Offered in six week-long sessions as study
notes for the course.
Presented by Fletcher L. Tink, Ph.D
Professor
An Introduction to “Theology of Work”
Outline of this Session
Topics to be Covered
1. The Fallacies of the Current Understanding of
“Ministry”
2. The Current Context of the Discussion
3. The Bakke Case Study and Other Case Studies
4. The Need for a New Theological Paradigm


Introductory Definitions:
“Theology”: “The study of God and His
ways”---We only know about God through
His “mighty acts”, in other words, His
“Work” in creation, in redemption and in
sustaining---bringing all things into
Himself. In other words, a theology does
not merely speculate on who God is, but
studies the narrative of how God interacts
and works among human beings. That
work, in some sense, defines who God is, to
humans who “work” to understand Him.
In other words, there is no such thing as
unapplied theology!!!!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Whose work matters to God? Only that of
professional Christians?
Does all work have intrinsic value?
Why do we work?
Does work have a part to play in our
spiritual formation?
Does our work have any eternal
significance?
Is work defined differently from one culture
to another?
What do each of these words
tell us about attitudes?
Examples: Job, Occupation, Career, Living,
Profession, Trade, Labor, Employment, Business.
Examples of Attitudes: Drudgery, Travail, Sweat,
Toil, Daily Grind, Duty, Obligation
Dictionary: “Physical or mental effort or
activity directed toward the production or
accomplishment of something”
John Stott’s definition: “Energy expended
whether manual or mental or both, whether
remunerated or not,”
In other works, effort towards accomplishing
something whether paid or not.
1.
2.
3.
Meaning: Because it brings meaning to that
portion of a person’s life that occupies most of
his or her waking hours. It is central rather than
peripheral. We spend far more time at our
workplaces than we do in “Church”.
Balance: Because it is essential for putting “work”
in its proper place. Work cannot be our “god” (the
center of one’s meaning), nor is it simply a curse
as many suppose it to be.
Freedom: Because work can be a liberation for all
Christians in that every Christian lives life in two
worlds---in the world of the Church “gathered”
and in the world of the Church “dispersed”
4.
5.
Accessibility: Because all people are called
to mission and many of them are placed in
“secular” worlds where missionaries and
professional Christians have no access.
Preparation: Because Scripture indicates
that our “deeds” (our work) will follow us
into eternity where we will have a
continuation of work in the new heaven and
new earth. Since work is not just an earthly
activity, we prepare ourselves for even more
noble work in heaven.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
To earn our daily bread and provide for our
necessities.
To keep us out of trouble, because laziness is the
Devil’s playground.
To exercise our talents and our gifts, or to
acquire some new ones.
To make a positive difference in an organization
or a community.
To serve our neighbor with our earned blessings
To socialize ourselves so that we don’t become
“incestuous”, or totally self-centered
To learn from others and to build relationships
To advance the Kingdom of God
To assist the poor and needy
10.
11.
To serve God and God’s purposes in
unfolding the potential of creation.
To grow in holiness and Christ-likeness
So which ones of these reasons are operative in
your life?
Which ones of these are operative among your
friends in their “jobs”?
1.
2.
3.
The understanding that all seven days of the
week are holy days, that the goals of Sunday
are the same goals of Monday, Tuesday, etc.
Indeed worship is a seven-day spiritual
commitment.
That the whole people of God are empowered
for service and ministry in the world (there is
no division in vocation between lay and
professional Christian workers). Functions may
differ, but intent and purpose are the same.
That pastoral ministry training needs to be
redirected towards equipping all of God’s
people for ministry.
3.
4.
That the dualism that maintains that
“church” work is spiritual and “world” work
is secular be rejected, thereby producing
changes in work ethics, motivation, witness
and meaning.
That theological training embrace more
integrative resources intended to equip all
the people of God, not just “called
preachers” in preparation.
By dividing Sunday from the rest of the week,
secular from sacred, lay from professional, we
create the following problems:
1.
2.
3.
Compartmentalization: We are Christian in
Church, but someone else in other contexts.
Reductionism: We limit God and His work to
“within the walls of the Church” activities and
fail to see God at work outside.
Depreciation: We lose the effectiveness of the
many lay people in the Church, by confining
their “service” to church tasks and
responsibilities.
4. Distortion: We diminish the Lordship of God in our
workaday worlds, and so do not bring to bear our
ethics, our compassion, our creativity, our calling to
the world outside. By confining “spirituality” to formal
religious exercises, we let Satan rule in all the rest.
In the words of Paul Williams, “A faulty theology of
vocation and work was a significant contributor to the
secularization of Western society. Recovery of a fully
biblical theology of vocation and work has the potential
to energize a radical new missionary movement in the
world today.”
Thankfully, we are being forced back to Biblical
understanding of “ministry” by the following realities:
1. There are not nearly enough graduates of
Seminaries and Bible Colleges to evangelize the
world.
2
Many places in the world no longer welcome
“professional ministers”. Indeed, even training
centers have changed their nomenclature from
“School of World Mission” to “School of Intercultural
Studies” due to the hostility shown towards those
labeled as missionaries.
3.
4.
Ministers are becoming increasingly isolated
with in their religious institutions which absorb
all their attentions and energy.
There is a major cultural backlash against
formal religious figures due to scandals and
political stereotypes
.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The Church is no longer the initial “point of
encounter” for non-believers.
Christian lay people are usually at the forefront
of new Christian initiatives, i.e. Gideons,
Wycliffe, Youth with a Mission, Campus
Crusade, InterVarsity, Navigators and many
other initiatives.
There is a growing hunger among lay Christians
to be a “part of the action”.
Sadly, the Church, the ministerial training
centers and the traditional denominational
programs, are ill equipped to face the
challenge.
Dennis Bakke, author of Joy at Work, offers his own
story as a case study of how God reshaped him
both theologically and practically to redesign his
company to be a transformative force in the lives of
his employees, his clients, and their contexts.
In the course of this class, you will hear certain
themes repeated many times. These include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
We should find “Joy at Work”
Our work should empower those around us
Failure is not necessarily final or fruitless.
The leader serves his followers




