Are traditional Christian convictions about vocation becoming outdated? “We need to ask about the dilemma of the unemployed – whether customary modes of interpreting and dealing with their plight are appropriate to a society marked by rapid technological change. We need, also, to ask about leisure, both the leisure of those who are enjoying the enormous fruits of technological efficiency, and the ironic leisure of those who cannot find employment. …
Christians … sometimes equate reconciled relationships with peaceful relationships, and … are disturbed when the tranquility of a community is shattered by an act of protest. … The Bible, however, is not sentimental. There to cry, ‘Peace, peace,’ is repugnant when there is no peace and when peace perpetuates injustice. In the last few years, a number of protest movements have emerged within groups that are underemployed, underrewarded, and unorganized. … If it is true that justice accompanies the redress of power imbalances, the Christian might best seek reconciliation through his active commitment to social change, augmenting the power of the disadvantaged.“
From “The church, the Christian and work,” an excerpt from a study paper by the Church and Society committee in preparation for the UPUSA GA
