Christians have some peculiar ideas about work. They tend to view it as either the curse or the cure of human existence, as either a necessary evil or the very reason for their existence. From a Kingdom and Wesleyan perspective it is neither.
Christians, with their tendencies to compartmentalize their lives into different activities, seldom have a Biblical, much less Wesleyan, perspective on things such as worship and Christian growth.
Dr. Bob Lupton of FCS Ministries shares a perspective on a topic seldom talked about in church. He advocates a view of Christianity and the free market that recognizes wealth-creation as a spiritual gift.
From the early Christian perspectives, the End Times began when Jesus showed up. This led early Christians to view life, not facing the past and working their way into the future, but rather facing the future and believing it was as bright as the promises of God. A Kingdom perspective meant looking at life from the angle of how God would finally resolve human history.
One of my roles in a very large church was Pastor of Administration and Stewardship. The congregation had experienced remarkable growth and was becoming too large for its facilities. They knew they would need a capital campaign to care for the growth, but they also knew that for many new-to-the-faith attendees, giving regularly was a foreign concept.
Why do theologians occasionally find it difficult to work in the marketplace? Ought a pastor’s work to be considered more significant than a business owner’s? A good Christian can’t make a lot of money—right? In Genesis, doesn’t work come after the fall? The theological issue I’d like to reflect on is the nature of work and its proper relationship within the Kingdom of God.