5. The leader shares decision-making
with all.
6. There must be heightened “trust”
among employees rather than
suspicion and mistrust.
7. There is a need for visionaries who
think “outside of the box”. These
people should be valued rather
than seen as a threat.
8. A certain amount of messiness and
chaos is permissible because people
take priority over program
9.
Christian influence is seen at many multi-faceted
levels, not just in evangelizing or inviting people to
church. It includes:
A. A spirit of freedom and honesty
B. An encouragement for people to express their
gifts and talents in roles that are appropriate
C. A sense of participatory control
D. A role for the business or the institution to be
transformative to the communities and the
individuals that it services
E. A spirit of joy
F. The fostering of community within the
organization
A number of case studies are given for businesses
in the Lausanne Document. It might be wise to
read these to see the range of ways in which
businesses, for example, have taken seriously
their mandate for extending the Kingdom of God.
Also read the paper by Young concerning a
number of Korean businesses that have taken
their missionizing mandate seriously. In the
United States, business such as Hobby Lobby and
Chick-fil-A, along with the long history of
Kelloggs and the Seventh Day Adventist Church
health initiatives are further examples.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
God want to use everybody for His mission of redeeming
the world.
The Bible is filled with stories of lay people who made a
difference in their worlds.
Most parables and examples that Jesus used to teach
about the Kingdom of God involved lay people.
God wants to redeem the world in all senses not just
those who attend church.
We are all called to be agents of reconciliation: “For God
was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and
through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether
things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace
through his blood shed on the cross” (Col. 1:19). We
are all called to be agents of reconciliation.
Jesus himself did God’s work: “My food is to do
the will of Him who sent me and to finish
His work (John 4:34).
Or . . .
My Father is always at His work to this very day,
and I, too, am working. (John 5:17)
Was it to . . .
Reshape Society by Being Salt and Light?
Reconcile People to Himself and Each Other?
Usher in the Kingdom of God?
Die on the Cross, Offering Salvation from Sin?
It includes all of these tasks. And God invites all
of us to announce, proclaim and introduce the
mission of God (“missio dei”).
And Jesus invites us to be co-laborers with him
in these tasks.
According to the Dictionary of New Testament Theology:
Greek Terms:
Ergazomai (to labor, be active, work, bring about)
Ergon (deed, action, achievement, work, thing, matter)
Ergasia (work, practice, business)
Ergates (someone who is doing something, workman
Energeia (working, operation, action)
Energeo (to work, be at work, be active, effect something
Euergesia (kindness, a good deed, well-doing)
Euergeteo (to work, benefit, show kindnesses)
Energetes (benefactor)
Synergos (working together with, a colleague, fellow-worker)
Synergeo (to work together, cooperate, aid)
Problem of inadequate language:
“Occupation” can mean to “occupy” or “fill
space”, or it can mean “busy-ness”, or “doing
for the sake of doing”---there is no
necessary “objective” in “occupation”
“Employment” suggests work, or again, just
busy-ness, according to the whims of an
employer.
“Career” and “Profession” suggest status rather
than servanthood.
The term “Vocation” comes from the Latin “vocare”,
“to call”, and suggests that our purposes are bigger
than just doing a task, or filling space, or busyness. It suggests that the God who made us (He
was fashioning us for His pleasure, His artifact),
wants us to be similarly creative. He made us with
gifts, and uses families and friends to develop our
talents, so that we may work with Him in tandem
with His creative process. This we call “ministry”
[we will define this term in the third session].
In other words, we are all “called” to work alongside
of God for His purposes and our fulfillment.
When God fashioned the world, He did so in two ways,
as understood by the verbs used in Genesis 1:
1.
“Bara” to form, fashion, create. Usually this word
represents the miracle of creating out of nothing
(“ex nihilo”)
A. Gen 1:1, “God created the heaven and the earth”
(the creation of energy and matter)
B. Gen 1:21, “God created great whales and every
living thing” (the creation of biological life)
C. Gen 1:27, “So God created man in his own
image” (the creation of humankind)
However, on the other “days” of creation,
specialization and diversity was produced out
of what already existed. In other words,
God’s work both operates in a “vacuum” and
also in the context of what already exists.
God creates “ex nihilo”, “out of nothing” and
out of what is. We, being made in His image,
have the similar desire and capacity to create
both that which is imagined (first in the mind
of God), and which is not yet imagined.
Please read the sermon-poem of James
Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), given as a
resource piece in this session, that so
vividly describe one dramatic expression of
the “Work of God” at Creation. It is
entitled, “The Creation” published in 1922
as a Negro Sermon.
It is to be found in the “Materials” section of
this session.





