When the Tail Wags the Dog
Since the 1870’s “the tail wagging the dog” is used when something that should be driving circumstances is instead being driven by them, “it is a role-reversal.[1]This idiom came to mind as I read Max Weber’s work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalismas the progression from virtue to task master takes hold. Weber describes the Protestant, and specifically, the Puritan attitude toward vocation and how it was a moral, even spiritual value of the proof of grace in one’s life and he makes the connection of this influence upon the development of the spirit of capitalism.[2]He perceives a “very peculiar elective affinity” between what he “conceived as a rational economic system in fieriand a new religious doctrine initiated by the Protestant Reformation and its aftermaths.” The characteristics of “sobriety, self-discipline, honesty, preciseness” were seen as beneficial attributes to an ethic that built the foundations of capitalism.[3]Philip S. Gorski of Yale University describes Weber’s work as “one of the most influential and widely read works in social science” even over a century later.[4]
Weber’s work has been translated and interpreted multiple times with varied criticisms of the translations for their effects on Weber’s original intent. In this version, as edited and translated by Baehr and Wells, I was particularly struck by evolution of this ethic resembling “the tail wagging the dog.” As an example, Weber describes the viewpoint of the employers as follows:
For employers imbued with this new “spirit,” economic activity is an end in itself, central to their identity, a calling with rigorous implications that transgress old ways of doing business…The enterprise is greater and more important than those it employs…The priority of work over the worker, of the enterprise over the entrepreneur, means that there is little room here for sentimentality. In order to survive, the firm must constantly reinvest capital and adapt to an impersonal market…Steely objectivity and discipline are the orientations demanded from this godless mechanism.[5]
What began as a moral and spiritual drive of people using work as the tool of virtue proving grace, the work and the economy it produced became the machine that drove the people and is valued above them. The “economic activity is an end in itself, central to their identity” and the work has a higher value than the worker.
This reminded me of much of my research as I consider the cultural reformation needed in denominations today. The ninety-five-year outcome of our denomination was the loss of focus on the identity and purpose we were birthed with and we had to reimagine why and how we exist. Organizations can easily lose their way as they begin to feel the need to produce in order to keep the organization growing. A common example is when local churches begin using “volunteers” to grow ministries rather than using ministries to grow people (disciples). When churches are serving denominations rather than the denominations serving local churches. The tail wags the dog again and again.
The correlation between the Protestant ethic and capitalism are very interesting to consider within the church and the results through the centuries. Regardless of the larger sociological argument Weber makes, this affinity has definitely produced varying effects on the very people who carry this ethic. In the last few years, a bible and multi-volume commentary series have been created by the Theology of Work Project to help followers of Jesus put their vocation back into a spiritual context.[6]Their premise is that if we are going to spend the majority of our lives at work then God must care about it and we can live more fully in Christ every day if we understand his calling. It sounds like our denominational reimagining to remember the “why,” to get the dog wagging the tail again. All of us have no doubt experienced the church member driven by climbing the corporate ladder so they can acquire and consume more and the wrestling this produces with the internal knowledge of what God says about where our treasure is, what we put first, and when money gains our affection. The Theology of Work Project is helping Christians see their work motivation differently.
As I read this website, various books written on the subject, and recall several workshops I have attended, I hear the echoes of the reformers reminding us of the virtue of vocation. Though not possible to stop the normal process of evolution (dog to tail wagging), it is a clear reminder of the necessity to be a reflective and a reforming people making regular course corrections. May our “protest” spirit be renewed in Protestantism and keep us always reforming back to the virtues that define us.
[1]https://grammarist.com/idiom/tail-wagging-the-dog/
[2]Max Weber, Peter Baehr and Gordon C. Wells, ed. The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit of Capitalism and Other Writings (New York: Penguin Books, 2002), xviii.
[3]Sara R. Farris, “New and Old Spirits of Capitalism.” International Review of Social History 55, no. 2 (08, 2010): 297-306. doi:http://dx.doi.org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1017/S0020859010000210. https://georgefox.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/docview/733019438?accountid=11085.
[4]Philip S. Gorski, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism/The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism and Other Writings.” Social Forces82, no. 2 (12, 2003): 833-839. doi:http://dx.doi.org.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/10.1353/sof.2004.0008. https://georgefox.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.georgefox.idm.oclc.org/docview/229879042?accountid=11085.
[5]Weber, xvii.
[6]https://www.theologyofwork.org
About the Author
Tammy Dunahoo
Tammy is a lover of God, her husband, children and grandchildren. She is the V.P. of U.S. Operations/General Supervisor of The Foursquare Church.8 responses to “When the Tail Wags the Dog”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You stopped me dead in my tracks with this line, “A common example is when local churches begin using “volunteers” to grow ministries rather than using ministries to grow people (disciples)”. I may have to quote you in my research now :). This is all the common and a great connection from this weeks reading. “Growth” has become the “profit” of the church and the commodification of the Gospel! You, my friend, have opened my eyes in a new way.
Glad to hear it! This has been my mantra with pastors for some time. The word “volunteer” is a major issue when it comes to the consuming disposition of the church. Volunteers do what they want when they want, that should not be the disposition of the Church nor the purpose of ministries. Too much to comment here, but it has deeper effects than we have realized I’m afraid.
Tammy, this Theology of Work project sounds very interesting. I know my Christian friends and I have spoken about how we should view our jobs in light of our Christianity. Even now, as my supervisor has retired, I struggle with the idea of trying to move up in my career vs. building toward the future of ministry after retirement. There is a natural inclination to keep reaching higher because more is better. I am glad others are looking at this situation and providing guidance. Thank you for your insight on this subject.
It has been a very helpful resource to many to realize their work has purpose beyond making a living. Our tradition has tended to focus on “calling” only applying to church ministry. This concept has helped all the Church recognize that “calling” is much more.
I had never heard that phrase until the movie “Wag the Dog” came out. In that movie a president sidesteps a scandal by waging a fake war on Albania. (Don’t even get me started on the correlations with our current government, oy) I wonder how much of the church, especially conservative churches in the US, sidesteps actual issues with faux passion for things that don’t matter as deeply. I can’t wait to see your work, because I can sense a call back to first principles.
Thanks, Sean. You are exactly right. I am seeing an important connection to realigning to DNA and first principles being the key to getting our motives and mission realigned.
Tammy, Like many of your fans, I love your prophetic common sense and wisdom as conveyed in, “when local churches begin using “volunteers” to grow ministries rather than using ministries to grow people (disciples). When churches are serving denominations rather than the denominations serving local churches.” We are striving to codify a new leadership philosophy here in my local church, where we want to develop people instead of ministries. This carries over into my research work where I want coaching networks to serve pastors and church planters while caring for the coaches involved. Thanks again so much for your research and your folksy wisdom.
Tammy, your posts are so fun to read. I love the interplay between congregations and denominations and you are so EXCELLENT at pointing out our issues. Your research is so valuable, thank you for sharing your insight with us in your blog posts.