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Articles by Greg Phelan
Does Work-from-Home Mean Work-Without-Rest?
How can I find rest when work-at-home mode tends to imply that work never really stops? When I was on paternity leave after my second child was born, I developed a strange habit of wandering into my home office and sitting in my desk chair. Not because I had work to do or a deadline loomed. I went there purely by reflex. I’d sit at my desk while holding my newborn and think, Why am I here? The grooves of my life had trained me to drift into work without purposely choosing to do so.
What 'Failing Forward' Means and What to Make of It
Right now, our culture wants to fail forward. Freakonomics did a podcast on how to succeed at failing. The New York Times recently wrote about failure as a precondition to thriving, suggesting that we can learn from our missteps if we put our failures in context, learn to pivot, and share our failures with others. Practices that can lead to future success are the appropriate counterparts to grit and resilience.
Hope for Those Struggling with Adulting
I’m struggling to transition between university and adult life—things like handling finances and finding energy to do anything after work. You’re not alone. While I don’t know the particular struggles you face, there are some difficulties common to recent grads. The rhythms and routines of life outside of college are distinctly different from those in university. That can create new challenges but also new opportunities.
When You’re Called to Take a Business Risk
I think God is leading me to start a business, but I’m afraid of failure. I don’t blame you. About one in five new businesses fails in its first year, and almost half fail in the few years after that. Starting a business isn’t only difficult work; it’s risky. Advertise on TGC Many of the pursuits God calls us to—whether starting a business or a ministry or a family—entail risk. Whenever we choose to live sacrificially, we risk things not working out.
Should I Get Paid for Ministry?
Editors’ note: TGC’s “Thorns & Thistles” column seeks to apply wisdom with practical advice about faith, work, and economics. If you have a question on how to think about and practice your work in a way that honors God, let us know at. At what point should a person be paid for ministry? This is a great question to be asked by both sides—by those who would pay and those who would be paid.
Help! I Don’t Feel like My Work Is Meaningful
I know that work is meaningful, but I rarely feel that it is. Tips? The goodness of God’s creation means that we can at times experience work as cultivating a fertile garden, like Adam and Eve must have felt in Genesis 2. But as humans living after Genesis 3, we more often feel as if work is toilsome, pointless, and fruitless, as if the ground is bearing thorns and thistles just for us. Advertise on TGC We often believe Genesis 2 while feeling Genesis 3. So what should we do?
Help! Should I Enforce Nonsensical Rules at Work?
My job requires me to oversee and enforce the implementation of various regulations. Some of those regulations are good, some are impractical, and some are so poorly thought out they actually contradict one another. My boss has basically told us which regulations to follow and which to ignore. His choices make sense, but I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being dishonest by not following the letter of the law—even when the law seems wrongheaded. What should I do?
Pouring Yourself Out vs. Wearing Yourself Out
What’s the difference between pouring yourself out (Phil. 2:17) and wearing yourself out? This question has gripped me for a while now. But as I considered the ways I should approach answering it, I realized that none of the issues on my mind were on Paul’s mind in Philippians 2. Advertise on TGC Paul is describing the possibility of his death at the hands of the Romans as persecution for his faith. That means at least three things: First, to state the obvious, Paul will have nothing left to give.
Ask the Economist: What’s Going On with the Housing Market?
I think real estate market pressure can be good, evening supply and demand. But I’m not sure how to think about this housing market, with tons of first-time home buyers and seemingly endless demand as people look for more space, both in the living room and in the community. Where did all these people come from? Is this geographic re-sorting from urban to more rural areas a good thing?
Burned-Out College Student, You Belong to God
You stayed up late last night to finish a paper, so now you’re relying on caffeine to make it through the day. You’re stressed but your professors keep piling on the schoolwork. Like some mutant academic hydra, every time you cut down one assignment, two more grow up in its place. High school was a grind. College is a new level of pressure. The expectations for achievement—get good grades, an internship, and a good job—seem impossibly high.
Hope for the Wife of a Tired Pastor
Exhaustion doesn’t always look like physical fatigue. It often masquerades as emotional weariness, sleeplessness, discouragement, or anger. My pastor-husband seems to lose his hearing when our four teenagers are all in the room together. His mind is somewhere else, inhabiting another world.
My Comfort in John the Baptist’s Doubt
Editors’ note: Take part in TGC’s Read the Bible initiative, where we’re encouraging Christians and churches to read together through God’s Word in a year. Doubting Thomas gets most of the press, but for me, John the Baptist is a more compelling New Testament example of a doubter. He was a godly man whom Scripture identifies as “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:23; cf. Isa. 40:3), because he was the precursor to the Messiah.
Pornography Use Is Becoming an ‘Acceptable’ Sin
The Story: A recent poll shows pornography is affecting relationships between men and women—and reveals how indulging in porn is becoming an acceptable sin. The Background: A national poll on couples and pornography was commissioned by the Wheatley Institution at Brigham Young University and the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture. The poll finds that a majority of men and women in a national sample express some level of approval for pornography use.
