Configuring a Christian Spirituality of Work

Abstract

The essay addresses the following questions: What constitute the basics of a spirituality of work? Can one draw some criteria by which to adjudicate the coherence, consistency, and adequacy of existing spiritualities of work? What can Christianity offer for developing a spirituality of work? Guided by these questions, the essay begins with identifying the interrelated variables of work itself: product, process, end user, the worker, and the workplace. Each variable has a spiritual dimension. Product points to human creativity; process to the precepts: be attentive, be intelligent, be reasonable, and be responsible. Taken together, the end user, the worker, and the workplace point to the interpersonal dimension of work. The worker is poised toward the need for personal transcendence, as the workplace is the locus for apprehending the presence of grace in our midst.