As God found joy in his creative efforts, we too
were intended to find joy in His creation and in
the act of creating.
God created us to be partners with Him in
stewarding His creation. Therefore our work is
important in God’s Kingdom
Every believer is engaged in “sacred” work, or
should be.
By seeking to understand our “calling” and
fulfilling it faithfully, believers find purpose and
fulfillment in life
Humankind will be held accountable for how we
steward God’s creation.
Feel free in insert below your questions and feedback
on what you have learned in this powerpoint:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
This is the end of the PowerPoint
of Session One
“Theological Foundations of Work”
This week we will learn about:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Theological Foundations of Work: Old
Testament
The Triune God: “My Father Works and So
Do I”
The “Creative” and “Redemptive” Mandates
The Task of the People of God: Successes
and Failures
Last session, we learned that God loves to
create. It is part of the nature of God.
Humankind was created in the “image of God”
(“Imago dei”). “So God created human beings
in His own image, in the image of God he
created them male and female” (Gen 1:17)
This is a spiritual “image” not physical.
Humans were created with the same
propensities to create and manage that God
expresses.
Part of that creation was expressed in the divine
“breath of life” where “man” becomes a living
soul
“Then the Lord God had formed a man from the
dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life, and the man became a living
being.” (Gen 2:7)
As a metaphor, God’s breath teaches us that what
animates Him, animates all of us.
The entire Bible is a narrative of God’s work in
three major ways:
1.
2.
3.
Creative Work (Primarily described in the role of
God, the Father)
Redemptive Work (Primarily expressed in the
figure of Jesus, the Son)
Sustaining Work (Primarily seen through the
ongoing activity of the Holy Spirit)
However, we cannot separate cleanly the functions
of the Godhead as all are engaged at all levels
seamlessly.
Stevens systematically studies all of the sections of the
Bible from the point of view of a “Theology of Work”. (We
are unable to cover all of these topics in this, an
introductory class). Loosely put, this is his outline:
The Genesis Account:
a. God is described both at work and rest, i.e. Gen. 2:2-3
b. Humans are given the mandate to create, i.e. Gen.
1:28-30
c. Sin corrupts the understanding and role of work, i.e.
Gen 3:16-19
The Pentateuch and Historical Books:
a. Israel is given a missional calling, i.e.
b. Work is substantially redeemed, i.e. the Jubilee in
Leviticus 25, Bezalel and Oholiab, Ex 31:1
Judges and the Kings:
a. Shrewd leadership acts in beneficent ways,
Elijah, Josiah, etc.
Wisdom Literature:
a. The soul of work and the way of wisdom are
highlighted, i.e. Prov 6:6-11
b. The character of work is related to one’s
worldview, Ecclesiastes
The Prophetic Books:
a. The heart of God is shown through work and the
workplace, i.e. Daniel and the three Hebrew
The Gospels:
a. Describe a Kingdom Worldview and its
functioning, i.e. the Beatitudes
b. Present Jesus and his Work Ethic, John 4:34
and 5:17
Acts:
a. Illustrates the Anointed Worker: The Holy
Spirit and Everyday Work. Acts 6:1-6
The Apostolic Letters
a. Exhibit Why and How to Work i.e. 2 Tim 3:17
Revelation:
a. Describes the Heavenly Good of Earthly Work,
i.e. Rev. 14:13
1.
We have been made in the image of God (our basic
DNA)
a. We desire to create, just as God rejoiced in the act of
creation, “It is good!”
b. We are made for community, just as God Himself forms
community as “is” community
c. We desire to give, just as God enjoyed giving life and the
earth to us
d. We reach our intended design when we are filled with the
Holy Spirit and have the “mind of Christ in us”
2.
We were Created to Work as Stewards on the Earth
a. God is the landlord; He owns everything (Ps. 8:3-6;
24:1)
b. As God’s stewards, we do not own anything, but have
responsibilities
c. As steward, we cannot be exploiters, but caretakers
d. Whatever our calling (or talent), we all work for His
pleasure.
e. Some stewards are given more responsibility than
others (Matt 25:15-18)
f. We were created to do significant things
g. As stewards we are called to work within four Godgiven institutions: Before the Fall---work and
family; After the Fall---government and
church. All are equally important.
The Three Principles in Genesis 3:
1. Adam and Eve were designed by God (in His
image. Vs y ‘yatsar’ = formed” or “fashioned”
for beauty, utility and function. Our design is
our giftedness (enables us to add value to the
world), the thing we most love to do,
instinctively do, born to do. (Gen 2:7, Ps 139:
13-16, Eph. 2:10
2. Adam and Eve used their gifts in the garden
(Gen. 2:4-25). God brought the animals to
Adam for naming (naming = an act of subduing
and having dominion.
3. Adam and Eve saw their gifts as purposeful for
God
1. Work (group work is business)

To work with and care for the earth and all life forms

To be creative like our God

To do great things in partnership with God

To have joy.
2. Family

To be headed by the union of a man and a woman who
become one body

To procreate

To pass on values and faith from generation to
generation

To have joy
3.



