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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 from a new perspective - in terms of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. 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. Examining the importance of alienation in work in industrial and information societies (particularly in the relation of workers to management and technology), he analyzes various forms of such alienation, and elucidates the character of humane work. On the basis of the "pneumatological" theology of work that he develops, Volf rejects the traditional Protestant understanding of work as vocation, and takes the concept of charisma as the cornerstone for his theological reflection on work. He denies that one is "called" to do a particular work irrespective of one's inclinations, and asserts, instead, that it is our privilege 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.
270 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1991
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375 people want to read
About the author
Miroslav Volf
70 books327 followersMiroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. “One of the most celebrated theologians of our time,” (Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury), Volf is a leading expert on religion and conflict. His recent books include Against the Tide: Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities, and Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation—winner of the 2002 Grawmeyer Award in Religion.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 27, 2020
Volf describes the modern "problem" of work: it may be dehumanizing, modern markets may produce asymmetric global costs and rewards, and increasing technology often exacerbates such problems. He characterizes work as it transforms from a material to mental activity and grounds discussion in dominant theories of work given by Adam Smith and Karl Marx.
Given this context, Volf proposes a theological framework for work, interpreted in the context of new creation: "the end of all God's purposes of the universe, and as such, ... the necessary criterion of all human action that can be considered good." That is, individuals should understand their charisms ("graces and gifts of God"), and employ them in service of new creation.
Even in a secular context, Volf's framework resonates — it describes how individuals might interpret and find purpose in their work, whether creative, familial, or vocational. He discusses modern problems of alienation as a result of labor and establishes norms for working in the context of the environment. While the book operates at an abstraction that is not quite actionable — it does not lend itself to concrete personal change or large-scale reform — it is still thought-provoking and discussion-worthy.
Given this context, Volf proposes a theological framework for work, interpreted in the context of new creation: "the end of all God's purposes of the universe, and as such, ... the necessary criterion of all human action that can be considered good." That is, individuals should understand their charisms ("graces and gifts of God"), and employ them in service of new creation.
Even in a secular context, Volf's framework resonates — it describes how individuals might interpret and find purpose in their work, whether creative, familial, or vocational. He discusses modern problems of alienation as a result of labor and establishes norms for working in the context of the environment. While the book operates at an abstraction that is not quite actionable — it does not lend itself to concrete personal change or large-scale reform — it is still thought-provoking and discussion-worthy.
May 16, 2020
The problem of work, I think, can be stated as follows. Work, since it occupies a solid part of our waking lives and is necessary for individual sustenance and a functional society, is a particularly influential force in shaping our identities. In this respect, work is what Volf calls a "fundamental dimension of human existence." However, much of work in modern industrial society is deeply alienating.
Volf believes that this is a problem so fundamental that it can only be adequately addressed on a theological, religious level, as any attempt to do so on a political or psychological level lacks normative values, without which human activity is directionless. As such, the book is likely to be unpalatable to most modern individuals who read it, though I believe it is still a valuable text to the secular mind.
Volf's "Toward a Theology of Work" offers (the beginnings of) a theological framework to understand the importance of work in modern society and in personal life. Broadly, I think the book can be broken down into three main parts: (1) a review of contemporary understandings of work, focusing on Adam Smith and Marx's views (as the progenitors of capitalism and socialism, respectively), (2) an outline of his pneumatological theology of work, and finally (3) a discussion on alienation.
Volf's pneumatological theology of work is founded on the doctrine of "new creation", which is rooted in an interpretation of the apocalypse in Revelation as a transformation of rather than the destruction of the world as we know it. This interpretation views "new creation" as a fundamental reaffirmation of the original creation, and thus frames the telos of human history as a process of bringing about a New Jerusalem. As such, human work ought to be viewed in the context of this ultimate cosmological narrative, and as being in service of the Holy Spirit. In particular, Volf underscores the importance of developing, acquiring, and manifesting "charisms" (i.e., gifts from God) as central to fulfilling work.
