In the beginning there was work

Five books about work from a Christian perspective

Today, all progressive humanity celebrates International Workers' Day, which reactionaries and revisionists, who fear solidarity like hell, prefer to call the ephemeral Day of Spring and Labor. Solidarity is very good, but you should never forget about the eternal. Therefore, Philip Nikitin chose the five most useful, in his opinion, books that allow you to look at work and work from a Christian perspective.

All of us, since February 24, 2022, have found ourselves in the face of advancing barbarism, violence and lies. In this situation, it is extremely important to preserve at least the remnants of culture and support the values ​​of humanism - including for the sake of the future of Russia. Therefore, the editors of Gorky will continue to talk about books, reminding our readers that there is still a place for thought and fiction in the world.

“Cursed is the earth for your sake; you will eat from it in sorrow all the days of your life; She will bring forth thorns and thistles for you; and you will eat the grass of the field; By the sweat of your face you will eat bread.”

This is what the Lord said to Adam when he expelled him and Eve from the Garden of Eden. One Bible commentator comments on these verses from the Book of Genesis as follows:

“If Adam had not sinned, he would not have had to shed sweat. Please note here that labor is our duty, which we must perform carefully; we are obliged to work not only as creatures, but also as criminals; this is part of our sentence, which idleness boldly opposes.”

Holy Scripture speaks repeatedly about work. Case in point : “If anyone doesn’t want to work, don’t eat . ” Below are books that look at the work from a Christian perspective.

Timothy Keller. Why work? Great Bible truths about your business. M.: Eksmo, 2015. Translation from English by Mikhail Zavalov. Content

Tim Keller (1950–2023) is a well-known and respected Christian author and preacher in the United States. He founded the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan and became its pastor. His visibility is not limited to Christian circles: after his death, his obituary was published , for example, by The New York Times.

“Why Work” is not the only book by Keller published in Russian by a secular publishing house: there are two more . It was co-authored by Katherine Olsdorf, executive director of the Faith and Work Center at Redeemer Church.

Keller suggests seeing professional activity not just as a job, but as a calling. According to Keller, work can become a vocation only if it is based on serving something greater, and not on the personal interests of the worker. To do this, he invites us to turn to the source of the idea of ​​​​work as a vocation - the Bible.

Before moving on to a thorough disclosure of the connection between faith and work, Keller explains to the reader why it is necessary to work at all. He invites you to take him on a journey through the Book of Genesis and begins it with the following title: “In the beginning was work.” The author shows that God himself first of all worked - created our world.

This book addresses a wide range of issues related to the relationship between faith and work. “Gospel and Business,” “Gospel and Journalism,” “Gospel and Medicine” are just a few of the topics covered by Tim Keller.

“Work is so important to our formation that in fact it is one of the few things where a severe overdose does not harm us. Indeed, the Bible does not say that we should work one day and rest six, or that work should take the same amount of time as rest, but suggests the inverse proportion. <…> The lack of work deeply discourages us, because we were created for it. <…> According to the Bible, we need not only earned money to live, but we need work itself in order to survive and live a full human life. <…> Let’s say, how does the Gospel influence a journalist’s working style? You might say, "No way. I'm just presenting the facts objectively." But there is no “view from nowhere” <…> How will a Christian journalist differ from his unbelieving colleagues? I believe that a gospel worldview that neither idolizes nor demonizes parts of creation is particularly helpful for journalists to be impartial and open in their reporting and writing.”

John Beckett. Love Monday. Is it possible to succeed in business without selling your soul? Odessa: Christian Education, 2002. Translation from English by Marina Savelyeva

John Beckett is an MIT graduate, Ohio businessman, and chairman of the board of RW Beckett Corporation . Like the author of the previous book, Beckett looks to the Bible as his source. For him, this is a source that gives freedom in business.

Not the most obvious example of the use of Scripture that the author offers is the famous plot called “Christ and the Sinner” by the artist Vasily Polenov. Beckett brings it up when he writes about compassion and responsibility in business, and notes that they must be balanced. The author sees a model of biblical compassion in Jesus Christ, who not only told the accusers, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” but also addressed the woman with the words: “Go and sin no more.” The author shows that in His words one can see the demand to be responsible, balanced with absolute compassion. Beckett does not dwell on theory, but shows how one can sympathize with a person who, for example, did not pass a competition for a position or is subject to dismissal.

“Love Monday” is the title of the last section of the book. In it, the author addresses Christians and reminds them that wherever they are (including in business), they are messengers of God.

The book consists of four parts with concise titles: “Fundamentals”, “The Big Picture”, “Application” and “Conclusion”. In the first, Beckett shares personal experiences, in the second, he goes on a philosophical journey, in which he shows that faith and work are close and “can coexist wonderfully.” The names of the third and fourth parts speak for themselves.

“I believe the Bible can help those of us in business to have a clear sense of direction. Indeed, if you look at the Bible from this position, then it is all about vision. It talks about a Holy God defining reality for men and women, calling us out of our circumstances to His destiny. Or, as T. S. Eliot says, it contains “unchangeable truths” for those who are resilient, noble, and hopeful. Proverbs says: “Where there is no prophetic vision, the people are unbridled (or wander aimlessly).” Isn't it true that this vividly describes a problem that many people, organizations and even nations face? <…> The Bible tells of many people who made an impact through the vision and understanding of God-given purpose, or who suffered grievously for lack of it. Our own perspective can be enhanced if we consider a few of these examples.”

