Full-Time
A Conversation with David L. Bahnsen on Work & the Meaning of Life
“If work is to find its right place in the world, it is the duty of the Church to see to it that the work serves God, and that the worker serves the work.”
(Dorothy L. Sayers)
Whether we consider the hospitality of the saints in the Old Testament, the notion of vocation under the banner of Lutheran teaching, the contested annunciation of Max Weber’s protestant work ethic, or the modern manifestations of labor amidst the marginalized in Catholic Social Thought, it is clear that Christians do not have the luxury of growing stagnant when it comes to thinking of formative measures for integrating temple and field. Writing in Work and Worship, Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B. Wilson continue in this ancient conversation about the nature of vocation as it relates to faith and time. They provide an excellent primer on thinking about the dual dimensions of the workweek as it relates to the cyclical nature of Sunday worship and the spiritual diffusion of our respective callings.
As the writers note, every workweek brings a countless array of rituals that contend for the worker’s heart.[1] This means that there are no simple bifurcations between when the sacred time is launched and when the secular times starts again. That work comes to church with us every Sunday and that the church comes to work with us in the days thereafter. And, no doubt, combining the seams of work and faith remains a perpetual challenge. “Priestly postures in the workplace do not come naturally,” write Kaemingk and Wilson, “they must be practiced.”[2] But first, perhaps, they must be discussed and considered anew—lest we become complacent with the false dichotomies we create and relegate our faith to the corners of the pews, homes, and hearts.
Which is why I was so excited to have this conversation with David Bahnsen on his seminal new book, Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life. This is a relatively short book, but there are concepts at the core of David’s approach that have already in my life triggered several conversations about the nature of work. And while the conversation is a suitable opening primer on the book itself, it must be read and considered in order to fully digest its implications on forming the right mindset for approaching work from the lenses of faith. A mindset that too often relegates, as David notes throughout, the importance of work as a utilitarian exercise instead of something deeply ingrained in the structure and design of man’s nature and purpose.
Some of the topics we discuss involve the biblical teaching on work in the Old Testament, especially as it relates to our core identities. As David writes, “[w]e work because we were created to do so, and because in our work we reflect the image of God, who transforms the ugly into the beautiful.”
We discuss the interesting dichotomies people embrace without even being aware of them. Things like creating a wall of separation between your secular and sacred callings, subordinating the material from the spiritual, and putting too much importance on personal feelings over doctrinal truth. This speaks directly to Kaemingk and Wilson’s own concern that Christians too often don’t develop a “vocationally conversant” week-life where the worker is bringing his worship to work and his work to the altar as sacrifice. I have friends who talk about their work as something they do to pay the bills and take the kids on vacation. That is a model that fundamentally removes the purpose of work and thus detaches the very purpose of man from his design and maker.
We also discuss the nature of excellence and a holistic understanding of work as integrating with the practical and financial dimensions of faith and life. This topic allows listeners to further explore the role of faith as it relates to financial stewardship and family obligations. It allows us to further explore the importance of diligence and pursuing good work. As Dorothy L. Sayers wonderfully puts in her essay, “No crooked table legs or ill-fitting drawers ever came out of the carpenter’s shop at Nazareth. Nor, if they did, could anyone believe that they were made by the same hand that made Heaven and earth.”
We discuss the problematic use of work-life balance to downgrade the importance of work. As David notes, far too many pastors fail to fully appreciate the importance of work as an essential ingredient to our spiritual faithfulness. David instead points to a “work/rest” paradigm as the appropriate mindset we should embrace. John Witte, Jr. in his Table Talks has similarly hit on this theme in his advocacy for learning the art of taking a day off. He writes how employers too often fail to appreciate this balance and that the worker must assert himself in creating limits to his externally demanding schedule. To students, he makes this point clear: “learn to take a day off in law school and make it a habit of your legal career.” Otherwise, the habit will not readily form amidst a full-time career.
Finally, we also talk a little bit about retirement and whether removing the lifetime of experience from the job market is wise. As David writes, “may we never equate financial freedom with an exit from those activities that serve others.” If the Bible teaches us anything, it’s that old age brings wisdom and that those who seek to put their value aside have failed to understand the basics of a full-time vocation.
Get the book here.
Enjoy!
[1] Matthew Kaemingk & Cory B. Wilson, Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy 42 (2020). Listen to my conversation with Matthew about the book here.
[2] Id. at 57.
ART WORK:
George Bellows (1882-1925)