4.





Government
To organize initiatives for the well-being and safety of people
T0 set limits and standards (laws) for people to live and work
To maintain justice and extracting revenge by punishing
wrong-doers
Church
To spread the good news of the Gospel
To serve as the presence of God’s rule on earth
To be a light to the world
To act as an agent for reconciliation between God and humans
To make disciples, resourcing and commissioning to ministry
those who are called to work in the other God-ordained
institutions
We are all familiar with the “Redemption” Mandate,
that is, to “go into the world and to preach the
Gospel to every creature.
But sadly, we ignore the “Creation” Mandate
(sometimes called, the “Cultural” Mandate) to
Tend the garden (our earth) Gen 2:15
Name the animals (subdue it for our good
and God’s glory) Gen 2:20
Proliferate (fill it with beautiful and
creative life) Gen 1:28
In other words, we help God finish the creation (to
give “added value” to it.
Conclusions:
1.
2.
3.
People are essentially built by God to create “value”
People are intended to work in and for community
with God and other people (“it is not good for
man to be alone”—Gen 2:18-19)
Work becomes the sphere of activity dedicated to
value creation and thus it is fundamentally a
spiritual activity or at least should be.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism says: “Man’s chief
end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever”. This
is expressed in all areas of life.
The Creation Mandate preceded the Redemption
Mandate in the following ways:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Your work matters to God (“it was very good”).
He wants us, in his image to do “good work”
Work is the fundamental human activity along
with community, love, sex, family.
Work predates worship. Worship is not a
separate activity. Indeed work is a way of
expressing worshipping
The word, liturgy, comes from “liturgia”---the
work of the people. Our work is liturgy when
understood in the correct way.
In the Garden of Eden, the task was
1. To create, to add value to God’s creation.
2. To never devalue life or resources. There
was no negative creation, no violation of
proper limits.
3. To enjoy the perfect harmony between
creation and distribution. No imbalance.
4. To enjoy the balance of work and rest which
were both integral aspects of adding value.
Imagine life in the Garden of Eden:
I. A Place of Harmony (shalom) found within .
..
1. Work and Play,
2. Labor and Rest,
3. Nurturing and Creating
4. Separating and Filling
5. Communion and Individuality
II. A Place of Joy: “A deep, abiding inner peace that
no circumstances can take away , because we
are doing God’s will and aware of God’s
presence”
1. Found in “Stewardship” taking personal and
corporate responsibility for what happens in
and to this world, and the people in it.
2. Found in “Human Dignity” as bearers of God’s
image in becoming “decision-making” creatures
3. Found in the “Joy” of being stewards in our part
of God’s creation in a relationship with Him
characterized by trust, understanding and love.
My problem might be in the . . .
1.
2.
3.
“What”: Could it be that I am not doing the
“good works” that God has prepared for me
in advance to do? (Eph. 2:10)
“How”: Could it be that my attitude toward
my work, my employer, my co-workers, is
not appropriate (Phil. 2)
“Why”: Could it be that I don’t see any
purpose and meaning in the work that I am
doing? (Jer 1;5, Rom 8:28)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
For my own gain?
For my family and their future?
For my boss?
For my board?
For my supervisor?
For the people who contribute to my
salary?
For the customers?
For the Lord? (Col. 3:23)
Just as the Godhead, that is, the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, live in joyful harmony with
their merged roles of “creator, redeemer, and
sustainer”, humans mirror the same gifting
or functionality.
Some people are gifted and called to primarily
a “creator” role. Others to the “redemptive”
tasks of “fixing things” that have gone wrong.
While others find their role in “sustaining,
nurturing, creatively maintaining”.
The Garden of Eden featured first and foremost
the “Creation” role.
Only after the Fall, was there a need for the
“Redemptive” role, fulfilled in Jesus Christ and
extended through the “Body of Christ” and,
Only after the Fall, was there the need for the
“Sustainer” role, in that the Fall introduced
the principle of “atrophy” or entropy (2nd Law
of Thermodynamics) that energy and matter
wear down or disperse over time. The same
principle occurs within a moral paradigm.
1.
2.
3.
Look over the list of occupations in the
material section of the course. Are there
any occupations in this list that dishonor
God and are, by nature, unable to fulfill the
“Creation Mandate” in that they do not have
the potential of “added value” to the
character of life? Why not?
How do you think about your job? Is it
tilted towards the “creative”, the
“redemptive” or the “sustainer” purpose?
What really motivates you in your job?
Feel free in insert below your questions and
feedback on what you have learned in this
PowerPoint:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6
This is the End of the PowerPoint for
Session #2
Theology of Work
Theological Foundations of Work