The dialectical significance of such a theology should not be lost on the reader. Volf's theology is a major break from the Protestant understanding of work as "vocation" (it is more suitable to the dynamic nature of modern employment). It breaks from Smith's discussion of the division and consequent alienation of labor (it affirms the utility of a market economy but rejects the necessity of alienation of labor). Finally, it breaks from Marx's view that humans are fundamentally constituted by their work (it acknowledges the existential importance of work, but roots human value and dignity in the transcendental rather than in the professional, thereby addressing the problem of alienation).
The book falls short in some respects. Primarily, since it cannot offer policy recommendations, it can be read in a way that encourages a disquieting acceptance of alienation (though Volf is aware of and does address this possibility). Of course, there is also the problem that making religious or normative claims is no longer politically correct in modern society. However despite these objections, as a sketch of a plausible answer to the problem of work, I think it makes great strides.
Volf believes that this is a problem so fundamental that it can only be adequately addressed on a theological, religious level, as any attempt to do so on a political or psychological level lacks normative values, without which human activity is directionless. As such, the book is likely to be unpalatable to most modern individuals who read it, though I believe it is still a valuable text to the secular mind.
Volf's "Toward a Theology of Work" offers (the beginnings of) a theological framework to understand the importance of work in modern society and in personal life. Broadly, I think the book can be broken down into three main parts: (1) a review of contemporary understandings of work, focusing on Adam Smith and Marx's views (as the progenitors of capitalism and socialism, respectively), (2) an outline of his pneumatological theology of work, and finally (3) a discussion on alienation.
Volf's pneumatological theology of work is founded on the doctrine of "new creation", which is rooted in an interpretation of the apocalypse in Revelation as a transformation of rather than the destruction of the world as we know it. This interpretation views "new creation" as a fundamental reaffirmation of the original creation, and thus frames the telos of human history as a process of bringing about a New Jerusalem. As such, human work ought to be viewed in the context of this ultimate cosmological narrative, and as being in service of the Holy Spirit. In particular, Volf underscores the importance of developing, acquiring, and manifesting "charisms" (i.e., gifts from God) as central to fulfilling work.
The dialectical significance of such a theology should not be lost on the reader. Volf's theology is a major break from the Protestant understanding of work as "vocation" (it is more suitable to the dynamic nature of modern employment). It breaks from Smith's discussion of the division and consequent alienation of labor (it affirms the utility of a market economy but rejects the necessity of alienation of labor). Finally, it breaks from Marx's view that humans are fundamentally constituted by their work (it acknowledges the existential importance of work, but roots human value and dignity in the transcendental rather than in the professional, thereby addressing the problem of alienation).
The book falls short in some respects. Primarily, since it cannot offer policy recommendations, it can be read in a way that encourages a disquieting acceptance of alienation (though Volf is aware of and does address this possibility). Of course, there is also the problem that making religious or normative claims is no longer politically correct in modern society. However despite these objections, as a sketch of a plausible answer to the problem of work, I think it makes great strides.
October 28, 2017
Good treatment of the topic of work. Volf is helpful for his analysis of primary sources of both Adam Smith and Karl Marx's texts on the topic (which is helpful not only for his own Eastern European context, but for me as a Brazilian), and his exploration of the relationship between the via ativa and the via contemplativa in the Christian tradition are insightful and interesting. Significant to me were his comments on the necessity of an ecological perspective in work, and a biblical view of unemployment.
February 2, 2017
What would it mean if the starting point for a theology of work was the Spirit and charisma instead of creation and vocation? Theologies of work have been dominated by the latter two motifs, neither remains inadequate, but at the same time, Miroslav Volf argues that neither is comprehensive enough. For a Christian theology of work Volf suggests a shift “from the vocational understanding of work developed within the framework of the doctrine of creation to a pneumatological one developed within the framework of the doctrine of the last things” (ix). A pneumatological theology of work is “based on the concept of charisma,” while a doctrine of the last things is found in an “eschatological realism” (ix,x). Developing this shift and showing its importance for a theology of work is the project of this text; Volf steadily and acutely argues for its necessity.
