New York Times Article on Faith at Work

The October 31 issue of the New York Times Magazine had a feature article titled "Faith and Work" by Russell Shorto. You can view a printer-friendly version at:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00716F83F590C728FDDA90994DC404482

Here is my response to the article, followed by the responses of several other members of our ongoing dialogue on this issue. If you wish to join this group, send me an e-mail at gpierce@actapublications.com. You will receive an e-mail from me about once a month, there is no charge or obligation, and no one will ever have access to your e-mail address.

Letters to the Editor, Magazine
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036

To the Editor:

May I presume to speak for mainline Catholic laity about Russell Shorto's article "Faith and Work" in the October 31, 2004 issue of The New York Times Magazine?

There is a strong strain in Catholicism of recognizing the workplace as a primary place where we live out our Christian faith and mission. "To work is to pray," said St. Benedict, and "It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching," said St. Francis of Assisi.

In fact, the word "Mass" derives from the Latin phrase for the Dismissal Rite, where the priest or deacon sends us forth into the world to help bring about the reign of God "on earth…as it is in heaven."

The difference in the Catholic approach to faith at work, which has been promoted for over twenty-five years by the National Center for the Laity, based in Chicago, is that most Catholics are uncomfortable with overt displays of piety or religiosity of the kind practiced by Chuck Ripka and others of our Evangelical brethren.

For Catholics, the work itself is holy-not just a means to proselytize others. We're with Jesus on this one: "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who see in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6: 5-6).

What Catholics are interested in the workplace is how we do the work itself: the quality that we put into our services or products; how we treat our fellow employees, customers or clients, even our competitors; how successfully we balance our work with our family, church and community obligations, our efforts to make the organizations in which we work better and to help bring about the common good.

"You will know them by their fruits," Jesus said, and Catholics take him literally. If you see someone in the workplace who is honest and loyal and generous and competent and hungers for justice for all, then we hope you discover often that he or she is a Catholic. Then, and only then, will we talk to you about how our faith and our church prepares us and sends us forth into the workplace "to love and serve the Lord."

Gregory F. Augustine Pierce
4848 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
773-271-1030
gfapierce@aol.com

Author of Spirituality at Work: Ten Ways to Balance Your Life on the Job President and Co-Publisher of ACTA Publications (Assisting Christians to Act) Former President of the National Center for the Laity

Here are the responses of several others:

Fr. Bill Fitzgerald:

This N.Y Times. article really caught my eye as well as the impact evangelicals had on our recent election. They are a force to be reckoned with. Their energy and in the case of bringing faith into the marketplace--resourceful and imaginative.

I wonder though. There is a "new theology" out there that seems to say Jesus will favor with affluence those who truly believe. That is a pretty powerful motivation. What IF two businesses are close competitors and both practice ethical behavior, but one is Christ centered and their competitor is run by Jews? There are "Christian" ramifications of that that seem worrisome to me.

Anne Rowthorn:

Those who Russell Shorto interviewed for the article, Faith at Work (October 31, 2004) would have readers believe that workplace ministries were born yesterday and that they have been ignored by main line churches. This is incorrect. The idea of workplace ministries (along with ministries in all other spheres of life) has been around since the l920s. A papal encyclical issued in l922 led to the formation of hundreds of workers' organizations to help lay Christians integrate spiritual values in the marketplace. It was central in the formation of the World Council of Churches in l948 and was a main theme of the Evanston Assembly in l954 which reported that "The real battles of faith are being fought in factories, offices and farms, in political parties and government agencies, in countless homes, in the press, radio and television, in the relationships of nations." Every mainline denomination has addressed the issue and they all share one common theme which is a conviction that Christianity is only alive in that it becomes enfleshed in the millions of people in every sector of society who live faithfully in the ordinary venues of their lives, including their work. Living justly, honorably and lovingly on the job is their prayer.

Owen Phelps:

I read "Faith at Work" by Russell Shorto and found it interesting. My interest in helping people to make "faith and work" and "faith and life" connections led me to become certified to present the Lead Like Jesus (LLJ) Encounter that was developed by Ken Blanchard of "One Minute Manager" fame and his old friend Phil Hodges. They have written "The Servant Leader" and "Leadership by the Book" (the latter with Bill Hybels, the well-known pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago).

There is at least one Catholic on the Center for Faithwalk Leadership board, which oversees LLJ programs, but I am one of the first if not the first Catholic to be certified to lead the encounter. Now I am helping develop specifically Catholic LLJ materials in conjunction with a board member of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C.

All of this should make it clear that I am heavily invested in "faith and work" and "faith in life" concerns. That said, I'm not nearly as "over the top" as Ripka, the banker in Shorto's article. But I do think Catholics are hungry to integrate their faith in all of their life roles, especially at work and at home. I think professional Catholic ministers and leaders too often equate "adult education" with learning more about the content of our faith. There's nothing wrong with that -- except if it ignores a legitimate spiritual hunger we Catholic lay people have. I think for many of us the hunger is not so much to learn more about our faith, but to earn more about how to apply the faith we have to our everyday lives. Our concern is practical, not doctrinal or theological.

Of course, in the end I do not think that this is an either/or proposition. If we help people learn how to better apply their faith to their everyday lives, they will come to value their faith more. Then, as time goes on, they will become more faith-centered and interested in digging deeper into the content of their faith. Just a thought ... or two... from a practical Catholic.

Sharon Swing:

I read the NY times article last night with great interest. I share the concern that the article represents one way faith is being lived out in the marketplace -- and focuses most heavily on evangelism. My heartbeat is to see Christians live out their faith in such an attractive way, with all the fruits of the spirit so evident that others are attracted to the God we love and serve. In the marketplace, I am called to serve leaders in business to help them align their leadership and their business practices with the faith they profess.

