Editor’s Note: The following video was produced by The Global Faith & Work Initiative, a ministry of Redeemer City to City.

At NIFW, we believe that God has called us to be agents of renewal in every industry, ushering in the kingdom of heaven here on earth. In doing so, we accept the call of being God’s ambassadors of reconciliation to a hurting world (2 Corinthians 5).

Nashville Gotham Alumni Thomas Hunter and Sheriff Daron Hall saw the criminalization of mental illness in their jail system in Davidson County as an area of brokenness. Hunter, who serves as the Community Engagement Director within Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, worked alongside Hall to create a new system where those detained presenting with mental illness were given the opportunity for treatment at their Behavioral Care Center instead of being jailed.

The video below tells their story of developing the Behavioral Care Center and the “why” behind their efforts. We honor the work of Hunter and Sheriff Hall and hold this up as a God-glorifying example of cultural renewal that seeks to extend mercy and care to those in need of it.

Cultural Renewal in the Criminal Justice System: Gotham Alumni Thomas Hunter

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In the last week of November 2022, an artificial intelligence research lab called OpenAI launched a program called ChatGPT. GPT stands for “generative pre-trained transformer.” What exactly does that mean? Perhaps you should ask the program itself.

In the words of OpenAI, ChatGPT is “a model which interacts in a conversational way,” gathering information to user questions online and communicating responses to users in a way that mimics human authorship with incredible effectiveness.

Designed in the form of a virtual conversation partner, ChatGPT has the capability to produce an essay on any given topic in a matter of seconds. (To High School English Teachers: All the best…)

ChatGPT surpassed 1 million users on the platform in its first 5 days open to the public. It’s a fascinating program and quite competent.

As an example, here’s the response I received when I asked ChatGPT, “Share with me the value of integrating my faith and daily work, from a Christian viewpoint:”

Integrating your faith and daily work can provide a sense of purpose and meaning in your life. It can also help you to live out the values and principles of your faith in a practical way, and to use your talents and abilities to serve others. This can bring fulfillment and joy, and can help to deepen your relationship with God. Additionally, by living out your faith at work, you can be a positive influence on those around you and can help to create a more positive and compassionate work environment.”

Pretty solid response, right?!

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Business Ethics in a Pandemic

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In Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Road, an unnamed father and son navigate a world that has embraced cannibalism and dark predatory violence. The novel’s post-apocalyptic environment is filled with a kind of panic that we saw pale forms of during the early days of the pandemic. Like the father at the center of the story, I immediately centered my reaction on planning for my family and making sure we were prepared for whatever would come next. As the months dragged on though, I started thinking more about what it means to truly live through difficult seasons, not merely survive. I’ve found lessons from The Road to be helpful not only in my personal life, but also in how I think about the role of business.