September 22, 2017
Volf is obvious confused about the Holy Spirit! Seems to confuse the human will (as in having spirit) with the Divine. Completely missed the boat - shame.
April 21, 2011
Why Do We Hate Work?
Do you like your job? For most, the answer to that question is an unequivocal, “no”. What does it mean to work? Is it merely a means to an end – the exchange of labor for money? In Work in the Spirit, Miroslav Volf seeks to answer these questions.
In quest of a theological case for work, Volf splits his tome into two sections. In the first portion, Volf discusses current conceptions of work – mainly highlighting the difficulties of the modern employee – and continues by exploring the philosophical undertones of contemporary work through the thought of Adam Smith and Karl Marx.
In the second section, Volf posits a theological significance for work. Theologians throughout history have considered work instrumentally important since it not only provides resources that allow humans to pursue leisurely goods but also offers support for those pursuing vocational work, such as pastoral ministry and caring for the poor.
Pnematology: The Study of the Spirit
Volf, however, argues that work possess more than an instrumental purpose; it carries a pneumatological function. As such, work offers a vocational and intrinsic purpose as an end in itself. Under this rubric, the Spirit of God gifts humans in different ways and through these means, humans find specific callings in the workforce.
Sadly, work for the majority of the human population is classified as toilsome. Structurally, work tends to alienate and exploit. Under these premises, it is easy to see why so many view work as a means rather than an end – who wants to endure toil for its own sake?
The Classic Christian View of Work
Thinkers throughout Christian tradition, however, agree that work possesses useful qualities.
Volf writes,
“The early church fathers affirmed not only the nobility of work but also the obligation to work diligently and not be idle” (72).
Under these conditions, work only maintained instrumental value; it provided opportunities to increase ascetic discipline and it presented Christians with money to sustain the household and assist those in need.
Work through the Lens of the New Creation
Suppose, however, that the eschatological future is not a world annihilated and rebuilt, but a restoration of existing creation.
Volf posits,
“If [creation’s] destiny is eschatological transformation, then, in spite of the lack of explicit exegetical support, we must ascribe to human work inherent value, independent of its relation to the proclamation of the gospel” (93).
If consummation arrives not in destruction but in restoration, the value of human work becomes critical for Christians. The faithful ought not to remain in expectant leisure awaiting God’s return; they are entrusted with the care of creation.
Work, then, is a gift of God that is inherently good; it existed before the fall when God entrusted the garden to Adam and Eve, maintained after the fall, and glorified in the transformation of new creation.
Work in the Spirit
For Volf, a pneumatological view of work is the way in which humans find purposeful work in the transformative new creation. Concerning vocation and the work of the Spirit, He writes:
“We can determine the relationship between calling and charisma in the following way: the general calling to enter the kingdom of God and to live in accordance with this kingdom that comes to a person through the preaching of the gospel becomes for the believer a call to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which should characterize all Christians, and, as they are placed in various situations, the calling to live in accordance with the kingdom branches out in the multiple gifts of the Spirit to each individual” (113).
In other words, the gifts granted by the Spirit orient Christians toward specific vocational work. Under this conception, work, while remaining under the fall, encounters meaning through the Spirit as human beings labor in cooperation with God. By reflecting on the gifts God has given, Christians find more meaning in work and in the community.
The Body Does Not Consist Entirely of Hands
On the whole, I find Volf’s theological reframing of work’s purpose to be convincing. As Paul discusses in Corinthians, the Spirit gifts Christians in specific ways allowing the communal body of Christ to function well.
As such, not every Christian is a hand. If each person tried to fulfill the work of the hand, the community would suffer. Therefore, it is ideal to place people in work scenarios that suite their specific vocational gifts.
Are We Capable of Working in the Spirit?
