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Ambassadors for Christ in the Workplace · Reformed Thinking

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So you slam the snooze button on Monday morning.
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The room is dark, the alarm is just blaring, and in, well,
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roughly one hour, you will be staring at a spreadsheet in a
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Gray cubicle and you're surrounded by coworkers who
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maybe mock your faith, or managers who demand these
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unreasonable quotas. Right, it is a heavy reality.
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It is. And you know you just heard this
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fiery, soul stirring sermon on the Great Commission yesterday
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morning. You were hearing all about the
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glorious March of the Gospel. But right now, as you merge into
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morning traffic, your job feels like a meaningless grind just to
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pay the mortgage. So how do we bridge that massive
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gap between Sunday's theology and Monday's reality?
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That is the big question. Welcome to Reformed Thinking.
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Today we are undertaking a deep dive into that very
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intersection, the collision, the daily grind, and the Great
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Commission. And we have some fantastic
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material to look at today. We do.
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On the table today we have excerpts from the book Biblical
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Missions, Principles, Priorities, and Practices.
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We're specifically looking at chapters contributed by Eric
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Weathers, Abera Jula, and Mark Tatlock.
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So, our goal for you, the listener, to thoroughly examine
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these texts and discover how a biblical worldview completely
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alters your perception of the worklace.
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Yes, we want to see how the mundane necessity of earning a
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aycheck is actually the primary theater for God's glory and your
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own daily evangelism. That is the precise mission for
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our time together. We want to analyze how the
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Scripture reorients your entire perspective on labor.
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But you know, before we look at the specific text, we must
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ground this discussion in the reformed understanding of
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vocation. I agree that context is
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critical. Because the Protestant Reformers
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recovered this beautiful biblical truth that all
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legitimate labor glorifies God when it is done in faith, right
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under the framework of the Westminster Confession, we
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understand the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him
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forever. Yes, the chief end.
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And that chief end does not pause when you clock in at 9:00.
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No, it doesn't. There is no sacred versus
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secular divide where only the pastor or the overseas
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missionary performs holy work. Right.
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I mean, that is a huge misconception.
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It is whether you are writing code, sweeping floors, hanging
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drywall, or managing a hedge fund, that labor is the specific
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venue where you honor the sovereignty of God.
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Well, yeah, the Lord in his Providence has assigned you to
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that specific desk or that specific job site.
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And this theological framework sets up the context for the
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Apostle Paul's instructions in the book of Ephesians, which is
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where our source material begins.
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Right, that context changes everything, because before the
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authors look at global missions or massive corporate strategies,
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the text begins with the individual believers heart
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posture just sitting at their own desk.
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Exactly. Eric Weathers uses Ephesians
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chapter 6 as the starting point. He's specifically analyzing
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Paul's instructions to slaves and masters in the 1st century
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Roman context. Yes.
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Ephesians 6 is key here. But for the modern reader,
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applying a text about 1st century slavery to a 21st
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century office job can feel like a massive leap.
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Oh, absolutely. So we need to bridge that
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historical gap so you, the listener, can see how this
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applies to your daily commute. To understand Ephesians 6, we
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must break down that 1st century Roman reality.
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OK, Paul is writing to a local church in Ephesus that consisted
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of both slaves and masters sitting in the exact same
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congregation, right? They were partaking in the Lords
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Supper together. That must have been an
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incredible dynamic. It was, and the institution of
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slavery in the ancient Near East was vast and complex, the text
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notes. It could be thoroughly miserable
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and inhumane, or in some households it could be mutually
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beneficial and highly loyal. Yeah.
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Now it is crucial to state clearly that ancient Roman
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slavery was vastly different from modern at will employment.
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We are not equating the two systems at.
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All right, we have to make that distinction.
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However, the biblical principle Paul outlines regarding the
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posture of a believer laboring under the authority of another
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person applies directly to the modern workplace.
