Tuesday 11 January 2011

Masculine Mandate Chapter 3

Chapter three explored man's sacred call to work, it looks at the frustrations of fulfilling our mandate in the world as it is post fall with all the complications and limitations sin brings. However, helpful Phillips maintains that work is good, pointing out that in the parables of the mina's and talents the reward is more opportunity to serve the master.

The most helpful part of the chapter is that exploring how we distinctively evaluate our work as Christians. He gives us a number of questions we ought to be asking; does it glorify God, does it benefit our fellow man, will it provide for our material needs, does it enable me to enjoy a godly balanced life?

He also challenges the assumed drive for prosperity which we absorb as part of a western culture. He encourages Christian men to ask if our lifestyle is realistic if our job doesn't enable us to meet our needs and give.

Throughout the chapter he asks the question can we glorify God in and through our work whatever it may be as we work with integrity. Because ultimately we work for an audience of one - God.

It is another good and helpful chapter, though I was left thinking what about the person who is currently unemployed because of ill health or the state of the economy. A section applying this truth to those situations would have been very helpful. It is, however, a chapter we sorely need to hear in our work, promotion, wealth creation consumed culture.

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