Work, Earn, Save, Repeat
It seems safe to say that the Reformers were not big on balance and personal boundaries. In fact, the way Weber describes Calvin and Luther in his book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, shows me these two theologians can be held responsible for the crippling fear I will not make enough money, as well as my proclivity toward being a workaholic. I’m kidding, of course, but only a little.
In his landmark sociology text, Weber sets out to discover and explain the psychological conditions that brought about capitalism, or at least made it possible for it to develop.[1] In his journey, he explains how Luther and Calvin set the course in Protestantism for work to be considered a calling, and earning and multiplying money to be considered a duty. Weber notes that this is particularly astounding because, historically, the pursuit of money was considered not only gauche, but morally questionable at best.[2] The Reformers and, according to Weber, Calvinists in particular, viewed the accumulation of wealth through work and wisdom to be a hallmark of the elect. At the very least, it was proof of God’s blessing. Thus work became a religious rite of sorts. Hence the whole Protestant work ethic thing.
Work and save. Save and work. Sabbath on Sunday, then back to the grind. This was considered the blessed life. Truth is, we STILL honor the work, earn, save, repeat grind. Deep within our (particularly) American culture, the heart of overwork beats steadily. We call moms who work 10-12 hour days and still make it home for dinner and bath time “Wonder Woman.” A person who spends more hours of the day in the office than anywhere else is a “real go-getter” who will climb the corporate ladder in no time. Missed birthdays, recitals, dinners, and even vacations are seen as legitimate sacrifices that must be let go for the greater good of hard work and building that nest-egg. And we are killing ourselves to do it all, sanctioned by culture and our religious roots.
While this might have started with Calvin and Luther, I don’t think it’s fair to leave the blame with Calvinism or the Reformed Church. I will admit that I don’t really understand the drive to make more and more money. I don’t see that as a God thing. I don’t think that people who have little or no money are lazy, and I don’t see the wealthy as particularly blessed. I do, however, consistently fall into the trap that I must work, work, work to show myself approved. This is why I can’t blame Calvin. Wesleyan social justice work runs deep within my bones and bloodline. My grandmothers made little or no money as they did this work, but they worked too hard, too many hours each week, and created little to no margins in their lives. My grandfathers worked six days each week and still served on Sunday mornings and evenings, hoping just for a little nap in between. Calvinism does not have a monopoly on the Protestant work ethic. They may have started that way in an attempt to prove themselves elect and blessed, but the rest of us freely coopted the ethic in, what I see as, an attempt to prove that we are worthy to be daughters and sons of God.
The Protestant work ethic has shaped the economic drive in Western culture, for sure. Weber’s arguments about the fertile psychological fields that made room for capitalism make sense and we can trace what is happening now to those early Reformers. Maybe we can even trace our current drive to work ourselves into an early grave to them as well. Maybe in their need to leave everything Catholic behind, they lost a sense of rhythm and withdrawal that comes with rite and ritual. I don’t know. But what is our excuse now? After 500 years of work, earn, save, repeat, have we learned anything about Sabbath? After 500 years (ish) of more money, more money, have we learned anything about simplicity and poverty as disciplines? If we haven’t, I believe we cannot open the eyes of our culture to the fullness of Christ.
[1]. Max Weber, Protestant Ethic & Spirit of Capitalism, (Mineola, NY: Dovers Publication, 2003), I(b).
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Kristin Hamilton
11 responses to “Work, Earn, Save, Repeat”
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Kristin, great post as usual. You get to the heart of some of the negative social impact of overwork. You do such a good job of putting the real issues into everyday life!
How often do we see movies now that show the redemption of mom or dad who put work above family and realize their mistake? The happy ending is dad or mom getting their priorities straight. “Mary Poppins” is a good example and there are many others.
I’m not looking to Hollywood to solve our problems, but why don’t we see how everyone seems to be touched by such movies whether Christian or not? Something inside of us relates to that but as you say in “American culture, the heart of overwork beats steadily.”
I agree with you that our message of Christ should be to the whole culture.
Mary, you raise an EXCELLENT point about movies. It is popular in Christianity to dismiss Hollywood as craven and depraved, but you are so correct that Hollywood has also perpetuated images and stories that could help us see the need for balance. I hadn’t thought about that. Great insight!