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I see Paul is addressing how believers ought to conduct
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themselves when they are legally or economically bound to an
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earthly master. He calls believers slaves of
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Christ, bought with a price that means for the Christian
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employee. Today, your true boss, your
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highest authority resides in heaven.
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Your earthly manager, your CEO, or your shift supervisor is
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entirely secondary to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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You report to heaven before you report to human resources.
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You report to heaven before you report to human resources.
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That has such a striking way to put it.
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It changes the whole paradigm. It does, and the text zeroes in
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on a specific Greek word Paul uses in Ephesians 6.6, which I
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find fascinating. The Greek word here is so
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descriptive. Yeah, the word is
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ophthalmodulia. The author translates this as I,
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slavery or I service. Yes, I service.
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The best way to visualize this concept, I think, is to picture
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a motion sensor light switch in a corporate hallway.
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OK, I like that analogy. Like.
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The light only flickers on when a physical body walks past the
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sensor. The moment the hallway is empty,
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the light shuts off. Because it has no internal
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trigger, it relies entirely on an external presence.
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That is modern eye slavery and employees, you know, scrolling
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through social media, shopping online, we're just staring
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blankly at a screen. We have all seen it happen.
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Yeah, but the second the manager's footsteps echo down
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the hallway, the employee quickly switches their browser
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tabs back to a spreadsheet and starts typing furiously.
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Right, they are working hard only when the physical eyes of
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the authority figure are on. Them.
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Exactly. But let's look at this honestly.
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Isn't that just basic human nature?
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I mean, isn't it a universal survival instinct to conserve
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energy and relax when no one is watching?
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Why does the text present this behavior as such a severe
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theological offense? You ask if it is human nature,
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and the answer from a Reformed perspective is an absolute yes.
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But we must define human nature accurately through the lens of
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Scripture. This connects directly to the
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doctrine of total depravity. Right, total depravity.
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Our fallen nature is inherently selfish.
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Left to our own devices, our default setting is to preserve
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our own comfort, to cut corners, and to seek the fleeting
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approval of men rather than the eternal approval of God.
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Well, yeah. We want the maximum paycheck for
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the minimum amount of effort, and working only for human
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approval betrays a severe lack of the fear of the Lord.
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That makes a lot of sense. When the text analyzes Paul's
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command to work with fear and trembling, it is not describing
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a worker cowering and terror under an abusive, tyrannical
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boss. Right, it's not about being
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scared of your manager. No, it describes A reverential,
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trembling accountability to the living God.
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What does that look like in a cubicle?
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It looks like a believer practically acknowledging the
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omniscience of God. The Lord sees every single
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keystroke. He hears every phone call.
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He knows the accurate amount of minutes you actually worked when
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you submit your timesheet. That is sobering.
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Therefore, operating like a motion sensor light engaging in
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eye slavery is a direct offense against the sovereign God who
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are danger employment. Overcoming that depraved
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inclination requires the supernatural intervention of the
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Holy Spirit. And that brings us right to
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Ephesians 5.18, which the text highlights as the absolute
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prerequisite for everything we just discussed.
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Yes, you cannot do this in your own strength.
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Paul commands believers to be filled with the Spirit.
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The author defines what this means while you are on the
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clock. Right.
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It is not a one time mystical event that happens at a church
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retreat. It is a daily moment by moment
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reality. The text defines being filled
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with the Spirit as a continual yielding to God's control.
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Continual yield. Yes, every believer is
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permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the moment of
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conversion, but being filled implies submitting to his
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direction in real time. I see the author explains that
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this continual submission bears highly visible fruit in the
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workplace through mutual submission.
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What does that look like practically?
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Well, when a Christian employee submits to their manager, not
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with grumbling, not with eye rolling behind their back, but
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with genuine reverence for Christ, it becomes a brilliant
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apologetic witness. Think about the impact on an
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unbelieving coworker who constantly complains about the
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company leadership. Right, there's always that one
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coworker. They look at the Christian who
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is diligent, respectful, and joyful even when the boss is
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demanding or the deadlines are unreasonable.
