Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor

by Ben Witherington III

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2011

Overview

Most Christians spend most of their waking hours working, yet many regard work as at best a necessary evil—just one more unfortunate by-product of humanity’s fall from grace. Not so, says Ben Witherington, and in Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor, he considers work as neither the curse nor the cure of human life but, rather, as something good that God has given us to do. In this brief primer on the biblical theology and ethics of work, Witherington carefully unpacks the concept of work, considering its relationship to rest, play, worship, the normal cycle of human life, and the coming kingdom of God. Work as calling, work as ministry, work as a way to make a living, and the notably unbiblical notion of retirement—Witherington’s Work engages these subjects and more, combining scholarly acumen with good humor, common sense, cultural awareness, and biblically based insights from Genesis to Revelation.

Key Features

• Presents theological explorations of Christian living
• Addresses major questions in practical theology

Contents

• Preface: Caution — Work in Progress
• An Opus That Is Magnum: On the Goodness of Work
• A Theology of Work as Vocation
• Slackers and Sloths of the World, Unite!
• Call Forwarding and Vocation’s Variation
• Work as Ministry, Ministry as Work
• Seeing the World from the Crouch Position: Work as Culture Making
• New Balance: The Relationship of Work to Faith, Rest, and Play
• Overtime: Take This Job and . . .

Top Highlights

“Work is not a secular activity; it is a sacred one originally ordained by God, and so it must be undertaken in holy ways.” (Page 15)

“Frederick Buechner’s definition of work: ‘The place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.’^{3” (Page ix)}

“In the same manner, we all have a limited duration on this earth to accomplish what God put us here for, and so we too should have some urgency about getting on with the job.” (Page 5)

“Christian life is life in the Spirit of the new creation or it is not Christian life at all. And the Spirit of God should determine the whole life, spiritual as well as secular, of a Christian. Christian work must, therefore, be done under the inspiration of the Spirit and in the light of the coming new creation.” (Page xi)

“The right question to ask about work as a Christian is, Does this activity help or hinder the coming Kingdom? Does this activity promote the cause of Christ? Does this activity glorify God, and can it be offered up to God in thanksgiving? In short, can this work be doxological in character?” (Page 14)

Endorsements

Conducting a critical dialogue with the theological voices of our day, drawing upon the wisdom of the Christian tradition, and offering a sensitive reading of New Testament parables, Witherington delivers sound counsel on the kingdom meaning of work and its implications for our lives today.

—Lee Hardy, professor of philosophy, Calvin College

Ben Witherington has given the whole people of God something desperately needed to make sense of Monday to Friday—a theology of work that breaks down the heretical sacred-secular distinction. This book offers a work-view and life-view that, if embraced, would revitalize the mission of God’s people in the world. It’s that good.

—R. Paul Stevens, David J. Brown Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership, Regent College

Product Details

• Title: Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor
• Author: Ben Witherington III
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2015
• Pages: 183
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Work › Religious aspects--Christianity; Work › Biblical teaching
• ISBNs: 9780802865410, 0802865410, 1467434418, 9781467434416
• Resource ID: LLS:WRKKNGDMPRSPLBR
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-01-03T03:45:02Z

About Ben Witherington III

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. A prominent evangelical scholar, he is also on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. Witherington has written over forty books, including The Jesus Quest and The Paul Quest, both of which were selected as top biblical studies works by Christianity Today. His other works include The Indelible Image, Women and the Genesis of Christianity, The Gospel Code, A Week in the Life of Corinth and commentaries on the entire New Testament. He also writes for many church and scholarly publications and is a frequent contributor to Patheos and Beliefnet. Witherington is an elected member of the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. He is a John Wesley Fellow for Life, a research fellow at Cambridge University and a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Society of Biblical Literature, Society for the Study of the New Testament and the Institute for Biblical Research. He previously taught at institutions like Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. An ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church and a popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings around the world. He has led numerous study tours through the lands of the Bible and is known for bringing the text to life through incisive historical and cultural analysis. Along with many interviews on radio and television networks across the country, Witherington has been seen in programs such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, Dateline and the Peter Jennings ABC special Jesus and Paul—The Word and the Witness.

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