A short theology of work

(A partners-only Payneful Extra)

In last Tuesday’s Payneful Truth, I suggested two things: one, that clear teaching on work, calling and ‘career’ were a vital factor in recruiting Christians for all kinds of gospel service; and two, that there was lots more to be said about the theology of work than I could manage in that brief piece.

Here (as promised) is an attempt to remedy that shortcoming. It’s a re-worked version of an essay I co-wrote with David Hohne back in the mid-90s.

It’s fun looking back over pieces from decades ago. This one had a reference to ‘Beyond 2000’, which for many of you will mean nothing, but for others will make you feel your age (i.e. as someone who can remember thinking that after the year 2000 we would be living in a technological wonder land of jet packs, flying cars and teleporting—when in fact all we got was a phone we could carry around with us).

But the main point of this essay still seems like just the right point to make—that the key to understanding ‘work’ is to understand the domini…