According to Genesis 3, the following
consequences are noted:
1. There is a curse. But it is not that “work” is
cursed, but that it is the ground that is cursed.
 Sometimes work ends in futility
 Sometimes relationships end in futility
2. The Fall caused four major breaks between us
and . . .
 God
 Ourselves
 Each Other
 Our World
The Breaks Have Caused Much Confusion and
Pain in the World (Gen 11:1-9)
 The
loss of purpose to steward God’s creation
resulting in . . .
Environmental crises
Social, economic and justice
inequalities
 The
loss of seeing people as made in God’s
image resulting in . . .
Using our power to control others, rather
than serve them
Creating our self identities based on
materialist perceptions
Being indifferent and disconnected to
God
Hanging on to transactional social
relationships (what we get out of the
exchange to satisfy human needs)
rather than transformational ones
(that satisfy all our needs)
Breaks have Caused Much Confusion and Pain
in the World (cont’d)
 The Belief that the purpose of business is
profits. This single orientation results in. . .
Colonialism
Unbridled free-market capitalism
Greed, short-term focus, ethical crises
Consumption and consumer societies
The rise of entertainment as moral arbiter
World-wide economic inequities, violence,
jealously and hate
There is the need to regain our purpose, to
strive to rebuild the garden by reconnecting
to:
Ourselves
Each Other
Our World
God
Has the Cross Made a Difference?
Yes!!! It has rectified and reconciled the
relationships between . . .
Jew and Greek (ethnic and racial groups)
Slave and Free (social and economic
standing)
Male and Female (gender differences)
Gal 3:27-29
Has the Cross Made a Difference?
YES!!! The world is being redeemed from the
curse imposed at the Fall (Gal 3:13)



From the cursed ground
From the futility of work
From the troubled relationship between man
and woman.





Has the Cross made a Difference?
YES!!! When we walk through the cross, we
catch a glimpse at the character of the
Kingdom as seen in Isaiah 65:17-25
Infants live rather than die
People live much longer
They own their own houses, and have land to
plant food, and have sufficient




They will not build only for others, but also
for themselves
They will not work in vain or have children
that are sold into captivity
The Strong and the Weak will leave peacefully
together
People will not work at cross purposes with
the New Creation.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Each person starts as a member of the
world kingdom
As we come to the cross, we are graciously
redeemed
As we pass through the cross, we see God’s
Kingdom in a new light, how things ought
to be.
We return into the world, knowing that the
curse is removed and that we work and
live as lights to the world.
The Fall introduced the active presence of Evil
in the world.
Evil is expressed in Scripture in three
dimensions:
It is caricaturized as: The World
The Flesh
The Devil

The “World” refers to the human-based
systems of the world that are corrupted by
sin, selfish intent and institutional and
corporate abuse. We call this “Systemic Evil”.


The “Flesh” refers to personal choices made
that express the human bent to sinning. This
we call “Personal Evil”.
The Devil refers to the active role of the
demonic, or of Satan himself. This we call
“Cosmological Evil”.
Ironically, the Christian Church is all too naïve and
piecemeal in that various factions seem to see
Evil at only one of these dimension:
1. For instance, “evangelicals” tend to focus on
“Personal Evil”, with personal conversion being
central, and Christian discipleship pinpointed at
the follow-up. Redemptive services such as
Rescue Missions and Rehabilitation Houses and
tight personal accountability are seen as
resources to help individual overcome their evil
tendencies.
2. On the other hand, members of conciliar (churches
formed out of historical church “Councils”, i.e.
Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic) churches, and
mainline denominations tend to focus primarily on
“Systemic Evil”, believing that institutions, over time,
become corrupted and self-serving and that it is the
Christian prerogative to confront, challenge and call
them back to Christian values and accountability.
This is done through direct and indirect influence,
political pressure, advocacy and confrontation, the
ballot box, and more radical symbolic gestures
similar to those exhibited by the Old Testament
prophets, i.e. Jer 19, Jer 32, Is 20, Ez 4, Hos 1
3. The third evil is what we call the “Cosmological
Evil”. This is the active direct attack of Satan in a
very personal and powerful fashion. It is
expressed in demonic possession or demonic
oppression. Scripture describes Satan as a
“roaring lion seeking who he may devour”.
Often, it is noted that the Pentecostal churches
have a stronger sense of this “evil” more so than
other Christian traditions.
 The antidote to the power of demonic evil is
exorcism, prayer and fasting, “Joshua” marches,
and sometime radical suffering or martyrdom.
The Bible expresses all three of these
dimensions in Ephesians 2:1-2:
”As
for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins [Personal Evil], in
which you used to live when you followed the
ways of this world [Systemic Evil] and of the
ruler of the kingdom of the air [Cosmological
Evil], the spirit who is now at work in those
who are disobedient.” (NIV)
Therefore the presence of “Evil” within the work environment
is the result of . . .
1. Personal decisions that corrupt the quality and nature of
work, i.e. sloth (laziness), jealous competition, theft, etc.
2. Institutional corruption in a dog-eat-dog environment,
bottom line profits over people, unjust wages, etc.
Examples: The divorce between profit and “value
added”; the divorce between “value added” and fair
distribution; the divorce between means and ends
3. The active presence of Satan expressed in evil people or
“people of the lie” (Beelzebub). For a good description
of this, see Scott Peck’s book entitled, “People of the
Lie”.
We live in the “in-between” stage of history, in a
fallen world still under a long process of
accountability before God. The Kingdom of God
which is here, but “not yet”. Any understanding
of “work” that neglects the reality of the curse, is
naïve and romanticized. Yet we are called to
help redeem “Work” as a promise of future
redemption.
Scripture Verse: “In putting everything under him,
God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at
present we do not see everything subject to him.”
Hebrew 2:8b (NIV)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Conflict in the office, i.e. “to go postal”
Oppressive working conditions, i.e. sweat
shops, conditions in mines, asbestos
poisoning
Employer-employee tensions,
management/union conflicts
Poor quality results, i.e. dangerous children’s
toys from China
Scams and pyramid schemes. i.e. Madoff
Bribery, i.e. Bogdanovich, governor of Illinois
Safety failures, i.e. airline maintenance issues
Corporate greed, i.e. bank failures
Good and Evil are tangled together now in very
complex ways. For example:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Profit doesn’t always measure true value
The distribution of value and wealth isn’t
always fair
Maintaining fair economic balance is hard to
maintain
It is a tough challenge to make what we
value equal to what God values in
business
The Two Mandates Given to Humankind by God
1.
2.
The Creation Mandate: Gen 1:27-30:
Called to have dominion over the earth.
The Redemption Mandate: The Great
Commission of Matt 28:19-20. Called to
witness the saving grace of Christ and to
work in His Kingdom.

