Marketplace Spirituality ( 市井靈性 )

1. Marketplace Spirituality(市井靈性) Philip Wu (philip@gcf.org.hk) 30 April 2005

2. What is marketplace(市井) ?

3. 3-fold meaning of marketplace • Business world • Work world • This world

4. What is marketplace? BUSINESS World WORK World THIS World

5. What is spirituality(靈性) ?

6. Spirituality is about seeking and responding to the presence and purpose of God

7. Any relationship between marketplace (市井)and spirituality (靈性) ?

8. 10pm 8pm 5pm 8am A real case in a CIS country Spirituality at Work – no private-public split Pre-market economy Market economy Market economy Discretionary time for religious activities Spirituality at work Working hours

9. Sacred Withdrawal Contemplative Peak experience Generalized & propositional principles Secular Engagement Active Ordinary experience Contextual & concrete applications Spirituality AND Marketplace Spirituality Marketplace

10. A Paradigm Shift From “SpiritualityANDMarketplace” To “SpiritualityATMarketplace”

11. Spirituality AT Marketplace • No Public-Private split • No Sacred-Secular dichotomy • Bridging Sunday-Monday gap • Everyday spirituality • Paul Stevens, Robert Banks, Parker Palmer, Gordon Preece, Gregory Pierce … • Spirituality in the ordinariness of life (wisdom spirituality)

12. Action-oriented Talking and doing Practical know-how Skill set Monday-major spirituality Journey outward Contemplation-oriented Reflective thinking Interpretation Mind set Sunday-major spirituality Journey inward Blending Active Life with Contemplative Life Active Life Contemplative Life

13. Integrated Spirituality:Active & Contemplative Active Monday-Friday Working life Scattered church Worker Contemplative Sunday Congregational life Gathered church Worshipper Becoming a worker-worshipper

14. How to experience God’s presence in the marketplace ?

15. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 1. Surround yourself with “sacred” objects, reminding you the ultimate meaning of work

16. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 2. Live with imperfection – your own and that of others

17. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 3. Assure the quality of your work – the best work of which you’re capable at any given time

18. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 4. Give thanks and congratulations – to others and to yourself

19. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 5. Build support and community in the workplace

20. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 6. Deal with others as you would have them deal with you

21. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 7. Decide what is “enough” and stick to it

22. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 8. Balance your work, personal and family life

23. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 9. Work to make the system work

24. Practitioners’ Ten Spiritual Disciplines (By Gregory Pierce) 10. Engage in ongoing personal and professional development

25. How to seek God’s purpose on me in the marketplace ?

26. “The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”- Fred Buechner -

27. Stephen GreenA HSBC taipan / a priest’s calling

28. Ho Sau HimAn architect / a civil servant’s calling

29. Marketplace spirituality is about seeking and responding to the presence and purpose of God in every context, every task, every relationship and every moment of everyday

30. Marketplace spirituality is … • Spirituality of best practices? • Spirituality of quality? • Spirituality of customer service? • Spirituality of operational excellence? • Spirituality of industrial safety?

31. … and also • Spirituality of competition? • Spirituality of negotiation? • Spirituality of office politics? • Spirituality of compromise? • Spirituality of gray areas?

32. “There is no arena, however demonic, to which one cannot be called by God to minister.”- Richard Broholm –

33. A case study: 2 Samuel 15 • Ittai the Gittite (迦特人以太)：a foreign mercenary and his 600 people kept by David (18-22) • Priests Zadok (撒督) and Abiathar (亞比亞他)：sent back by David as “undercover” for intelligence activities (24-29) • Hushai (戶篩)：David’s friend as spy-counselor defeating Ahithophel’s (亞希多弗) plan (32-37; cf. 17:1-23)

34. Approaching marketplace spirituality • Systematic/historical theology & ethics: e.g. Benedict Kwok, Carver Yu, Kung Lap-yan… • Applied/practical/pastoral theology & integrative: Paul Stevens, Pete Hammond, Robert Banks, Parker Palmer (Quaker), Gregory Pierce (Catholic), various on “Adult spirituality” (incl. Jewish) … • Biblical theology: Robert Banks, Eugene Peterson, Walter Brueggemann, Jerry Moye (HKBTS), Philip Yeung, Stephen Lee …

35. Biblical approaches to marketplace spirituality • Narrative: Robert Alter, Walter Brueggemann, Jerry Moye, Stephen Lee… • Creation theology: Walter Brueggmann, Philip Yeung, Kuen Ho-wing … • Canonical: Walter Brueggemann, Stephen Lee … • Theology of exile: Walter Brueggemann, Stephen Lee, Ho Yau-fong … • Wisdom: Walter Brueggemann, Ho Yau-fong, Philip Yeung … • New Testament: ???

36. References • 李思敬等：《市井靈性》CD (GCF, 2004) • 李思敬：《恩怨情仇論舊約》(更新資源，1998) • 龔立人：《神聖與凡俗 -市井的信仰與靈性》(FES Press, 2003) • Paul Stevens, Seven Days of Faith (Navpress, 2001)《七日全職信仰》(天道，2003) • Parker Palmer, The Active Life – A Spirituality of Work, Creativity and Caring (Jossey-Bass, 1990) • Gregory Pierce, Spirituality@Work: 10 ways to balance your life on-the-job (LoyolaPress, 2001) • S Lau & P Wu, Be Wise As Serpents: Compromise & the Gray Areas (PowerPoint Presentation, 2002) • S Lam, Office Politics (PowerPoint Presentation, 2004)