Christ’s Greater Covenant
The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy. Lloyd Kim: Thank you so much, Julius, it is such an honor to be here. So grateful for the gospel Coalition for the leadership, who have founded it. But I can’t tell you how excited I am about the new leadership that Julius Kim brings to the gospel coalition. What a privilege. What an honor it is to be here with you today.
‘Don’t Look Up’ and Sharing the Gospel in a Distracted Age
Editors’ note: TGC reviews media that is not suitable for everyone. To help readers make wise viewing decisions, we recommend reading “Should I Watch This?” and checking out a content guide. In the Netflix comedy Don’t Look Up, an unassuming pair of astronomers, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) and graduate student Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence) discover a massive comet heading toward Earth that threatens humanity with complete annihilation.
Why I Married in My 20s-and Don’t Regret It
In the fall of 2003, I stepped onto the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a plan—and it didn’t involve finding a husband. In fact, I was intent on not dating during my freshman year. My time and attention would be better spent on other things, I reasoned. I would focus on my studies, find Christian community, and engage in campus life.
Review: ‘After Jesus Before Christianity’ by Erin Vearncombe, Brandon Scott & Hal Taussig
The last decade has witnessed a resurgence of academic interest in early Christianity. By “early Christianity,” I don’t mean the Christianity represented by the major figures in the fourth and fifth centuries when the church had risen to power—for example, Athanasius, Constantine, Augustine. Rather, I’m referring to period immediately after the apostles, mainly the second and third centuries, when Christianity was still in its infancy, struggling to find its way in a hostile Roman world.
Talking About Race
The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy. Collin Hansen If you swear that you never tense up when talking about race, I know at least one of two things is true. You’ve never actually talked with anyone about race, or you’re not an American. If you talk about race with any regularity, you have the scars to show for it. Isaac Adams dares where angels fear to tread.
Calvinism and Capitalism: What Does Theology Have to Do with Economics?
I’ve spent my career trying to understand how my faith should influence the way I do economics. How does believing that Christ was crucified, died, has risen, and will return change how I think about resource scarcity and incentives generally, or financial crises and monetary policy specifically? The answer is not clear even after many years. I read Religion and the Rise of Capitalism by Benjamin Friedman hoping for insight.
Faith & Work: How Do I Glorify God Even When My Work Seems Meaningless?
Episode No. 001 In this episode of TGC Q&A, the final installment of our six-week series on faith and work, Greg Phelan answers the question, “How do I glorify God even when my work seems meaningless?” • The danger: self-justification (:36) • Looking big (1:28) • Thinking small (3:15) • Remembering the promise (4:30) • How we can glorify God (6:40) Transcript The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service.
‘What God Has to Say about Our Bodies,’ ‘Embodied,’ ‘Wonderfully Made’
My body has been a gift and a torment to me. Some of my earliest boyhood memories are of throwing stones from the shore of Lake Superior far into the incoming waves. I had so much joy in the slingshot that God had given me for a left arm. My body also produces stones, kidney stones, and gallstones. These have caused excruciating pain, not to mention costly medical interventions. Our bodies are both gift and gall. They aid and ail us in ways that are deeply moral.
How an Unlikely Church Is Reaching Refugees
When Guy-Fleury Yedidiah landed at Dulles Airport, he was supposed to tell the customs officials he was on vacation. But the 20-year-old was scared to death—in reality, he was fleeing the Burundian government. Over the past several years, they had killed his grandma and shot at him because of his father’s work as a journalist. His family’s plan was for Yedidiah to escape into the United States on a tourist visa, then board a flight to his aunt and uncle in Canada.
What Was Martin Luther’s Breakthrough?
On October 31 we will celebrate the 504th anniversary of the day Martin Luther made his 95 theses public. But what exactly was Luther’s breakthrough? What realization did he come to that set the Western world on a course that would break the stranglehold of Roman Catholic authorities, produce Bibles in languages people could read, raise literacy rates across Europe, and birth thousands of new Christian denominations?
4 Ways to Cultivate Missional Prayer as a Family
My 4-year-old son clasped his hands together and squeezed his eyes shut. He scrunched up his face with intense focus. In his sweet little voice he prayed, “God, please send dreams about Jesus to Muslims. Amen.” He uttered the last word emphatically. My heart soared. Few things bring me more delight than hearing my boys pray—unprompted—for people across the world who don’t know Jesus yet.
Did Jesus Christ Have a Fallen, Sinful Human Nature?
That the Son of God assumed or took on human flesh in what we call the incarnation is beyond dispute in orthodox Christian belief. But what kind of “flesh” did the Son of God assume unto himself when he became human? Was it fallen, sinful flesh, like yours and mine? Or was it unfallen flesh, devoid of the inherent sinful impulses that we all experience? In other words, were the temptations that Jesus encountered (Heb.