An interesting thought that I had when reading Weber. I don’t remember him talking about the Protestants being over-worked. They worked hard, but did not seem to be stressed about it. Of course, they very well may have been overworked, but I have a feeling that they were not “work-a-holics.” The classic work-a-holic works too much for personal reasons. The early reformers taught that working hard glorified God. I wonder if the latter attitude created a less stressful worker?
Having been raised by a workaholic and being a recovering one myself, I can tell you that the classical workaholic rarely overworks for personal reasons but because something drives them, usually a sense of lack or a sense of purpose. Some work to prove themselves to voices from the past (including their own) that they are good enough, and others work to fill a hole. I think that is what Weber was saying about the direction capitalism has taken. At the base of it all, there is a deep need that goes unfulfilled.
I listened to stories from my grandparents and great grandparents about how they were shamed by fellow believers if they chose to take time for play. Work and Sabbath were all that was acceptable, and Sabbath never involved play as that was seen as frivolous.
Kristin great post! I also was very convicted by it. Especially when I read “Truth is, we STILL honor the work, earn, save, repeat grind. Deep within our (particularly) American culture, the heart of overwork beats steadily. We call moms who work 10-12 hour days and still make it home for dinner and bath time “Wonder Woman.” A person who spends more hours of the day in the office than anywhere else is a “real go-getter” who will climb the corporate ladder in no time. Missed birthdays, recitals, dinners, and even vacations are seen as legitimate sacrifices that must be let go for the greater good of hard work and building that nest-egg. And we are killing ourselves to do it all, sanctioned by culture and our religious roots.”
I know in my life I have always been driven by being a “go-getter”. It has been that way since I was a child. I think what makes it worse is that we give praise for it. People literally push themselves too much and too far with nothing but exhaustion to show for it. Life passes us by in our pursuit to work, earn, save, repeat. Wow! Whether people say they are working hard to the glorify of God or not, I think if we all were honest,it is our culture that has defined our work ethic rhythm and we continue to perpetuate it further.
I’m convicted by it too, Christal. I call myself a recovering workaholic because when I take time away from work (especially with my studies) to rest and play I tend to “should” all over myself, feeling guilty for not working harder. When I worked full-time, my days were never less than 10 hours. My bosses always praised me for “going the extra mile.” What I am learning, though, is that extra mile may kill me and will definitely lessen the quality of my life.
Yes Kristin…I understand that trap of having to work, work, work for the kingdom! Balancing life with play and rest is not only healthy but a divine command. As protestants, we would all benefit hearing more about implementing a healthy balance of play and work in our lives. I often tell my clients, as Americans, we are a bit nutty about work, and often stress the need for play. According to Reality Therapy, play is one of 4 primary needs (love/belonging, freedom, power/control, and play) yet we act like it’s just a frivolous activity that we can afford to skip. It can really throw people out of balance mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally when we stop playing. Ironically, this is how we heal and play/art therapy is a powerful modality I use with kids and adults. I guess God knew what He was talking about when He made rest one of the big 10. Thank you for the great reminder for needed balance.
“According to Reality Therapy, play is one of 4 primary needs (love/belonging, freedom, power/control, and play) yet we act like it’s just a frivolous activity that we can afford to skip.”
Oh my gosh, Jen, this should be taught in every seminary and every church (and while we are at it, let’s add it to the Common Core standards)! Imagine how different our lives would look if we leaned into the idea of play as a primary need.
I enjoyed your post Kristin and think that you make some very poignant points! The prayer of the Bible is that we will not have too much nor will we have too little – “Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God” (Proverbs). Work and creativity and productivity are surely God-given, but we have gone too far (particularly in America), with endless work, lack of Sabbath and, as you say, the loss of rhythm and ritual.
What a great Proverb to highlight balance, Geoff! As hard as it is for us to grasp, the reality is that rest and play make us MORE productive and creative.
Kristin, have you heard of Dr Matthew & Nancy Sleeth? He was an emergency room doctor who, in coming to faith, now seeks to bring care for creation into churches. But they are also both big advocates for taking a sabbath rest. https://www.amazon.com/24-Prescription-Healthier-Happier-Life-ebook/dp/B007V698UE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486966602&sr=8-1&keywords=sleeth+sabbath
Weber suggests that the biggest obstacle to capitalism is traditionalism; that is, “the opportunity of earning more was less attractive than that of working less… how much must I work to earn the wage… which takes care of my traditional needs?” (60). That, I believe, is a mindset that we might want to return to. The idea of “enough”, and that there is something more valuable than income (such as time).