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 Why do humans work? What constitutes “work,” from God’s perspective? Are Christians required to work? Why do so many people “endure” (or worse — hate) their jobs, not least Christians? How “Christian” is the American norm for work? Is there life beyond a job we hate? Where does a biblical instruction like the one in Hebrews 12 - “endure hardship as discipline” - come into play in jobs we dislike? Why am I — and numerous others in my generation with whom I’ve spoken — suddenly asking these questions, and why do they sound strange to many people?
If you can’t tell, these questions and more have been brought to the forefront of my mind by my increasingly frustrating job situation. I won’t get into all of it here, but here are a few of my grievances (for contextual purposes only) with my current job, which I’ve held for a little over a year now: 1) In my current role, I don’t believe I’m “creating” in the way God created me to create. 2) I disagree with the business practices and environment of the company for which I work. 3) I don’t believe I am wired to stare at a screen and either a) do work or b) act busy for 8 hours a day. 4) My primary vocation as a child of God is to join my Creator in his continual mission of “putting the world to rights.” While this vocation is not impossible in the work I do, the office environment makes this very difficult. And when I get back to the ‘hood at the end of the day, I’m running on fumes, leaving little energy to bless those who live with and around me (not least my wife). If I sat here and thought long enough, I could probably double the list above. Those of you who know me know that I am a glass-half-full kinda guy … I generally try to make the most of every situation and generally think the best of people. So you’ll certainly know that this series is not some grandiose excuse to complain, but an opportunity to explore some deeply important questions relating to our identity as humans. Humans who work. I’d like to back into this dialogue more from a questioning perspective than an “I have all the answers” perspective. Let’s truly “educe” that knowledge that lies latent within each of us as creations of God. So, what questions would you add to my list above regarding humans and work? I’ve spoken with many of you about this topic, so I know I’m not the only one struggling here … what do you say we struggle together?
Original content at: http://harvestboston.net/20070820/toward-a-theology-of-work-part-1/.
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Scott Bartchy is a radical. He believes in a subversive system that embraces those on the fringes of our society and seeks to establish a new way of life that goes against the status quo.