I Was Discipled by . . . the Church
Somewhere along the way I picked up the idea that discipleship was about finding one mentor who could, with his wit and wisdom, heal my wounds and bring me closer to Jesus. I thought there’d be notebooks, coffee, and in-depth Bible studies. I imagined he’d be older, wiser, and profoundly interested in my life. Maybe you’ve found that kind of person—if so, great. But here is what actually happened: I was discipled by the church. My regular old normal church. I showed up and heard sermons.
Ask the Economist: Should a Christian Invest in Bitcoin?
What can you tell me about Bitcoin? It sounds like monopoly money. Is it real? Is it safe to use? How can I think about it as a Christian? One of the biggest stories in financial markets in the last decade is the astronomic rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Some people think cryptocurrencies will revolutionize our world. Others think it’s a fraud. We need some basic economics to understand what is at stake.
Should I Look for a Better Job?
How do you know when to take another job? I’ve been at my current workplace for two years. Everything is fine here, but I think I could push myself harder and learn more at another employer. Is it time to move on? The decision about when to stay at or leave a job is a personal question, and the issue sounds like something that might appear in Proverbs (Prov. 26:4-5): “Leave a job after two years, lest you become stagnant in your career.
Teach Kids to Understand Economics and Love the Lord
I’ve got an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old. I’d love for them to have a solid grasp of economics and a heart that loves the Lord. Can you recommend an approach to teaching economics to children in a smart, God-honoring way? Economics essentially comes down to two simple insights, which is why even children can begin to grasp it. First, economics begins with the recognition that stuff is scarce. There are limits everywhere. We have only 24 hours in a day to sleep, work, or play.
Can You Help Me Understand the Welfare System?
Can you help me understand the welfare system? I want to love the poor by providing help when it’s needed along with incentives for them to pursue the dignity of work. I don’t think our welfare system does a good job of this. Would it be better—or even possible—to scrap it and let the church take over helping the poor? How can I be wise about this? What should we advocate? Good questions! God commands us to care for the poor, and Jesus’s first sermon proclaimed good news to the poor.
Should Churches Pay Off Medical Debt for the Poor?
I’ve seen news stories of churches who pay off medical debt that has gone into collection for pennies on the dollar. Economically, it seems like a no-brainer. What a gift you can give someone! But the tie to relationship is very weak. The church doesn’t know who the patient is, and there’s probably no contact between the two. So my question is, should churches do this? What questions should they ask themselves first?
Review: ‘Cents and Sensibility’ by Gary Saul Morson and Morton Schapiro
Fresh off a frustrating experience navigating COVID-related policies that stood in the way of his daughter’s health care, a friend recently asked me to explain “how you economists calculate all the costs and benefits of these policies.” From his vantage point, policymakers seemed unable or unwilling to see the real-world consequences of their actions. As I started composing an answer with all the details of a good economic analysis, I had to pause.
How Can We Address Income Inequality?
I know the gap is widening between the rich and the poor. But on the other hand, the poor are wealthier than they’ve ever been. Is the wealth gap an inevitable consequence of rising national wealth? Should it be addressed? If so, how? If not, why not? In the past year, America’s top earners and her bottom earners split apart. Some worked from home, saved money on postponed activities and vacations, and watched their retirement portfolio jump up.
When Miracles Don’t Seem Miraculous
Martin Luther famously said that God feeds the hungry through the baker and heals the sick through the doctor. I’ve always struggled a bit with that. (I’m not alone.) God’s sovereignty over history and human development has led to great good and is a major way that God blesses both the righteous and the wicked. Provision through “natural” means is a true blessing. But what about miracles? What about the times that God provides bread (Matt. 14:18–21), or oil (2 Kgs. 4:1–7), or flour (1 Kgs.
Does It Matter if Schools and Hospitals Remain ‘Christian’?
The university where I went to graduate school—and the hospital system where I gave birth to my children—were founded by Christians motivated by loving their neighbor. But it would be difficult to call either place “Christian” these days. I know the same thing is true for many schools and hospitals across the Western world, and I’m wondering––does it matter? What, if anything, is lost when the people in an organization aren’t motivated by its original mission? You’re right—something is lost.
Help! I Feel Like a Failure
I’ve been working on some projects that are just not moving forward. My boss has recently shut some of them down, and I can’t help but feel I’ve wasted a lot of time on things that failed. This is difficult, because I prayed diligently and worked as hard as I could on them. How can I let go of this frustration and feeling of failure? If I’ve experienced anything the last few months, it’s consistent failure.
The Dark Side of Biblical Politics
Within Christian circles, a lively debate has arisen over the last few years: How should we approach the public square? Do evangelicals have a political philosophy? Two basic positions emerged in 2016. Putting it simplistically, some evangelicals argued we should preserve American culture so the church can flourish; others argued we should preserve the church’s moral witness so the culture would see the church’s otherworldly nature.
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