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Christianity Today, November, 2007 |

Work Is Our Mission

Why the godly baker's most significant task is baking good bread.

Uwe Siemon-Netto | posted 11/14/2007 08:10AM

When I taught at the remarkable World Journalism Institute a few years ago, I routinely asked students at the beginning of a new class: "What do you think is the calling of a Christian in secular media?" ...

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Gary Sweeten

Posted: November 23, 2007 11:04 AM

Finally, a non-dualist writing about our calling as believers. To reduce a calling and the use of our talents, gifts and resources in a formal religious setting or by using only religious language is possibly the most damaging aspect of our Evangelical heritage. It divides us from the healing, governing and redeeming aspects of daily life. It is difficult to live in paradox but it needs to be done. When I practice good therapy I am God's agent to the client. When I am patient on the highway I show God's love. I am His priest all the time.

Jeff	Posted: November 15, 2007 11:21 AM

"Storming with guns blazing an enemy position in Iraq" can be a priestly duty? Good grief. What god's priests are killers? Only the god of this world which has blinded our hearts to do violence to others. Not the God who comes to us in the self-giving, non-violent love of the cross. In general this is a good article, but killing flies completely in the face of the gospel, no matter what kingdom you think you're living in.

Mark O'Dwyer

Posted: November 15, 2007 10:56 AM

I respect and affirm Uwe Siemon-Netto's point that a Christian is called to do his or her job well. I also agree with the author's point about using discretion in deciding when it is appropriate to share the gospel verbally. Yet, I haven't found many Christians in bondage to the idea that in order to be witnesses, they must pursue official ministry. Rather, the problem for my church (Episcopalian) is that we aren't vocal enough, or at all, in sharing the gospel verbally. We use St. Francis' "Share the Gospel everywhere, and if necessarry, used words" as a poor excuse to keep our mouths shut and our faith private. I also think Luther's two kingdom's theology makes an artificial and impossible distinction between secular and sacred life. Most vocations pose ethical dilemnas for Christians, like the politician who is called to maintain his integrity in the midst of corruption, or lawmkaing that opresses the poor? We live in God's kingdom which is yet to fully manifest itself...not two

Chuck

Posted: November 15, 2007 5:02 AM

"As long as man exists, there will be the free gesture of authentic participation in creation which is work. Work is one of the essential components in realizing the vocation of man who, in fulfilling himself, always discovers that he is called by God to "dominate the earth". Despite himself, he can never cease to be "a subject that decides about himself" (Laborem exercens, n. 6). To him God has entrusted this supreme and demanding freedom. From this viewpoint, today more than in the past, we can repeat that "human work is a key, probably the essential key, to the whole social question" (ibid., n. 3)." John Paul II, Message to the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace on the theme, "Work as a Key to the Social Question."

Markus

Posted: November 15, 2007 4:55 AM

I like the idea explained in this article to shape this society with the gifts God gave us. I am from luthers homearea (saxonia in germany). After two dictatorships we have an average of 1% attending ANY church. Part of this decline is also this protestant attitude to live faith in family and at work. This was right for luthers time (out of a superfocus on monasticism), but obviously society has changend and work and family aren't the places anymore as back then. So when luther talked about living your faith at work he had a VERY different worksysthem before his nose and in his hand. As much as I like the "don't let us build christian ghettos"-attitude in this articel, I have to say that we have to thing way further than that! Living in one of the most atheist areas of the world is proof that this protestant attitude is to less. Way to less!

SIG	Posted: November 14, 2007 7:44 PM

Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.. "(Mark 16:15). I believe "all the world" refers not only to geographical areas, but to different segments of society within the same geographical area, such as the corporate world, the school system, the media, etc. - The problem with this article is it is built on unrealistic model of relationships in the secular work. The author says,"A reporter on the police beat does not have the divine assignment to 'share the gospel' with cops rushing out to arrest a mugger..." True, but a reporter has the opportunity to share the good news with his fellow reporters. In reality, secular work does involve non-work related conversations. There is a room for sharing the Gospel at work and yet at the same time doing an excellent work. Second, the author refers to "reason" as the mean of succeeding in the left kingdom. From my personal experience, I am most sucessful when I depend on God and ask Him to help me with my tasks

Jay	Posted: November 14, 2007 5:56 PM

Some evangelicals have a hard time, I think, accepting this view of the church as secular workers. The glory of God's work is done fully when you're a missionary or pastor (maybe a theologian- their jury is still out on that one). If you're in a "vocation", it has to be undeniably Christianized to the point of self-parody. Do you offer a mediocre product or service? That's okay, advertising Jesus along with it in gilded lights will cover a multitude of defects. Also, it looks like reader John forgot Jesus and the apostles. Equating drinking with drunkenness is an offense to reason, and treating drinking at all as an absolute wrongdoing is making Jesus to be an accomplice to sin.

John	Posted: November 14, 2007 5:06 PM

I was doing ok until I read the serving beer for Jesus part. Coming from a home where the dad regularly came home drunk and beat the wife, I really have problems with a Christian participating in wife and child abuse. They do so every time they provide the mind altering drug that causes a man to become derranged to the point of verbally and physically tormenting his family. I had a close family friend that was asked by another family member to loan him funds to purchase a bar. His reply was classic, "I will not invest one dime in a business that makes a degenerate of another man!" I have great difficulty believing that most Lutherans can condone, much less encourage, such evil.

Raymond Takashi Swenson

Posted: November 14, 2007 2:31 PM

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a slightly different perspective, which is related to the fact that their church has no professional clergy. Every position at the local and regional level is staffed by unpaid volunteers, including the bishop of the local congregation and the president over a group of congregations. The positions are generally held for no more than five years at a time, so that on one Sunday a man could be leader of 3000 members in his city, and on the next Sunday be teaching Sunday School to 15 teenagers--or vice versa. The widespread experience of full time volunteer missionary service also reinforces the understanding that mundane and divine work are done by the same people, challenging Mormons to integrate the two roles in their lives while having a healthy respect for the freedom of others to hold differing views. Mormons believe that service to others is service to God, since God loves and cares for all His children.

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