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That behavior adorns the doctrine of God.
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It makes the invisible reality of the gospel visible and highly
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attractive to a cynical world. We are shifting the focus now
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from the internal motivation of the believer to the external
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pressures and the tangible temptations highlighted in the
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text. Yes, the rubber meets the road
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here. The author states that doing
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God's will in the workplace means working with strict
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integrity and performing duties with goodwill.
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Right now, Christians constantly agonize over God's will for
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their careers. People spend months stressing,
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asking is it God's will for me to take the marketing job in
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Chicago or the sales job in Dallas?
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But. The text clarifies that the
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specific geographic location is secondary.
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God's will in the workplace is explicitly clear regarding how
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you conduct yourself. You are to labor with sincere
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integrity and a good attitude. The text uses the example of
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Onessimus, the runaway slave from the Book of Philemon to
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illustrate this concept. Yes, Onessimus.
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Anessimus robbed his master Philemon and fled to Rome.
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By Roman law, his rebellion was a capital offense.
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Wow, a capital offense. Yeah, after Anessimus
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encountered the apostle Paul and became a Christian, he returned
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voluntarily to his believing master.
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That is incredible. Think about the sheer terror and
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the radical obedience required for that journey back.
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He went from a rebellious, unprofitable runaway to a
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willing, submissive laborer. Yeah, that demonstrates a
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massive change of heart orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.
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He displayed the visible fruit of his salvation by submitting
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to the authority he previously despised.
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And that level of integrity clashes violently with the
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marketplace temptations mentioned in the.
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Text. It really does.
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The author specifically points out the temp temptation toward
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greed and financial deceit. We were talking about the subtle
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sins of the office. Right, the things people write
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off is no big deal. Exactly.
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Things like padding expense reports to cover a personal
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lunch, inflating sales projections to secure a better
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quarterly bonus, or taking office supplies home.
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These things are so common they are often treated as unofficial
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company perks. Why do we justify these actions
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so easily? We have to analyze the
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theological root of that specific greed.
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OK, why does a corporate worker falsify a sales projection?
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From a reformed viewpoint, it is an issue of sheer idolatry.
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Idolatry. Why it is a failure to find
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contentment in Christ. The text points us to
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Philippians chapter 3, directing our attention to the surpassing
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riches of knowing Jesus Christ. Right.
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If you truly believe that you possess the unsearchable riches
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of Christ, you will not compromise your integrity for a
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temporary earthly financial gain.
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Yeah, manipulating a spreadsheet reveals a heart that is trusting
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in money for security rather than trusting in the Providence
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of a sovereign God to provide your daily bread.
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That is a piercing analysis. The texts are used that
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demonstrating absolute honesty in a cutthroat corporate
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environment where everyone else is fudging the numbers to
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survive speaks volumes to attentive managers.
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It definitely stands out. It proves that your ultimate
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treasure is located somewhere entirely different from the
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company vault. The text also brings up a second
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major marketplace temptation, sexual immorality and the
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necessity of maintaining strict boundaries.
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Yes, this is a very relevant warning.
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The author warns against situations that could compromise
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a Christian's testimony, such as dining alone with a Co worker,
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the opposite sex, or engaging in the casual inappropriate banter
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that dominates so many break rooms.
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The rationale the text unpacks here is vital for you, the
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listener, to grasp. In our highly accusatory and
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cynical cultural climate, maintaining A reputation that is
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above reproach is an absolute necessity.
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Above reproach. Yes, the text references first
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Peter 2.12, which calls believers to keep their conduct
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excellent among the Gentiles. Right when Co workers notice a
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believer consistently refusing to participate in crude office
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jokes, politely declining to gossip, or maintaining strict
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physical and social boundaries, it actually convicts them of
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God's holiness. Now they might mock you
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initially for your strict boundaries.