Work, after the Fall and after the Cross
suggests the following:
 We
are a group of redeemed people
 We who were once “nothing”, are something,
a “royal priesthood” a “light to the world”.
We are transformed and transformative
agents of change.
 The Creation Mandate is still in place and is
reaffirmed as our mission
 We
work in a spirit of praise and worship
 We
are stewards of God’s creation
 We
are given the Great Commission
(Redemption Mandate)
 We
have been given all the resources we need
to do both jobs: the Creation Mandate
and the Redemption Mandate
We Need a New Worldview that Drives our Behavior, Not
the Culture that Drives Our Behavior
This Worldview needs to be central out of which
values, behavior and culture radiate.
This Christian Worldview comes from the Holy Spirit
who gives us the power to put on the “Mind of Christ”
In contrast, a Worldview fashioned by the culture is
subjectively created by our individual immediate
environment and our limited experiences.
We acquire the “mind of Christ” through the
following:
1.
Listening to what Jesus tells us in words and
stories, and living them out, and having
them direct our actions, i.e. the Sermon on
the Mount, the Olivet Discourse, the
Parables, the Post-resurrection instructions
to his disciples

Looking at how Jesus and the Father did their
work and emulating them in our actions and
behavior; for example, seeing how Jesus and
God gave their power away to empower
others, in a spirit of humility, loving and
forgiving, always desiring reconciliation,
providing for their needs and resources with
gifts and talents, trusting of others, allowing
them to fail, etc.
As Christians, we not only follow Christ but we
put on the “mind of Christ” This means for us
to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Love the Father
Love and think of others first and
build them up
Faithfully be stewards of the Father’s
calling for our lives
Be compassionate
Seek justice
6. Be kind
7. Be merciful
8. Be pure in heart: honest, responsible, of
highest integrity, vulnerable and
accountable to others
9. Be a peacemaker
10. Be joyful in the Lord, knowing that He
loves us, knows us by name and
cares for us, as we do with those
with whom we work
It is important to understand that our work really
isn’t our own. The concept of the missio dei
(Latin for “Mission of God”) suggests that God is
doing the mission and invites us to work
alongside of him.
In other words . . .
Our work should never be seen as our own but
rather, His.
 We are never working alone. He is our partner.



Our work should characterize God’s values,
not just the company’s or the culture’s or our
own value, but those of God Himself.
We are, ultimately “servant-leaders”, serving
God, but also leading in the sense that we
recognize that God has placed us in this job
context to be “light”, to be “salt”, to be
“change agents” both within the job setting
and to the larger community it touches.
Therefore, every Christian is called to be a minister, a
member of the “priesthood of all believers” (Martin
Luther).
Ministry can be defined in three ways:
“It is the active engagement of Christians as co-regents
with God in the life of the community, for the
purpose of identifying, introducing, exhibiting and
celebrating the Kingdom of God in all manner of
spirit-enhancing forms. These forms include those
of specific evangelistic intent (the Redemptive
mandate), both individual and corporate. For
example:
1.
Those of “Remedial Intent”: that is, providing
care for the needy, restoring the damaged,
reconciling the shattered, recycling the
discarded, in short, fulfilling the mission of
Jesus as expressed in Luke 4:18-19 and of
Christians in Matt 25:35-39.
2.
This expresses primarily the Redemptive
Mandate, though many businesses and
organizations also need “fixing up” or healing
as suggested here.
2.
Those of Creative Intent: that is, the
building of community and institutions
(both profit and nonprofit) that seek to
better life, or add value to it by embellishing
(beautifying) it.
This would be primarily fulfilling the
“Creation Mandate”.
3.
Those of Confrontational Intent: that is
discerning the evil forces at work and
countering them with spiritual
engagement, confrontation, advocacy,
intercessory prayer and fasting, spiritual
warfare (manifest in ‘signs and wonders’)
and incarnational suffering.
This too would primarily fulfill the
“Creation Mandate”




