{"id":4145,"date":"2015-02-25T13:46:27","date_gmt":"2015-02-25T13:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=4145"},"modified":"2015-02-25T13:46:27","modified_gmt":"2015-02-25T13:46:27","slug":"work-ethic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/work-ethic\/","title":{"rendered":"Work Ethic"},"content":{"rendered":"

What? Did Webner really say \u201cProtestants\u2026 have shown a special tendency to develop economic rationalism which cannot be observed to the same extent among Catholics\u201d.[i]<\/a> Isn\u2019t he saying \u2013 Protestants work better then Catholics?<\/em> After my initial double take, I was intrigued. How will this German sociologist make the case that Protestantism is a contributing factor to capitalism? What Protestant beliefs will he identify that have directly supported capitalistic expansion?<\/p>\n

In chapter 3 he tried to make a case I found disturbing: \u201cbefore the Reformation, people did not see their \u2018worldly\u2019 activities (such as their occupations and businesses) as being in service to God. Rather, worldly activities were perceived more like necessary evils.\u201d[ii]<\/a> But during the Reformation, attitudes towards work changed supported by doctrine. I found this disturbing because I have a very high view of work-life, believing that it\u2019s a means of worship, service and mission. I presumed that was an ancient biblical doctrine, not a relatively recent understanding.<\/p>\n

Prior to the Reformation, the material world was often considered a \u201cnecessary evil.\u201d The goals was to separate oneself from the world, from work, disconnect through your religious life. \u00a0Protestantism offered a different paradigm. It offered a sense of calling into<\/em> the world with the purpose of living lives of (holy) contrast, to \u201cbe in the world but not of the world.\u201d Webner cited Luther\u2019s \u201cmoral justification of worldly activity,\u201d a doctrine that created a sense of \u201ccalling\u201d to worldly activity, which wasn\u2019t what the church had been promoting.[iii]<\/a> Webner also highlights Calvinist predestination\u2014that God has chosen who is saved and who is not. \u201cAs Calvinism developed, a deep psychological need for clues about whether one was actually saved arose, and Calvinists looked to their success in worldy activity for those clues.\u201d[iv]<\/a><\/p>\n

Other protestant religious groups (Pietists, Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites and Quakers) contributed to the protestant work ethic. While generalizations are often inaccurate, I\u2019d say these religious groups encourage their participants to live lives that proved their salvation, lives that rejected common worldly vices, and in doing so, investing in their work and avoiding distraction. It\u2019s clear, then, that a passion for holy living in the world could effectively support capitalism.<\/p>\n

This book speaks to me\u00a0in its focus on practical theology as well as my desire for a more disciplined life. Practical theology has been a passion of mine ever since I started listening to Andy Stanley and started using some of his material for my own sermons. Andy is a well-known pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta; he is all about motivating people to change, to connect their everyday world and their faith. His messages are practical. He\u2019ll do a series on how our finances can be brought into balance, how to make the most of our time, or a series on how to avoid worry. He is always helping people bridge their spiritual and physical lives, between their ordinary work lives and their spiritual growth. I always assumed the bridge between work and worship was from the scripture \u201cWhatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…\u201d[v]<\/a>, but I can\u2019t minimize the paradigm shift brought on by the Protestants.<\/p>\n

While I don\u2019t like the word \u201cascetic\u201d used throughout the book\u2014it\u2019s become associated with an unhealthy religious denial of all desire\u2014it does remind me of my own desire for self-discipline in my life, and restraint in my own materialistic pursuits. \u00a0In Webner\u2019s world, asceticism can lead to fruitful capitalism, but for me it can lead to spiritual growth. There is much evidence that the discipline and restraint like that dictated by a \u201cRule of Life,\u201d such as the one advanced by St Benedict, can be tremendously beneficial to spiritual growth.<\/p>\n

So what am I saying? That while the Protestants\u2019 ascetic can help you be a better capitalist, the Catholic ascetic can help you be a better Christian? My Catholic-bashing Dad is turning over in his grave.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism<\/em>, abridged ed. (Seaside, OR: Merchant Books, 2013), 8-9.<\/p>\n

[ii]<\/a> SparkNotes Editors. \u201cSparkNote on The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.\u201d SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. http:\/\/www.sparknotes.com\/philosophy\/protestantethic\/ (accessed February 23, 2015).<\/p>\n

[iii]<\/a> Webner, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. <\/em>39-49.<\/p>\n

[iv]<\/a> SparkNotes Editors. \u201cSparkNote on The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.\u201d SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. http:\/\/www.sparknotes.com\/philosophy\/protestantethic\/ (accessed February 23, 2015).<\/p>\n

[v]<\/a> Col 3:23-24 NIV<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What? Did Webner really say \u201cProtestants\u2026 have shown a special tendency to develop economic rationalism which cannot be observed to the same extent among Catholics\u201d.[i] Isn\u2019t he saying \u2013 Protestants work better then Catholics? After my initial double take, I was intrigued. How will this German sociologist make the case that Protestantism is a contributing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2,386,609],"class_list":["post-4145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dminlgp","tag-max-weber","tag-work","cohort-lgp5"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4145"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4147,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4145\/revisions\/4147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}