It’s not hard to figure out what’s expected of us. Sociologist Jaques Ellul put his finger right on the bruise:
What, then, is required of people today? Essentially four things. Their first and chief duty is to work well, painstakingly, and punctually. The second is not to be bothered about collective matters, not to become involved, not to meddle, to leave things to those who are qualified to see them: politicians to govern, the churches to dispense tranquility, doctors and hospitals to see to the sick and elderly. Each one has a sphere—play, play, and we will take care of the rest. The third thing is to be a good consumer, to have good wages and to spend them, consumption being an absolute duty, the only imperative duty, for if people do not consume the pace will slow down, money will not circulate, and there will not be enough work. The final thing is to follow the opinions propagated by the media, to adopt the information and themes for reflection that are proposed, and not to seek further afield, since the information provided is sufficient, and occasionally a scapegoat will be found, a terrible enemy, though not too close or powerful, on which the crowd can vent its anger and show its independence of spirit. These, then, are the four duties of people today.
What’s hard is figuring out how to serve our customers and add value to our companies in a manner that’s pleasing to our God (assuming our god is not the global economy—if that assumption is incorrect, see Ellul, above).
More than Money—the sixth module in the Scriptural Roots of Commerce—digs from top to bottom through the Bible text for keys to the meaning and management of personal and corporate attention, cash, capital and wealth.
Every worker’s test is standing against the tide of acquisitiveness and boundless exploitation, all the while exercising his responsibility to leverage what he owns—small or large—to add value to his household, his customers and company, and his community extending around the globe; and to do it as if it were for Christ himself.
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