April 3, 2004
Faith at Work In the News
The Tennessean examines the integration of religious faith and the workplace in a story that features a recent half-day seminar at Belmont University. Here's an excerpt of the story:
Faith-and-work programs date to the 1950s, said Michael J. Naughton, theology professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis and a speaker at the Belmont program. The movement waned from the 1960s through the 1980s then began to pick up again. Naughton, co-author of Managing As If Faith Mattered: Christian Social Principles in the Modern Organization, has long focused on work-faith issues.Today's culture ''fosters division between public and private life,'' he said. ''Most of us want unity. Most of us don't want to pass on to our kids two different standards.''
He pointed to a recent ad campaign designed to draw tourists to Las Vegas' gambling and glitz by telling potential vacationers ''what happens there, stays there.''The fact is, what happens in Vegas stays with me. … It comes back with me,'' Naughton said.
Actions speak louder than words when wedding faith-based values and work, Belmont speakers said.
If the owner of a company says it's OK to cut corners to boost profits even once, that sends a message to employees, said Jim Van Hook, former Provident Music Group chairman and dean of Belmont's Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business.
''For the short term, that may work,'' he said, ''but in the long run it won't. … When you're not looking, they're going to rob and cheat and steal because you're cutting corners.''
- For more stories from the Media Coverage Archive, click here.
- Office University Marketing and Communications
Greg Pillon: 615.460.6645
Belmont University
1900 Belmont Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37212
615.460.6000
About Belmont University
Named one of the top two “Schools to Watch” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Belmont University is a fast-growing community of more than 5,400 students who come from every state and 25 countries. Committed to being a leader among teaching universities, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service. The university’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. With more than 75 areas of study, 20 master’s programs and three doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual's horizon. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.
For more information visit www.belmont.edu