John Grant. Reflections on our work activities. Steinhagen: Samenkorn, 2016. Translation by Gertrude Rogalska. Content

This small book is published in the “Christian Everyday Life” series and touches on various issues - from the first steps at work to retirement. The author articulates: in the work sphere, Christians are, first of all, servants and witnesses of God.

John Grant makes extensive use of Scripture: he cites the biblical text and then comments on it in the context of the theme of the book. For example, after the New Testament text about slaves and masters , it is indicated that a Christian must respect his boss: not speak about him with disdain and not undermine his authority among colleagues. And from the Old Testament text about unfaithful scales , it is concluded that dishonesty in business dealings is an abomination in the eyes of God.

“If a Christian has a believing boss, he may be tempted, because of the community of confession, to take the wrong attitude towards him. They may, for example, be in an equal position in the ministry of the local church. It may also be that the employee has greater talents than his employer and carries out responsible service in the church. And so, in the work team, he demonstrates his close relationship with the boss, treats him with familiarity, believes that the company’s rules are not obligatory for him, or even does not treat his business very conscientiously, because the boss will not publicly point this out to his brother in faith, and he can take advantage of such a situation. In exceptional cases, he may even consider himself more “spiritual” than his employer, and look down on him or treat him with a certain degree of condescension. This heats up the atmosphere in the team and makes it clear to non-believers that there may also be no unity between brothers in faith. This position is not consistent with Scripture."

Faith and Work: Christian Mission and Professional Leadership. Ed.: A. Negrov, P. Penner, M. Cherenkov. SPb.: St. Petersburg Christian University, 2017. Contents

Before us is a collection of articles based on the results of the conference of the same name. It is interdisciplinary in nature, and its authors include theologians, missiologists, philosophers and sociologists.

In the preface, the editors note that after the collapse of the USSR, evangelical Christians entered a period of rethinking their own heritage. By addressing this issue, they place the collection's theme within this larger context. The editors note that many Christians feel uncertain about how to serve and be leaders in society and the workplace, and many congregations do not promote a reimagining of professional work as service to God and others.

In this book, you can, for example, read about the theology of work, learn about the Leaders of Influence project, look at the Apostle Paul as a worker, and learn what steps you need to take before opening a Christian university.

“A person is called to work by God, and this directly affected his status and mission. Man's status is to be a representation of God, that is, His plenipotentiary representative, vice-regent in the world. And the mission is to wisely manage creation, taking care of it. The essence of man's existence in the image of God lies in his managerial function, which, in fact, distinguishes him from the rest of creation. And labor is the instrument through which the descendants of Adam must manage the universe. <...> As a result of the Fall, man was expelled from the Garden of Eden, from the face of God and, it would seem, lost his high status in the universe... However, even then the Lord reminds him of his calling to work (“to work the land”). Since then, work has become what we know it today: challenging, dangerous, and vulnerable to our poor decisions. And despite all this, it has not lost its original value and benefit. Therefore, any work performed in the face of God (“as for the Lord”) and for the benefit of others is not a seal of curse, but of blessing, and we have the right to count on help from above.”

Sebastian Trager, Greg Gilbert. Gospel at work. Samara: Church “Good News”, 2019. Translation by V. Mikhailenko. Content

Here the reader will encounter a problematization and actualization of the topic. As in “Why Work,” he is first asked to pay attention to the Book of Genesis, in which God gave Adam and Eve work (“And the Lord God took the man, and put him in the garden of Eden, to till it and to keep it”). Sebastian Trager and Greg Gilbert show how the Fall changed work.

Before - Adam and Eve received complete joy and satisfaction from work, their work was not hard and meaningless. Afterwards, work became a painful necessity for their survival. It’s hard to work because man and the world around him are experiencing the consequences of apostasy from God—that’s what Sebastian and Greg believe.

The main thesis of the book is this: Regardless of the type of activity, your work has a higher purpose and meaning because in the end you are doing it for God. And the authors encourage readers to do whatever work they do in a way that glorifies Jesus Christ.

One of the chapters is devoted to choosing a profession. The authors point out that a job can become an idol when a Christian is motivated by gaining fame or when the emphasis is on the status and salary that a particular job position will provide. The authors propose the correct order, from their point of view, when choosing a job: a pyramid based on obedience to God and love for Him, in the middle serving people, and at the top - satisfying one’s own ambitions.

“In reality, you work for One who is higher than your boss. You are working for Jesus. This fact is the most important thing about work to know and remember. <…> How would your work be different if you treated it as a place where God would show His glory? How would your work be different if you knew who you would learn from? This changes everything. Your daily interactions with customers, bosses, and employees become opportunities to show them God's love and kindness. The service document you must draft becomes another way to serve the King. Any situation that usually irritates and upsets you - missing a project deadline, tension with colleagues? — now becomes an opportunity to pause, pray, and think, "Okay, God has given me these circumstances. What is He trying to teach me through them? What lessons have I learned that apply to this situation? How will this strengthen my faith and bring Him glory?" By asking these questions and acting accordingly, we combat laziness at work by “serving with earnestness, as the Lord, and not as men” (Eph. 6:7).”