There is a danger that in popular language
“community” is limited to the world of the
“Church”. The Church is often seen as nothing
more than a . . .
1. Building or a
2. Legal Institution or a
3. Program
When, what it really is, is the sum total of “people
called by God”, to represent Him in the world.
Words and Music by Richard K Avery and Donald S
Marsh, 1972
“I am the Church, you are the Church, we are the
Church together. All who follow Jesus all around
the world, yes, we’re the Church together.”
“The church is not a building, the church is not a
steeple; the church is not a resting place, the
church is a people.
“We're many kinds of people, with many kinds of
faces, all colors and all ages, too, from all times and
places.
“And when the people gather, there's singing and
there's praying; there's laughing and there's crying
sometimes, all of it saying:
“At Pentecost some people received the Holy Spirit
and told the Good News through the world to all who
would hear it.”
According to the song, the Church is PEOPLE!!!
People gathered and dispersed, taking their
whole being and their message of Good News
wherever they go.
The Church is “Centripetal”: pulling people
together and . . .
“Centrifugal” flinging people out into the
world as witnesses of His grace
Between Christ’s resurrection and His return,
the Church is a unique institution of God’s
presence, the “body of Christ”:
1.
It is the God’s especially designed collection
of people interlocked into relationship,
commissioned to proclaim the redemption
of the world through Christ.
2. It is the “tithe” of creative and
redemptive activity intended to
infiltrate the unholy with its
character of holiness.
3. It is where Christians are equipped to
serve God’s Kingdom in the world at
large.
Yet, the sad reality is that the Church often fails to
engage the world, living contentedly or in
hostility in its sub-cultural Christian ghetto.
The Church fails to engage the world because . . .
1.
2.
It often regards only its own work as “ministry”
It regards value creation in the sphere of
economics as merely a neutral or negative
activity with no intrinsic or eternal value.
3.
4.
5.
Or it spiritualizes the Bible so that it
disconnects from the ordinary world.
It lives in fear of the seductive influence of
the world on its membership, fearing
contamination, or betrayal.
Its pastors have limited or no experience in
the real world to know how to equip
members for engagement
On the other hand, the non-church workplace
fails to engage the Church because it believes
that. . .
1.
2.
3.
Business is morally neutral and not
accountable to the Church.
Business is too busy or too absorbed to deal
with trivial Church pursuits
Business stimulates demand for things of
inferior value that might be insignificant to
God and higher purposes.
4. Business never gets around to addressing
issues of unfair distribution.
5. Business ignores the importance of
relationships and is only interested in the
bottom line.
6. Business fears the hypocrisy of Churches in that
it feels used not for its own value but for the
monetary gain that it potentially represent to
the Church
Implicitly there is an unspoken hierarchy of “ministries”
in the Church, all which see themselves as serving the
Church rather than the world.
For instance, from highest value to lower:
Missionary
Denominational administrator
Pastor
Theological professor
Church staff person
Church volunteers
Secular jobs
Yet, in the parable of the talents, in Luke
19:11-27, Jesus gives highest priority, not to
clergy, but to money investors who used
wisely their finances.
They earned added responsibilities, not in the
Church, but in administrating cities, certainly
a non ecclesiatical reward!
The Gospel of Matthew highlights Jesus’ use of 23
similes and metaphors to describe the Kingdom of
God:
17
7
6
4
2
of these take place in workplaces
speak of farming
take place in the home
speak of handling money
talk of caring for animals, or caring for children,
or going to a wedding. The remainder talk about
riding a camel, fishing warehousing, weather
forecasting, baking bread, or buying pearls
NONE take place in a synagogue or temple!!!
Jesus describes the work of the Spirit as it “blows
wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you
cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.
So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”. (John 3:8).
Everyone “born of the Spirit” suggests an
unpredictability or spontaneity of the Spirit, not
confined in institutions or programs or even the
Church.
Ironically, Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus that night
was probably in a neutral location away from the
Synagogue as it was with the woman at the well in the
chapter in John 4.
Repeatedly throughout Scripture, the Holy Spirit
seems to descend on the most unsuspecting
candidates. For instance:
1.
Exodus 31:1-2: This was the first time that the
Holy Spirit filled anyone in Scripture. Bezalel
and Oholiab, temple artisans, were filled . . .
“giving Bezalel great wisdom, ability and
expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master
craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver,
and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and
mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He
is a master of every craft.”
2. Matthew 1: Christ was born to an unsuspecting
young girl, Mary, made pregnant through the
power of the Holy Spirit.

Ironically, in that same chapter is recorded the
genealogy of Jesus, including four women’s
names. To mention their names in a genealogy
was, in itself, a scandal, given the gender divide
during that era of Judaism. But the names
themselves compounded the scandal as all four
women bore the stigma of violence and social
class.




