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Taking Your Soul to Work – overcoming the nine deadly sins of the workplace

Reviewed by Julian Reindorp.

In his foreword, Eugene Petersen reminds us that one of the most offensive and soul damaging phrases in the Christian Community is ‘full-time Christian Ministry’, referring to those who work for the church. This book is based on the assumption that daily work is ‘full-time Christian Ministry’. Jesus spent most of the time in the workplace. Twenty-seven times in John's Gospel Jesus is identified as a worker (e.g. John 5.17).

The authors - Stevens is a retired professor of market-place theology from the USA and Ung a fellow of the national investment agency of Malaysia - tap into the wisdom of the Bible and the Christian tradition. The twenty seven chapters are divided into, first, the nine soul-sapping struggles in the workplace, introducing the deadly work sins: pride - grasping equality with God; greed - the desire for more; lust - the erotic workplace; gluttony - excessive consumption of food; anger - the burning desire to control; sloth - pathological busyness; envy - the pain of another's advancement; restlessness - the desire to run away; boredom - slow death in the workplace.

Second are the nine life-giving resources for workplace spirituality, introducing the Spirit's fruit: joy - more than happiness at work; goodness - unconscious giving; love - the greatest thing to give and receive; self - control resolving the work-life dilemma; gentleness - the strength of meekness; faithfulness - workplace integrity; kindness - putting others at ease; patience - remaining where you are with hope; peace - bringing wholeness and harmony.

Third are the nine fruits of workplace spirituality - outcomes of a spirit-led life: continuous prayer, persistent gratitude, beautiful purity, joyful relinquishment, surrendered contentment, life giving rhythms, neighbour-love, vocational confidence, practical heavenly-mindedness.

I am not clear that this diagrammatic formulation did it for me, and I found the book lacked some of the bite from a wide range of illustrations of other books in the field (e.g. Ken Costa's God at work). But it is very practical, covers almost every aspect of work and spiritual development, is very reasonably priced and the authors have worked hard to provide an international rather than a national guide book. Each section begins with a brief conversation between the authors and ends with helpful exercises. It is a genuine guide book and provides a real challenge to be returned to from time to time. As they say quoting the existentialist philosopher Albert Camus - “when work is soul-less, life stifles and dies”.