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They might call you a prude or say you are taking things too
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seriously. Yeah, that pushback is pretty
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common. But your excellent conduct
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stands as a silent witness. It provides a stark contrast to
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the darkness of the world, creating natural opportunities
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for you to speak about the salvation that produced such a
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radical change in your behavior. So I want to look closely at a
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highly challenging part of the source material now.
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OK, let's. Look at it.
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The text addresses the reality of modern global corporations
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enforcing social agendas. The author asserts that
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corporate initiatives regarding gender, sexuality and ethnicity
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are warring against biblical truth.
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Yes, that is a major point in the chapter.
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The text claims that companies are increasingly penalizing
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Christian voices and that hiring processes or mandatory employee
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training programs are sometimes designed to shame employees who
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do not conform to progressive views.
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Now, remaining impartial to the political debate, we must
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address the reality of the text's claim.
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Absolutely. For a Christian employee sitting
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in a fluorescent lit conference room listening to a mandatory HR
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presentation that directly attacks their core theological
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beliefs, the physical reaction is real.
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Oh, you can feel the tension in the room.
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Your mouth goes dry, your heart rate spikes, and you realize
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that speaking up might cost you a promotion, A pension, or your
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entire livelihood. It is a massive risk.
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So how does a believer handle workplace training designed to
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shame their biblical worldview without losing their mind or
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their job? The text provides a very clear,
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though difficult, answer. OK, first, we acknowledge the
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author's claim as a present reality for many believers.
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The source material argues that global corporations are actively
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pushing social agendas that contradict God's design.
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Right, that is the premise we are working from.
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Now, applying the text's theological solution, the author
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points again to the First Epistle of Peter.
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Peter has a lot to say about this.
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He does. The solution offered is that
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enduring insult for the name of Christ is actually a cause for
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rejoicing. Rejoicing.
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Wow. Yes, the true reward for the
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believer does not come from the human resources department, and
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your security does not come from the CEO.
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Your reward comes from the heavenly curious, the Master.
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The text argues that suffering graciously under this kind of
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corporate censorship is what prompts unbelieving colleagues
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to ask for the reason for the believers hope.
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Precisely. You might sit through a training
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session that attacks your core beliefs, but if you respond with
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gentleness and respect, maintaining a good conscience,
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your Co workers will notice. They absolutely.
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Will They will watch you. They will wonder how you
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maintain your joy and your peace when the corporate culture is
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openly hostile to your faith. That is the crux of the
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argument. You do not succumb to the
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temptation of cowardly silence, but you also do not become
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belligerent or combative. Right, you don't just start
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shouting in the meeting. Exactly.
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You look to the Lord for your vindication.
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The text highlights that faithful proclamation, even when
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it costs you social standing or promotion within a company, will
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be rewarded in eternity. Remember the doctrine of
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Providence. The Sovereign God has placed you
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in that specific hostile corporate environment, sitting
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in that exact conference room so that your gracious endurance can
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shine a light in a very dark place.
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You are not a victim of corporate policy.
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You are an ambassador stationed behind enemy lines.
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An ambassador is stationed behind enemy lines.
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I love that. It changes how you view a
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hostile HR meeting. It really does, but you know it
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is one thing to have integrity at the bottom of the ladder,
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battling the temptation of eye slavery or enduring an HR
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seminar, right? The pressure completely changes
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when you hold the power. If Total Depravity makes an
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entry level employee lazy, what does it do to ACEO?
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That is a phenomenal question. The text pivots to the top of
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the organizational chart. Here we are moving into the
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corner office to examine how a Christian boss operates
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according to Ephesians 6. The text looks at Paul's
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specific command to masters. Paul writes to the Masters do
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the same things. Do the same things.
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Yes, that phrase is astonishing when you consider the strict
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social hierarchy of the 1st century.
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Right, The Masters were untouchable.
