AUTHORITY & VULNERABILITY // ANDY CROUCH
True human flourishing requires both authority (capacity to take meaningful action) and vulnerability (exposure to meaningful risk). Though we might naturally think that flourishing consists of maximum authority with the least possible vulnerability, that's not the way God has created us. We need both authority and vulnerability to fulfill our purpose and participate in his redemptive work in the world.
In this talk based on his book Strong and Weak, Andy points us to Jesus as the ultimate example of living in full authority, as the son of God, and full vulnerability, in dying on the Cross. He shows us how we can be more faithful image bearers in our leadership in general—and in our entrepreneurial journey in particular.
THE DARK SIDE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP // WILL HAUGHEY
Will Haughey, co-founder of Tegu and Praxis Venture Partner, addresses the internal turmoil and the pressure of comparison he experienced while building his venture and how it reframed his understanding of the identity of the entrepreneur. As he opens up about the struggles of entrepreneurship, Haughey encourages us with ways that the Christ-following entrepreneur can face them with grit and grace.
WORSHIP & IMAGINATION // JAMES K.A. SMITH
Professor, philosopher, author, and friend of Praxis, James K. A. Smith, shows the linkage between the "liturgies" (rhythms, rituals, and practices) of our lives, our imagination, and what we create. We are what we love; we might not love what we think; we make what we want.
He argues that worship is the "calibration technology" that God has provided to shape our hearts and minds to love what is good, and therefore to create what is good.
This connects with the foundational mindset of redemptive entrepreneurship and how the imagination of the founders of a generation's startups determines what that generation will stand for.
RESULTS MAY VARY // JON TYSON
Jon Tyson, Praxis spiritual director, pastor, and ministry entrepreneur, contrasts our typical definition of success with Jesus' definition. In this talk he looks at the story of "the seventy-two" who were sent out by Jesus in Luke 10. When they exulted in the fact that the demons submitted to them, he rebuked them and showed them what it meant to "rejoice that your names are written in heaven." In his remarks, Jon Tyson offers a way for Christ-following entrepreneurs to order their lives to be faithful and fruitful in the long run.
Jon applies this passage to our need to compare ourselves and our accomplishments with others. He argues that this is possibly even more problematic for entrepreneurs; and he shows us the power of contentment, faithfulness, and intimacy with God—independent of results.
PODCAST CONVERSATIONS ON REDEMPTIVE WORK
Praxis Founder & CEO Dave Blanchard and Praxis Partner Andy Crouch sit down individually with Nancy Duarte, founder of Duarte, Inc. & Vic Ho, founder of Five Stars, to discuss obedience to God, core values of their redemptive enterprises, and combating the pressures and formative culture of Silicon Valley.
Recommended Resources
Redemptive Entrepreneurship is not an entirely new thing. We believe that we are giving definition to an approach and mindset that many people and organizations, within and beyond this community, have long been practicing faithfully. Browse our curated list of resources that have largely influenced Praxis and our growing community of redemptive entrepreneurs in and through their work.