Nevertheless, trouble arises with Volf’s theological framing of work. Jobs, as they currently stand, are a scarce resource. With the worry of not working, many people accept a poorly-suited job for them because it is better than unemployment.
Additionally, job scarcity denies many people the opportunity to work in the fields that best apply to an individual’s specific Spirit-given gifts. For example, a talented musician, more than likely, will never become a professional musician. The demand for the position far exceeds the supply of jobs.
As such, the awarding of these jobs often result in factors outside of giving the job to the most gifted applicant – for example, politics, nepotism, and the almighty dollar are highly influential externalities in the job market.
Additionally, many people are denied jobs through lack of experience or education. Often times, employers look, first and foremost, at job experience. If an applicant who possesses perfectly-suited talent for the position but has little-to-no experience, he or she will not get the job.
Or, a brilliant person who lacked the economic resources to obtain an education will lose the job to a less-gifted-but-educated person.
While a pneumatological theology of work clearly is the ideal understanding of work, in current practice, work suffers from an imperfect application in a broken world. Ideally, people ought to search for the perfect job that fits with the Spirit-given gifts they possess. In reality, people must often settle for a job because they have the relevant experience and it is better than no job at all.
Despite this problematic question, Work in the Spirit critically discusses the value of work. While many think of it as a means to a leisurely end, Volf argues that a pneumatological understanding of work allows humanity to be liberated to choose jobs that fit specific gifts. I recommend this book.
Originally published at http://wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com/.
Do you like your job? For most, the answer to that question is an unequivocal, “no”. What does it mean to work? Is it merely a means to an end – the exchange of labor for money? In Work in the Spirit, Miroslav Volf seeks to answer these questions.
In quest of a theological case for work, Volf splits his tome into two sections. In the first portion, Volf discusses current conceptions of work – mainly highlighting the difficulties of the modern employee – and continues by exploring the philosophical undertones of contemporary work through the thought of Adam Smith and Karl Marx.
In the second section, Volf posits a theological significance for work. Theologians throughout history have considered work instrumentally important since it not only provides resources that allow humans to pursue leisurely goods but also offers support for those pursuing vocational work, such as pastoral ministry and caring for the poor.
Pnematology: The Study of the Spirit
Volf, however, argues that work possess more than an instrumental purpose; it carries a pneumatological function. As such, work offers a vocational and intrinsic purpose as an end in itself. Under this rubric, the Spirit of God gifts humans in different ways and through these means, humans find specific callings in the workforce.
Sadly, work for the majority of the human population is classified as toilsome. Structurally, work tends to alienate and exploit. Under these premises, it is easy to see why so many view work as a means rather than an end – who wants to endure toil for its own sake?
The Classic Christian View of Work
Thinkers throughout Christian tradition, however, agree that work possesses useful qualities.
Volf writes,
“The early church fathers affirmed not only the nobility of work but also the obligation to work diligently and not be idle” (72).
Under these conditions, work only maintained instrumental value; it provided opportunities to increase ascetic discipline and it presented Christians with money to sustain the household and assist those in need.
Work through the Lens of the New Creation
Suppose, however, that the eschatological future is not a world annihilated and rebuilt, but a restoration of existing creation.
Volf posits,
“If [creation’s] destiny is eschatological transformation, then, in spite of the lack of explicit exegetical support, we must ascribe to human work inherent value, independent of its relation to the proclamation of the gospel” (93).
If consummation arrives not in destruction but in restoration, the value of human work becomes critical for Christians. The faithful ought not to remain in expectant leisure awaiting God’s return; they are entrusted with the care of creation.
Work, then, is a gift of God that is inherently good; it existed before the fall when God entrusted the garden to Adam and Eve, maintained after the fall, and glorified in the transformation of new creation.
Work in the Spirit
For Volf, a pneumatological view of work is the way in which humans find purposeful work in the transformative new creation. Concerning vocation and the work of the Spirit, He writes:
“We can determine the relationship between calling and charisma in the following way: the general calling to enter the kingdom of God and to live in accordance with this kingdom that comes to a person through the preaching of the gospel becomes for the believer a call to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which should characterize all Christians, and, as they are placed in various situations, the calling to live in accordance with the kingdom branches out in the multiple gifts of the Spirit to each individual” (113).