Tamar was raped by her father.
Rahab was a non-Jewish prostitute.
Ruth was a Moabite widow, a member of a
cursed tribe.
Bathsheba was concubine and co-conspiritor
with David, to the murder of her husband.
Yet the Holy Spirit appropriated their scandals
into the story of redemption!
Most prominent leaders in Scripture neither held
clerical (Church) positions nor seemed highly
qualified to perform their significant leadership
tasks that ultimately transformed or redeemed
their worlds around them. For example . . .
Noah, farmer and ship-builder, preserved the
human race.
Abraham, agricultural mogul, designated to
become the father of many nations.
Moses, murderer, sheepherder, with a speech
impediment, delivered his people from slavery,
and inculcated the Law into their culture.
Joseph, arrogant teenager, slave, accused of moral failure and
prisoner, becomes the agent of salvation for his family, Egypt
and the surrounded nations. He was also the architect and
creator of cities.
David, sheep herder and “runt”-kid in the family. Later, despite
being an adulterer and murderer, he served as an effective ruler
and “friend of God”
Nehemiah, cupbearer in the enemy royal court, rebuilt the walls of
Jerusalem
Esther, beauty queen, becomes the deliverer of her people
Daniel, exiled from his own land, works his way up to the position
of court administrator, deftly succeeding four tyrant emperors
Joseph, carpenter, earthly father of Jesus
Matthew, tax collector, Gospel writer
Luke, medical doctor, Gospel writer
Mark, mission-casualty, but becomes Gospel writer
Peter, fisherman, becomes early proponent of the
Gospel
Paul, tentmaker and terrorist, uses his profession to
access both rich and poor towards the Gospel
Conclusions:
The narrative of the Bible shows clearly that professional
ranking has little to do with God’s calling. He chooses all to
be ministers and uses all talents and gifts in vocation to serve
as transformative agents of the Kingdom wherever we are
placed.
It is our responsibility to learn how to leverage influence and
presence to extend the Kingdom of God through whatever
our vocation may be.
The Church ought to be the arena of preparation for that
calling.
This concludes Session Three
Theology of Work
Theologically Guided Strategies of Work as
Empowerment



The “Systems” of the City
Systemic Evil and Understanding Resistance:
The Powers

Models of Equipping for the Gathered Life

Models of Equipping for the Dispersed Life




The “City” is not just a demographical
concentration of people. It is also . . .
1. A population center that spawns alternate
value systems.
2. A new “way of life” or “rhythm of life” that
is distinct from rural or small town
lifestyles.
3. A place that attracts, manipulates and
dispenses “power”—political, economic
and cultural.




4. It is the “hub” of innovation and change,
both good and bad.
5. It is generally a place of cultural and
economic diversity, resulting often in
cultural clash and economic disparity.
6. It provides opportunities for social
mobility and anonymity.
7. It concentrates collections of subcultures
in critical masses that become selfsustaining, both healthy and pathological



8. It survives by the healthy interplay of its
various infra-structural “systems”.
9. The City is not just an “organization, but it
is an “organism” with its life unto itself
that is in constant dynamism.
In some sense, it is similar to, or parallel to,
the description of the human body in I Cor
12.
The human body at the physiological level is a
complex interplay between various “systems”.
These include:
1.
the Nervous System
2.
the Musculoskeleton System
3.
the Respiratory System
4.
the Cardiovascular System
5.
the Immune System
6.
the Digestive System
7.
the Reproductive System
8.
the Endocrine System
1.
2.
3.
That all are necessary for the adequate
functioning of the body
That when one system is diseased or injured,
that there are backup or redundant system that
seek to repair the damage.
That one diseased system can traumatize or
destroy other systems until death sets in.
I Corinthians 12:1, 25-26: “The body is a unit,
though it is made up of many parts; and though
all its parts are many, they form one body. . .
there should be no division in the body, but that
its parts should have equal concern for each
other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with
it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with
it.”
Here we see the body as an organism, with each
part inter-related and mutually dependent.
In similar fashion, the City or any Metropolitan
Statistical Area (MSA) is an organism with a
variety of “systems” that interplay with each
other. Here are some of them:
1.
2.
The Transportation System: Determines
how people get around.
The Welfare/Social Service System:
Determines how people economically
survive




3. The Communications/Information
System: Determines how people
are informed.
4. The Political System: Determines
how people are governed.
5. The Legal System: Determines
how people are controlled
6. The Economic System:
Determines how people are
employed
The City as “System”
7. The Public Works System: Determines
how people are resourced in basic
infrastructure services.
8. The Health Care System: Determines how
people are healed.
9. The Recreational/Entertainment System:
Determines how people relax.
10. The Educational System: Determines how
people are taught or enculturated.
11. Defense/Emergency System: Determines
how the culture is protected.
12.
13.
14.
15.
The Various Religious Systems: Determines
how people find meaning and
transcendency.
The Social System: Determines how people
find community and networks
The Technological System. Determines
how people transcend material limitations.
The Land Management System: Determines
how people deal with their ecological
context and their natural resources