Conversations, Reading Guides, VOLUME 12

Christianity and Labor – Essential Books for a Deeper Understanding

Christianity Labor Books

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?

The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Biblical Perspective 

R. Paul Stevens

Throughout history the church has been composed of two types of people—those who “do” ministry and those to whom it is “done.” In this provocative book R. Paul Stevens shows that the clergy-laity division has no basis in the New Testament and challenges all Christians to rediscover what it means to live daily as God’s people. Exploring the theological, structural, and cultural reasons for treating laypeople as the objects of ministry, Stevens argues against the idea of clericalism. All Christians are called to live in faith, hope, and love, and to do God’s work in the church and world. This biblical perspective has serious implications for the existing attitudes and practices of many churches as well as for our understanding of ministry. Stevens shows that the task of churches today is to equip people for ministry in their homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods.Written by a scholar and pastor well known as an active advocate for the whole people of God, this thought-provoking book—made even more useful with the inclusion of case studies and study questions at the end of each chapter—offers inspiring reading for anyone interested in what the Christian life holds for the other six days of the week.



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One Comment

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