In other words, the gifts granted by the Spirit orient Christians toward specific vocational work. Under this conception, work, while remaining under the fall, encounters meaning through the Spirit as human beings labor in cooperation with God. By reflecting on the gifts God has given, Christians find more meaning in work and in the community.
The Body Does Not Consist Entirely of Hands
On the whole, I find Volf’s theological reframing of work’s purpose to be convincing. As Paul discusses in Corinthians, the Spirit gifts Christians in specific ways allowing the communal body of Christ to function well.
As such, not every Christian is a hand. If each person tried to fulfill the work of the hand, the community would suffer. Therefore, it is ideal to place people in work scenarios that suite their specific vocational gifts.
Are We Capable of Working in the Spirit?
Nevertheless, trouble arises with Volf’s theological framing of work. Jobs, as they currently stand, are a scarce resource. With the worry of not working, many people accept a poorly-suited job for them because it is better than unemployment.
Additionally, job scarcity denies many people the opportunity to work in the fields that best apply to an individual’s specific Spirit-given gifts. For example, a talented musician, more than likely, will never become a professional musician. The demand for the position far exceeds the supply of jobs.
As such, the awarding of these jobs often result in factors outside of giving the job to the most gifted applicant – for example, politics, nepotism, and the almighty dollar are highly influential externalities in the job market.
Additionally, many people are denied jobs through lack of experience or education. Often times, employers look, first and foremost, at job experience. If an applicant who possesses perfectly-suited talent for the position but has little-to-no experience, he or she will not get the job.
Or, a brilliant person who lacked the economic resources to obtain an education will lose the job to a less-gifted-but-educated person.
While a pneumatological theology of work clearly is the ideal understanding of work, in current practice, work suffers from an imperfect application in a broken world. Ideally, people ought to search for the perfect job that fits with the Spirit-given gifts they possess. In reality, people must often settle for a job because they have the relevant experience and it is better than no job at all.
Despite this problematic question, Work in the Spirit critically discusses the value of work. While many think of it as a means to a leisurely end, Volf argues that a pneumatological understanding of work allows humanity to be liberated to choose jobs that fit specific gifts. I recommend this book.
Originally published at http://wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com/.
February 28, 2019
Volf details secular theories of work, both critiquing Adam Smith and Karl Marx's view points, while also delving into the ethics of modern work. He develops a pneumatological and eschatological argument for Christian work: cooperation with God that is an expression of our giftedness (charism). It is something that defeats Marxist alienation and engenders community. We want to help make service in the church such an expression.
February 28, 2019
"Volf details secular theories of work, both critiquing Adam Smith and Karl Marx's view points, while also delving into the ethics of modern work. He develops a pneumatological and eschatological argument for Christian work: cooperation with God that is an expression of our giftedness (charism). It is something that defeats Marxist alienation and engenders community. We want to help make service in the church such an expression."--Jonny
August 17, 2020
A dense read, but well worth it in considering how Christians should approach "work." Volf challenged some of my presuppositions and did an excellent job of bringing scripture to bear on a central aspect of our daily lives. If you are looking for an introduction to a comprehensive theology of work, look elsewhere, but if you are looking to dive in, I highly recommend this book.
September 16, 2024
The author seems to confuse sociology with Scripture. We agree on some points, but ultimately if you’re looking for what God reveals about himself, the author intertwines too much sociology as providing a solution. There are better books on the subject.
May 19, 2020
Excellent. Volf deconstructs some of Christian notions of a single call in life or a rigid vocation and instead he provides a theology of work that is Spirit-driven in all of life.
January 26, 2021
Many people see their work as be very unspiritual. This book by a well respected theologian seeks to develop a theology of work. A great resource for anyone interested in this subject.
