[rating:4.0]
(New York: Dutton, 2012)
287 pgs
Timothy Keller is a great author. He is creative, insightful, and biblical. His church, Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, is a leader in urban ministry. Focusing on people living and working in New York City, it is not surprising that Keller addresses the critical topic of connecting faith and work. There is a growing interest among people in understanding how their Christian faith connects with their work. In this book, Keller offers a comprehensive overview of the key issues related to our profession and our faith.
Keller suggests that a job is a vocation “only if someone else calls you to do it for them rather than for yourself” (19). A clear understanding of the difference between a job and a vocation is important. People can toil away at an unfulfilling job all their adult life and yet never experience the fulfillment of fulfilling their vocation. A vocation is a calling, particularly a divine calling. This is key, because in the past, it was assumed that God called ministers and missionaries while He left “ordinary” people to earn a living and to support the Church through “secular” jobs. Keller makes an excellent case that God calls individuals to all manner of work.
Keller asks: “How does a Christian world view affect the type of shoe you make, or the way you play the Moonlight Sonata?” (23). Throughout the book, Keller presents an interesting discussion on how Christians ought to approach their work, and how being a Christian affects the work that they do.
Keller is known for his biblical and theological approach. In this book, he does an excellent job of studying what the Scripture teaches about work. He provides a good overview of God’s original work in Creation and the design for the seven-day workweek. He notes that, “God left creation with deep untapped potential for cultivation that people were to unlock with their labor” (36). Though God created the earth, He left much to be developed, explored, subdued, and cultivated so people could model the behavior of their Creator. Keller notes: “Work is so foundational to our makeup, in fact, that it is one of the few things we can take in significant doses without harm” (37). He adds: “The loss of work is deeply disturbing because we were designed for it” (38).
Keller notes that the goal of humanity ought not to be the absence of work. Being “free” from work is not true freedom. Rather, “Freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones” (39). Keller describes work as “cultivation.” He notes: “Whenever we bring order out of chaos, whenever we draw out creative potential, whenever we elaborate and ‘unfold’ creation beyond where it was when we found it, we are following God’s pattern of creative cultural development” (59). Keller points out that the root word for culture means to “cultivate.” He argues that it is the role of mankind to cultivate society and thus bear the image of their Creator.
Keller cites Lester Dekoster who said, “The difference between [a wilderness] and culture is simply work” (76). Culture is developed as individuals work. Eric Liddell observed: “You can praise the Lord by peeling a spud, if you peel it to perfection” (80). Keller makes the strong case that as individuals do their work well, they bring glory to God and they make their world a better place.
Keller also notes that, though we may be working in the exact place God has called us, we can still expect to experience frustration (94). He also notes that God can, and often does, call us to new assignments (95). This is an important discussion for there are many people who may feel that they have lost their way in their career or that they are no longer experiencing fulfillment in their job as they once did.
I liked Keller’s discussion concerning Queen Esther. Her case, as a queen, and not a minister, demonstrates the strategic nature of being “in the palace” that God calls us. He claims, “In such a morally, culturally, and spiritually ambiguous situation, does God still work with us and through us? The answer of the book is yes” (118). He also notes that, while Esther is called “Queen Esther, 14 times in the book, 13 of those times occurs after she concludes: “If I perish, I perish” (127). In other words, only after Esther decided to fulfill her calling, regardless of the cost, did she truly become queen. God had placed her in her position for a purpose. It is when she stopped fearing the loss of her position [and her life] that she truly fulfilled her calling in that position.
This book is filled with rich insight that demand careful study. A couple of other interesting points include Keller’s claim that “It could be argued that everything we do wrong—every cruel action, dishonest word, broken promise, self-centered attitude—stems from a conviction deep in our souls that there is something more crucial to our happiness and meaning than the love of God” (131). He goes on to note that, “an idol is a good thing turned into an ultimate thing” (137). Keller claims the challenge for many Christians is finding meaning and purpose from their work. Most Christians realize that simply earning money and accumulating promotions and stock options is not ultimately fulfilling or satisfying. Yet modern society promotes “self” as the modern god. Work is designed to satisfy self, not to glorify God or to express God’s love for others.
One of the interesting discussions Keller enters is into the Christian understanding if evil. He notes: “The media’s ‘bad apple’ thesis no longer works. We’re seeing systematic corruption in banking—and systematic collusion.” He makes a good case that, “Without an understanding of the gospel, we will either be naively utopian or cynically disillusioned. We will be demonizing something that isn’t bad enough to explain the mess we’re in and we’ll be idolizing something that isn’t powerful enough to get us out of it” (162). Instead, Keller suggests that the Christian worldview sees that: 1) The whole world is good. 2) The whole world is fallen. 3) The whole world is going to be redeemed. We have all seen a secular media that either downplayed sin and then was unable to explain the evil rampant in society, or else they put someone on a pedestal even though it was clear they had feet of clay. It is the Christian who has the most accurate view of reality because they have a realistic view of sin as well as redemption.
Keller addresses key questions such as, why can unbelievers produce great works of art, or even greater accomplishments than do Christians. It would seem that sinful people could not accomplish God’s work as well as Christians, but that is not necessarily so. Keller offers a helpful discussion on “common grace.” He claims: “Without an understanding of common grace, Christians will have trouble understanding why non Christians so often exceed Christians morally and in wisdom. Properly understood, the doctrine of sin means that believers are never as good as our true worldview should make us. Similarly, the doctrine of grace means that unbelievers are never as messed up as their false worldview should make them” (190).
There are numerous helpful discussions throughout this book. He argues, rightly so, that the typical Christian response to culture over the last 80 years has been disengagement (192). His call is for Christians to embrace their vocation and to make a positive difference in their world. He notes: “Therefore, human culture is an extremely complex mixture of brilliant truths, marred half-truths, and overt resistance to the Truth” (194). Keller also suggests that the Christian’s view of the image of God in every person gives them the proper perspective on the workplace (208). This means that we treat fellow workers with the respect and concern they deserve as a divine image bearer. Such a belief calls us to strive to do our best, while living in the knowledge of our accountability before our Creator for our behavior.
Finally, Keller offers some helpful insights on work and rest. He suggests that, “there is a symbiotic relationship between work and rest” (233). He argues that, “anyone who cannot obey God’s command to observe the Sabbath is a slave, even a self-imposed one” (236). The Christian worldview provides people with a proper, healthy view of rest, work, and health.
I enjoy Keller’s writing. He takes a theological perspective on key issues that are relevant to people’s daily lives. As he says at the end of the book: “Redeemer has found that people are seeking far more theological study in order to navigate the challenges of their vocation, and they long for their pastor to be interested in learning more about the situations they face on a daily basis” (253). I think for too long pastors have lived in “ivory towers” and preached sermons to their people, answering questions that they weren’t asking. If I were a pastor today, I would have an ongoing group where I taught people how to embrace their vocation as well as how to be salt and light in the marketplace.
This is a great book! Keller provides a good overview of many of the most pressing issues people face as they live out their Christian life in a secular setting. Keller cites some helpful sources as well as provides examples from his own church members to undergird his thoughts. I recommend you read this book!
This book as a valuable resource for churches. Whether you work in the marketplace or you minister to people who do, you will find this book helpful.
by Richard Blackaby