In Tim Keller’s book, ‘In Every Good Endeavour ’, biblical wisdom is related to the current aspects of work. A biblical perspective of business is based, solely, on the creation and God’s nature. Also, it enables human beings to incorporate ethics in their daily activities at work and the purpose of their work in fulfilling God’s purpose (Ruffner, 2013) .
Keller & Alsdorf (2012) assert that it was God’s intention for human beings to work. God created and took care of his creation. When He created man in His image and likeness on the sixth day, He made him superior over other creatures. Man was to lead and care for God’s creation (Gen 1:28) and make the land fruitful through working on it. Work makes humans feel a sense of purpose and freedom.
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Another important item discussed in the text is that work is a calling. According to Keller, working to serve others provides the basis of a balanced personal life and can be considered as acts of worship if it is not done for self-interest. Using economic wealth is considered a Christian principle if it is used as a means to meet humans’ needs (Mele & Fontrodona, 2016) .
Keller & Alsdorf (2012) state that no work is more spiritual than the other. The authors argue that, since man was created in God’s image, all the activities and duties, outside the sinful professions, carried out by man are used in fulfilling God’s image. According to the authors, all work is combined for the glory of God discusses the burden of work to man. Man feels that work is a necessary evil they have to endure. The text discusses how hard work is a result of sin and the results are devastating to human beings.
Finally, Keller & Alsdorf (2012) show how the gospel gives a new understanding of work to human beings. The text summarizes how the gospel creates a new perspective to work and even shows the contribution of unbelievers.
I agree with Keller’s perspective on work and how different types of work are all complementary and important in promoting God’s glory. However, some legal jobs with leaders who exploit other people or lead to environmental degradation, which is the destruction of God’s creation, cannot be viewed as equal or spiritual to other decent types of work.
The biblical worldview component was added to my research design on ‘biblical worldview on business’. Based on Keller & Alsdorf (2012) perspective, the concept of viewing all jobs as equal will change because different jobs have different values based on the impact they have on man and the environment.
References
Keller, T., & Alsdorf, K. (2012). Every good endeavor . Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.
Mele, D., & Fontrodona, J. (2016). Christian Ethics and Spirituality in Leading Business Organizations: Editorial Introduction. Journal of Business Ethics , 145 (4), 671-679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3323-3
Ruffner, B. (2013). A Theology of Business: A Reformed Perspective on the Basis and Application of Christian Ethics in Business [EBook]. The University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