April 28, 2025
I think he misreads Luther, but otherwise a lot to think about
August 7, 2014
The 'towards' in the title should have tipped me off to the primary focus of this work. Volf here sets the parameters and starting points for a theology of work from a pneumatological perspective. Much of the language and discussion is technical and left me wishing I was reading something without 'towards' in the title.
He does however cover much ground in moving towards this theology. Arguing for and adopting the perspective of the eschatological transformation of our world, over against its final destruction, provides ultimate meaning and significance to the everyday work of everyday people. In this, believers ought to have a further advantage in being renewed by the Spirit as new creations, allowing them to know (by the Spirit) the places where God is renewing and work alongside. Here, along with nurturing the fruit of the Spirit, believers work in the Spirit by the gifts of the Spirit (charisms), which are given both 'diachronically' (for use in many different spheres of life) and in 'synchronic plurality' (changing and developing as contexts and callings change over time). Compared to the view of 'work as vocation'(static calling and lifelong ministry/gift/skill) I found this perspective refreshing.
The application of this perspective to humans, work and creation help to redirect the energies and ends of work towards communion. Communion with God, with others and with nature. Included in this section was a helpful discussion of how leisure and work must be both alternating and interdependent activities. One must not come to be subservient to the other.
I also found the discussion on 'fundamental needs' setting the criteria to moderate the ever expanding product-needs of our society useful for reflection. In the final chapter on alienating and humanizing work it was interesting to reflect on how church models have paralleled the alienating structures and methods that modern hierarchal organizations have employed to maximize efficiency. Finally, in contrast to the assumptions made by capitalism regarding the inherent goodness of self-interest, Volf refocuses the believer on the common good as the primary motivation and aim for work.
He does however cover much ground in moving towards this theology. Arguing for and adopting the perspective of the eschatological transformation of our world, over against its final destruction, provides ultimate meaning and significance to the everyday work of everyday people. In this, believers ought to have a further advantage in being renewed by the Spirit as new creations, allowing them to know (by the Spirit) the places where God is renewing and work alongside. Here, along with nurturing the fruit of the Spirit, believers work in the Spirit by the gifts of the Spirit (charisms), which are given both 'diachronically' (for use in many different spheres of life) and in 'synchronic plurality' (changing and developing as contexts and callings change over time). Compared to the view of 'work as vocation'(static calling and lifelong ministry/gift/skill) I found this perspective refreshing.
The application of this perspective to humans, work and creation help to redirect the energies and ends of work towards communion. Communion with God, with others and with nature. Included in this section was a helpful discussion of how leisure and work must be both alternating and interdependent activities. One must not come to be subservient to the other.
I also found the discussion on 'fundamental needs' setting the criteria to moderate the ever expanding product-needs of our society useful for reflection. In the final chapter on alienating and humanizing work it was interesting to reflect on how church models have paralleled the alienating structures and methods that modern hierarchal organizations have employed to maximize efficiency. Finally, in contrast to the assumptions made by capitalism regarding the inherent goodness of self-interest, Volf refocuses the believer on the common good as the primary motivation and aim for work.
February 1, 2012
In his concluding chapter Volf writes, "If, however, work is an end itself, then the process of working has as much value as the results of work." This, more than anything else, is my take away from this book. Volf has helped to redefine work for me, and that is a good thing, by giving a new context for understanding it and its intention. The process, as in the rest of life, is as much the point as is the result.
August 22, 2016
Miroslav Volf has a lot of really good insights in this work but it is a technical work that engages both philosophical and theological sources. I find his insight of work as charisms 'gifts of the Spirit' rather than the more static concept of vocation enlightening as well as his final section which deals with the alienating nature work can have and what work in a Christian context might look like.
June 3, 2012
Another exceptionally thorough examination of the relationship between faith and work. I was encouraged, challenged, and inspiring by this book. I also quoted this one extensively in my Winter School lecture on faith at work at the University of Stellenbosch.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews