

In fact, in the six years since starting Praxis Academy — our work with next-generation founders, builders, and creatives — I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of college students and recent graduates asking important questions about their vocational choices: How can I have the most impact? How can I make use of the gifts God has given me? How can I learn what it is “really like” to express my faith through my work in my chosen field? Are some fields or professions more redemptive than others? Should I start my own venture or join one? Can I work redemptively and entrepreneurially if I’m not a founder, or (especially) if I’m trying to move up in a large organization?

Over time, I’ve come to see that these questions aren’t just for graduates searching for their first job out of college. In fact, many within the Praxis community and beyond are asking these questions at various points of their working lives. Each career path is as unique as the individual, so there is no standard formula here. Rather, I’ve identified three moves that nearly anyone can pursue throughout one’s career: developing a holistic vision for work across the Redemptive Frame, taking action within your agency, and increasing your agency by seriously considering starting or joining a startup.

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[Picture Courtesy Reach Records ]