Work: A Part of God”s Plan

Book Review by Bert Crabbe

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God”s Work
Timothy Keller
Dutton (Penguin Group USA), 2012

Tim Keller, lead pastor of New York City”s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, possesses a unique ability to cause his readers to see things from a perspective not their own. Opening up Every Good Endeavor, I thought I had a pretty good bead on the place of work in the life of a Christian. Keller, as he so often does, led me to another level of theological thought.

Work is sometimes considered a result of the fall of man, a punitive addition to our reality brought about by our own disobedience. This, Keller explains, is not the case. Work was part of God”s original plan. He himself worked as he spoke the universe into existence, and his original plan for us was to fill the earth and subdue it . . . not simply to sit back and lazily bask in paradise, but to work and to create culture.

“The book of Genesis leaves us with a striking truth””work was part of paradise,” says Keller. In other words, work is not inherently bad””it”s inherently good.

This explains why the common tendency to see our working years as a season to be completed as quickly as possible on our way to the golden fields of retirement, tends often to result in boredom and a lack of purpose for the retiree. We work, not just for the money we require to pay our bills and survive, but to live fully human lives.

Certainly, there are jobs and careers to which we ascribe more worth and respect than others. But Keller points out the dignity inherent in anyone trying to do their work with excellence, reminding us that work as a surgeon can be selfish and mundane, and work as a doorman can be a fulfilling and God honoring, all depending on the attitude of our hearts.

Without Pretense

As one might expect from a theologian, such as Keller, the book offers a survey course on the views of work held by various thinkers and philosophers throughout the ages. Such books are abundant, but they are usually so heady as to be nearly unreadable. Keller”s real gift is he teaches without being pedantic and is completely without pretense. As a result, the reader is offered a seminary-level education on the subject matter while never having the sensation of being lectured.

The men and women of our churches are likely to struggle with the integration of their faith and work. Two ideas are far too rare: the realization that work is itself noble, and the knowledge that our passion to honor God and serve the world around us must make its way into our workaday lives. Keller”s book will help pastors and everyday church members alike better understand not only how work and faith are met, but how to help others understand as well.

Bert Crabbe serves as lead pastor of True North Community Church, Bohemia, New York.