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Paul is telling the wealthy, property owning masters that
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they must exhibit the exact same integrity, the same fear and
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trembling, and the same obedience to God as the people
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sweeping their floors. Wow, that levels the playing
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field completely. It does.
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For the modern workplace, this means the CEO, the regional
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manager, or the shift supervisor is held to the identical
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standard of holiness as the unpaid intern.
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The text specifically analyzes the prohibition against
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threatening. Paul tells Masters to give up
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threatening. We can contrast this with
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capricious, fear based management styles that dominate
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the corporate world today. Yeah, it is the boss who uses
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intimidation to drive productivity.
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The manager who keeps employees awake at night, terrified of
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losing their jobs over a minor mistake.
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Precisely. Biblical leadership honor
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subordinates. The text notes that God shows no
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partiality. When ACEO and an intern stand
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before the judgement seat of Christ, their corporate titles,
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their stock options and their corner offices will mean
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absolutely nothing. Nothing at.
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All evaluates the manager based on how they treated those under
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their authority. A Christian leader must manage
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their employees as fellow image bearers of God, looking out for
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their interests and leading as a fellow slave of Christ.
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To illustrate this kind of leadership, the text provides A
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fascinating case study. Yes, the essay by Abara.
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Ajula We have this essay by Abara Ajula about an unnamed
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business owner in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Right. This man runs a highly
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successful coffee export company.
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Reading this source material, the best analogy I can think of
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is to describe his business as a gospel engine.
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A gospel engine. I like that, yeah.
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Think about how an engine works. It takes in fuel, combusts it to
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create energy, and directs that energy to move a vehicle
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forward. This businessman has built a
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massive corporate engine that takes in secular coffee profits
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as fuel combusted through international commerce and
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direct the exhaust the financial capital directly into the Great
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Commission. The numbers provided in the
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source text are staggering. They really are.
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This Ethiopian coffee exporter employs 600 permanent staff and
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thousands of seasonal workers. Furthermore, he provides full
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financial backing for 36 church planting missionaries who are
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sent to unreached people groups within Ethiopia.
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That is massive. How does a company actually fund
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36 missionaries? It means lower profit margins
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for the owner. It means a conscious choice to
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limit personal wealth accumulation.
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Right, he could be keeping all that money.
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The text explains that this owner views his capital through
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a distinctly biblical lens, he stated clearly.
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It is not my money. It is not.
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My money. He views himself entirely as a
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steward. In Reformed theology, we
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acknowledge that God is the absolute sovereign owner of the
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universe. We owe nothing.
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Yeah, it all belongs to. This businessman understands
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that his prophets belong to God, and he has chosen to channel
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those funds toward the advancement of the gospel rather
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than upgrading his own lifestyle.
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And the text details the specific evangelism tactics this
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owner uses within his secular corporation.
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Right, he doesn't just send money away.
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He doesn't just write checks to missionaries in distant
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villages. He actively seeks the salvation
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of the 600 people on his payroll.
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He invites local pastors to preach the gospel in Chapel like
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services for his workers. He strategically arranges the
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seating in the factory, placing mature believing employees
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alongside non believers to foster organic relationships and
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spiritual conversation. That is brilliant.
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He even used his own son's wedding reception, inviting all
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his employees as honored guests to proclaim the gospel and share
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his son's testimony of faith. Wow.
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But hold on, I have to ask the hard question.
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Here. OK, let's hear it.
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If my boss invites me to his son's wedding and then uses the
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reception to preach at me, I'm going to feel completely
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manipulated. Yeah, I can see that.
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If the guy signing the paychecks is hosting a Chapel service,
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employees will not along just to keep their jobs.
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How is this not crossing a line into workplace coercion?
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It is a vital question and we must evaluate his methods
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through the texts heavy focus on stewardship and the Reformed
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doctrine of sovereign grace. The text does not advocate for
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forced conversions. Coercion cannot produce genuine
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saving faith. It only produces hypocrites.
