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Ten at Work – Living the Commandments in your job

Reviewed by Chris Skilton.

This book is part of the Faith at Work series, edited by Mark Greene of the London Institute for  Contemporary Christianity. The author states his debt to J John in this book as he applies the Ten Commandments to the work-place, working through them in reverse order as J John did in Just Ten.

Parmiter is a partner of a consultancy working in planning, development and economics and a long standing member of Holy Trinity, Brompton. This shows in the tone and ethos of the book which will go down well in an articulate professional world, but may struggle to engage with people at work in other contexts. Recognising its limitations, it is very good at what it does – offering biblical, relevant and practical teaching about how a Christian might conduct themselves at work. It also recognises and addresses how attitudes and values developed and shaped at work must cohere with attitudes at home and in relationships. I found chapter 7,  ‘ ‘Keeping the Balance’ particularly helpful in its balance between working well and the nature of Sabbath rest – “A Sabbath helps us to be defined by who we are, rather than by what we do” (p.136).

Each chapter ends with a series of short questions of further discussion and it would lend itself very well to being used in a group context either at church or in the work-place and for believers and enquirers alike. The questions are focussed and open – “What makes you angry at work...Do you compare yourself to other people? Why?...Do you have Enough? What does that mean for you...”

The book is very much focussed on individual attitudes and values rather than asking some of the bigger ethical and moral questions about business and work – but again working within its limitations makes it a useful tool for many if not all churches.