Conversations, Reading Guides, VOLUME 12

Christianity and Labor – Essential Books for a Deeper Understanding

Labor Day weekend in the US offers the Church the opportunity to reflect theologically on the nature of Christianity and labor — including our desires for meaningful work and for fair compensation for our labor.

 

Here are some very helpful books for Christians that reflect on the virtues of labor and its role in flourishing human societies. Some of the books explore the relationship of Christianity to organized labor, others explore crucial facets of vocation and work.  [Maybe soon we will post a counterbalancing list of books on Sabbath, rest, and recreation.]

*** What books about Christianity, labor, work,
and vocation would you add to this list?

Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor

Steven Greenhouse

From the longtime New York Times labor correspondent, an in-depth look at working men and women in America, the challenges they face, and how they can be re-empowered

In an era when corporate profits have soared while wages have flatlined, millions of Americans are searching for ways to improve their lives, and they’re often turning to labor unions and worker action, whether #RedforEd teachers’ strikes or the Fight for $15. Wage stagnation, low-wage work, and blighted blue-collar communities have become an all-too-common part of modern-day America, and behind these trends is a little-discussed problem: the decades-long decline in worker power.

Steven Greenhouse sees this decline reflected in some of the most pressing problems facing our nation today, including income inequality, declining social mobility, the gender pay gap, and the concentration of political power in the hands of the wealthy. He rebuts the often-stated view that labor unions are outmoded–or even harmful–by recounting some of labor’s victories, and the efforts of several of today’s most innovative and successful worker groups.


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C. Christopher Smith is the founding editor of The Englewood Review of Books. He is also author of a number of books, including most recently How the Body of Christ Talks: Recovering the Practice of Conversation in the Church (Brazos Press, 2019). Connect with him online at: C-Christopher-Smith.com


 
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One Comment

  1. I would add “Why Work?” by Dorothy Sayers.