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Right, you can't force someone to believe.
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The owner is using his lawful authority and his financial
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resources to grant his employees access to the truth.
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He is setting the table. However, he must rely entirely
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on the sovereign grace of God to change their hearts.
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In Reformed theology, we distinguish between the outward
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call of the Gospel and the inward effectual call of the
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Holy Spirit. That distinction is crucial
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here. The business owner understands
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his role. He is responsible for the
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outward call. He provides the venue, the
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preacher and the opportunity. But he trusts God for the inward
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call. He is not threatening them with
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job loss that they do not convert, he is simply using his
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platform to ensure they hear the message.
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He creates the environment for the scene to be sown, but he
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knows only God can cause the growth.
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Exactly. He operates the gospel engine,
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but he relies on the Holy Spirit to ignite the spark in the
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hearts of his workers. And the text points out that
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this man's attitude toward his prophets is highly uncommon.
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A very uncommon, yeah. He values the Lord's harvest
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above his own financial accumulation.
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The author uses this Ethiopian brother as a model for business
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people globally. He challenges Christian owners,
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managers, and entrepreneurs to view their companies as existing
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for the Lord's Kingdom. They are called to leverage
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their resources, their company policies, and their daily
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interactions as ambassadors for Christ.
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So we have looked at sending missionaries out, as the
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Ethiopian businessman does, but Mark Tatlock's essay points out
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a massive shift in how we must view missions today.
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Yes, Tatlock brings a very different angle.
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He argues that globalization has completely flipped the script.
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We no longer just send people out.
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The nations have come to us, right?
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Globalization has brought the unreached nations directly into
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our own local labor markets, our universities and our
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neighborhoods. The reality of globalization has
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fundamentally altered the landscape of missions.
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How so? The text explains that believers
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no longer need to cross oceans, learn a new language from
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scratch, and navigate hostile border crossings to reach closed
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countries. Right the.
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Traditional mission model. Immigrants, refugees and
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international workers from those very countries have relocated to
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local towns and cities across the globe.
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Wow. God in His Providence, is
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orchestrating the movement of entire populations so that the
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unreached are now within arms reach of everyday evangelical
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churches. That is amazing to think about.
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You might not be able to get a missionary visa into a closed
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nation in the Middle East or Asia, but people from that
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nation are likely working in the agricultural hubs, the tech
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sectors, or the restaurants right down the street from your
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local church building. But the text issues a very sharp
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critique regarding this new reality.
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It does. Tatlock doesn't hold back.
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Tatlock points out that conservative evangelical
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churches are often completely missing this opportunity.
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Yeah, they are ceding the care of these immigrants to
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theologically liberal churches or false religions that run
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large, well funded social programs.
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Why are conservative gospel preaching churches dropping the
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ball here? The author analyzes this trend
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and attributes it to apathy, busyness, and a pragmatic
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mindset. Busyness.
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Yeah, that makes sense. Many conservative churches go
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about their business as usual. They are running their internal
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programs, failing to recognize the massive demographic shifts
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happening right outside their stained glass windows.
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When immigrants arrive with significant material needs
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needing housing, language acquisition, or job training,
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the theologically liberal churches or secular government
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organizations step in with social gospel programs.
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The theological tragedy here, from a Reformed perspective, is
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massive. Providing physical bread to a
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refugee while withholding the bread of life is a catastrophic
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failure of love. Wow, that is a strong statement.
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Meeting temporal material needs without proclaiming the eternal
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gospel leaves the person comfortable on their way to
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eternal separation from God. The text argues that the primary
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voice speaking into the lives of these foreigners should be the
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conservative evangelical church, offering both practice
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practical, tangible care and the saving truth of Scripture.
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So the text provides a list of highly practical, low cost local
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strategies that everyday believers and local church plans
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can implement. Yes, very practical steps.
