Years ago I had a coworker who had worked in upper management at FedEx. He told me this interesting story about the FedEx logo, which is highly recognized around the world. But many (even some FedEx employees) do not know the story behind it.
In 1994, Fred Smith set out to redesign the logo. He told his graphic designer he wanted a bold, fresh look using the company’s nickname, FedEx, and an arrow somewhere in the logo. Historically, freight companies have always had an arrow in their logos.
Can you see the arrow? Most people have seen this logo thousands of times yet have never seen the arrow. But once you see it, you will always notice it. If you are one of the many who had never seen the arrow, this is a true paradigm shift for you. You will never look at the FedEx logo the same way again.
This is what we are trying to do at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics. We want to bring about a radical change in the way Christians think about their own work and the world of economics.
Our mission is to educate and inspire Christians to embrace a biblical understanding of faith, work, and economics. This requires a paradigm shift. We want to awaken Christians to the strategic role their work plays in God’s loving and redemptive narrative in the world.
By rediscovering the biblical doctrine of work and by viewing economics through this lens, Christians, through their work, will have a positive, sustainable impact in their communities, the nation, and throughout the world. As a result, they will create a society characterized by greater creativity and increased human flourishing.
As Christians, we must address our failure to live as Christ-followers in the workplace and to think theologically about how we integrate faith and work. We must learn not just to work to live, but to live to work for the common good, God’s kingdom, and God’s glory. This is why I founded IFWE.
If Christians are going to make a difference in this world, we must understand our work matters to God. He has equipped us with every thing we need to do the work he has called us to do. As Paul says in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
