Work in the Spirit: Toward a Theology of Work

Since the rise of modern industrial society, work has come to pervade and rule the lives of men and women. Although there have been many popular books and church documents on on the Christian understanding of work, this is the first scholarly effort to articulate a developed Protestant theology of work. In Work in the Spirit, Miroslav Volf interprets work as a theological construct in relationship to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Volf provides lucid and profoundly intellectual reflection on socialism, and draws from his personal experience growing up in communist Eastern Europe. He exhaustively explores the nature of work in both capitalist and socialist societies and considers a variety of work, including industrial, agricultural, medical, political, and artistic work.

Volf also brings the discussion into the twenty-first century, looking at work through the lens of the information society. He examines the theme of alienation in the work place —with particular emphasis on those in the technology and management—and illuminates the character of humane work.

On the basis of his “pneumatological” theology of work, Volf rejects the traditional Protestant understanding of work as vocation, and takes the concept of charisma as the cornerstone for his understanding of work. He denies that one is “called” to do a particular work in spite of one’s inclinations. Rather, he asserts, that it is our privilege—and fulfilling to us—to do the kind of work for which God’s spirit has gifted us. All human work done in accordance with the will of God, Volf argues, is cooperation with God in the preservation and transformation of the world.