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The author suggests teaching the local language through free ESL
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programs, creating ethnic ministry teams within the
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church, tutoring immigrants who are taking courses for work
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advancement, and intentionally visiting local ethnic
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restaurants to befriend the owners.
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Right. But let's look at the risk here,
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OK? If a local church starts pouring
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its energy and budget into teaching language classes,
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offering job tutoring, and running these social programs,
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don't we risk losing the gospel? How do we stop the Church from
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devolving into a secular Community Center?
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The text anticipates that exact concern.
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Oh good, the author clarifies the position.
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These social and educational activities are absolutely not an
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end in themselves. If a church only teaches
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English, help someone build a resume and stops there.
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It has failed its mandate. These activities are the
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required groundwork for personal evangelism.
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There are mechanisms for building relational trust.
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Building trust. Yes.
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When you sit down week after week to teach someone a language
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or tutor them in math, you are demonstrating tangible love.
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You are building a bridge. The goal of that bridge is
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verbal proclamation. The text cites first Peter 2.9
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calling believers to proclaim the excellencies of Christ.
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You build the relationship over a meal at an ethnic restaurant
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so that you earn the right to speak the gospel into their
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life. You meet the physical need to
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expose the spiritual reality. The text also highlights the
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strategic value of youth ministries in this regard.
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Yes, this is a fascinating point.
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Tatlog notes that the school age children of foreigners are often
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the most culturally integrated demographic right.
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They're already in the public schools, speaking the local
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language rapidly and adapting to the new culture much faster than
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their parents. These students provide a Natural
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Bridge to their families. A church youth group might
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evangelize an immigrant teenager, and that teenager
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becomes the conduit for the gospel to reach their parents,
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who might be socially isolated due to a language barrier.
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It is an astute observation of how God works through family
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units. It requires church leaders to
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look at their congregation and their surrounding community with
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theological intentionality. Intentionality is the keyword.
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The text urges believers to just try something.
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You do not need a massive missions budget to befriend an
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International University student or offer hospitality to a new
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family on your block, right? It requires A willingness to
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step out of your cultural comfort zone and recognize the
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harvest field that God has sovereignly placed in your own
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zip code. As we synthesize the main
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threads of this deep dive into biblical missions, the picture
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becomes incredibly clear. It really does.
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Whether you are working an entry level desk job battling the
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daily temptation of ice slavery under the hum of fluorescent
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lights, or you were running a multinational corporation
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deciding how to allocate massive profit margins, or you are
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volunteering at your local church trying to reach the
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immigrant family down the street, your time is a heavily
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weighted stewardship. Your daily grind is meant for
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gospel proclamation. I want to turn the focus
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directly to you, the listener. We ask you to evaluate your own
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Monday morning commute. Look at your interactions with
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your boss, your employees, or your clients.
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Consider the ethnic diversity of your own neighborhood or the
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businesses you frequent. Are you viewing those
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interactions through the lens of a secular consumer, or are you
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viewing them through the lens of an ambassador for Christ?
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That is the big question. The Reformed perspective
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reactive demands that we see God's sovereign hand in every
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single detail of our lives, including our geographic
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location, our physical neighbors, and our employment
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contracts. You are not at your job by
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accident. I want to leave you with a final
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theological consideration that builds on everything we have
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examined in the source material today.
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OK, Think about the Co worker who frustrates you the most.
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Think about the manager who micromanages your every move, or
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the immigrant family that just moved into the apartment down
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the hall, right? What if that specific person was
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placed there by the sovereign decree of God for the explicit
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purpose of hearing the gospel through your specific patient
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testimony? Usually when we talk about a
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medical diagnosis, there's an expectation of precision.
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A bone is either broken or not broken, but the workplace is
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messy, chaotic, and exhausting. It is.
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Your daily labor might feel mundane, but it is the very
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theatre where God has called you to display His glory.
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Thank you for joining us on this deep dive into Reformed
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thinking.