Faith at the office. Why not?

Here is a good article about the growing acceptance of faith in the workplace that oddly doesn’t qualify for the Amy Writing Awards. The article, titled “Faith at the office. Why not?”, was written by Rev. Henry G. Brinton and published in the USA Today on Monday, July 30, 2007.

Brinton writes:

On any given Sunday, members of my congregation request prayers for children diagnosed with cancer and victims of natural disasters — people facing extraordinary challenges. These requests are heartfelt, but as I collect them I notice that something is missing. Where are the prayers for the accountants, attorneys, automobile mechanics and other workers who have to face the challenge of an ordinary Monday morning?
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It is an well-written article on a timely and important topic, and Brinton even references scripture toward the end of the piece (“When I teach classes on faith at work, I challenge church members to think of themselves as co-creators with God, and to evaluate their work according to how it follows the divine pattern of bringing order out of chaos, and creating something that is good (Genesis 1:1-5).”).

Unfortunately, he doesn’t come out and quote scripture, so sadly the piece doesn’t qualify for the Amy Writing Awards, but it is worthy of “well done” on our blog.

Amazing article that doesn't qualify

Here is an amazing article in USA Today that sadly doesn't qualify for the Amy Writing Awards. The piece, titled "Faith rebuilds house and soul," was written by Liz Szabo. Szabo's story documents to magnitude aith-based volunteers are having on rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

She writes:

NEW ORLEANS — Nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina, much of the city is
deserted. Broken glass hangs from the windows of office towers. Weeds flourish in front of boarded-up homes. In the Lower Ninth Ward, entire blocks have been obliterated, the houses carted away to the junkyard, leaving nothing but the square outlines of foundations and the squat, concrete steps that once led to front doors.

Yet many of those surveying this scarred landscape see reason for hope. It arrives, in wave after wave, on the sunburned faces and sweaty backs of hundreds of thousands of volunteers who come to rebuild the Gulf Coast. To many weary residents, every church van with out-of-state plates seems like a beacon of light, a sign they have not been forgotten.
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Szabo quotes numerous survivors and volunteers who testify to the goodness of God in their lives because of the volunteer effort, but the article doesn't contain a quote of verifiable scripture. Still, the article draws people in and encourages the reader's faith. It is an excellent example of faith-based journalism.

Thanks, Liz, for a great story! Keep up the good work!

Cal Thomas is a former winner of the Amy Writing Awards. I typically like what he writes when he is “outside the Beltway.” This week’s syndicated article is just such an opinion.

We find Cal’s piece, titled, “Patriotism is not solely the province of American conservatives," online in the Salt Lake Tribune. His by-line tells us he’s writing from Washington, Indiana.

He writes:

... Last week, senator and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said that religion is not the exclusive property of conservative Christians. He is right. Neither is patriotism a trademark of the Republican Party.

As with religion, some people on the right have used patriotism, which should be a unifying theme, to divide Americans. My liberal friends love America as much as I do. They might disagree on some, or all, of my political and religious beliefs, but that does not make them less in love with America, much less un-American.

Many political and religious liberals have family members who have served or are serving their country in war and in peace. They have spilled their blood and given their lives to guarantee our freedom to disagree and to still live together.
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I was drawn to the piece because it calls a truce in the war over religion in politics and patriotism in politics. Cal calls for a stoppage of accusations against personal faith and commitment to country. A message I hope all parties and presidential candidates heed as we head into the 2008 election year.

Unfortunately, Cal’s opinion doesn’t include scripture (or a call to live a life of Freedom in Christ), so it doesn’t qualify for the Amy Writing Awards this time. Even so, the Christian undertones are clear and his message of faith unmistakable.