I cannot count the times I have said my 'elevator speech' describing what I do, and to have people respond by a cathartic story of a business leader that professed to be a Christian and how they did things in direct opposition to Christianity's teachings.

I appreciate the high standards of the watching eyes of the media. I want to be found blameless, and help others to graciously live up to God's standards of living out our faith. I love the fact that we cannot do that from our own efforts -- it drives us to the feet of Jesus. Only in a relationship with him can we release our striving and find the grace, peace, and power to become that city set on a hill that is spoken of in Matthew 5:16.

We are created in God's image. He is a worker, and so we are workers, too. He delegated many tasks to our care for a reason. Just this weekend, many of the ladies I spoke with about these topics at the Willow Creek women's retreat were lacking a perspective of God's purpose for work. I am curious, what would a follow-up article look like that took that perspective of faith and work?

Pete Hammond:

Regarding the recent NY Times coverage of the marketplace ministry movement, I find myself conflicted. On the one hand I celebrate that this growing work of God is being noticed and reported. I also am pleased with the accountability that public exposure brings.

But on the other hand I'm concerned about how narrow a picture of the movement this report presents. The momentum of activity around the issue of every believer being a minister in every place all the time is very broad and diverse, cutting across the whole spectrum of God's people in North America (and now internationally too), from Roman Catholic, to Orthodox, to Mainline Protestant, to Evangelicals to Chrismatics and independent congregations.

InterVarsity/USA has been a part of this stirring of God's people since its beginnings over 60 years ago. Our founders firmly believed in the priesthood of every Christian student and faculty member in higher education. Our commitment to student and faculty led witnessing communities is in our DNA. We are committed to thoughtful, clear and full-orbed witness to Jesus Christ on campus.

This longstanding commitment was what triggered another investment for InterVarsity about 25 years ago. We launched what has now become InterVarsity's Ministry-In-Daily-Life Resource Group (formerly called IV Marketplace) in 1980. The desire was, and still is, to affirm God's call upon every graduate to be a kingdom agent in their work, families and communities.

But the NY Times piece focuses on only one slice of this movement. This weakness could perpetuate the perception that MP/MDL is only about verbal witness at work. That is reductionist in several ways. Our commitment is that witness is both word and deed, in the spirit of St. Francis of Asissi who said, "Witness at all times. When necessary use words." Another big shortfall is the total absence of a theology of work, or creation stewardship as some name it. Hence InterVarsity calls all its people (Staff, board, students, authors, faculty, donors, etc.) to excellence in their work for the glory of God. This position is illustrated by the Hebrew word avodah which means worship and work all in one.

I am impressed with the article's author who acknowledges that his values do not include the Christian faith. Shorto writes with even handeness ami an admitted confusing experience. I also appreciate my Roman Catholic friend Greg Pierce's letter to the editor. Greg highlights some of my concerns about a more wholistic grasp of our calling to be God's people on earth in all walks of life."

Steve Murray:

To me, practicing spirituality means to seek to do "God's will" not to ask God to do our will. The actions of Mr. Ripka and the others like him reminds me of the old Catholic traditions of buying indulgences in the middle ages. These actions can lead to the belief that one's own actions are supported by "God", or pressure others to conform using the fear of "God". I believe that it is ultimately a negative and divisive practice.

Professor Huber:

Thanks again for sharing "Faith at Work," an idea that does no harm and helps many. But Francis of Assisi' said, "Preach always; if necessary, use words," and It's the "born-again" language that bothers me. Where does my student fit in? Handed a 215-225 million year old fossil to write about, he said "I'll write about it but I don't believe it." (According to the Bible, the world's not that old.) The emote-but-park-your-brain-outside approach drives a lot of bright, susceptible people away from Christianity. I keep prayer cards in my desk drawer, give them freely and often tell students, "I'll pray for you" when they have a problem. Were there an evangelical group on campus, I, as a Roman Catholic, would question my welcome. Yes, I accept Jesus as my personal Savior. No, I'm not saved, unless I live a good life. And part of that life is using my G-d-given mind.

Jo Stewart:

This is scary stuff. It may already have infected our lives [and the world] to the extent that this administration is a manifestation of this wave. Anyone with an ounce of spiritual depth knows that while we live and breathe in the business and political world, "we give to Caesar ……" If we have been fortunate enough to have evolved spiritually we mirror that reality in our actions which can only be "just" and "compassionate." The beauty of the American experiment was to allow all without reservation or discrimination, even the KKK as long as it doesn't injure anyone or break the law. Spiritual values belong everywhere, including the workplace but not religion or politics because they are both tainted with self interest.

Dan Mulhall:

(1) Other than praying for and with clients, I saw nothing in the Christian bank that would make one think it had Christian values. Programs for lending to the poor and needy, loans for minority businesses, plans to help those who don't have gain it: none of this was expressed. In fact, I could find no Christian values stated in the article other than praying for others. Sounds like a con to me.

(2) That companies would allow religious prayers on company time is not unusual. Many businesses have closed on Good Friday and Christmas for years. By extending this to Jews and Muslims it just shows business's recognition of a changing cultural demograpic.

Chris Ringwald:

Though I admire much in the faith@work movement, Shorto's article clarified a point that concerns me. To wit, he wrote that many Christians now feel their religion should be practiced on more than just Sunday. I've heard and read the same often elsewhere. But I'd argue that if we did a better job with our faith on Sunday (or Saturday for Jews, or Friday for Muslims, etc.), we would more naturally and forcefully live out our faith the other days. (This interests me since I am completing a book on the Sabbath in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.)

Were we to keep the holy day as we should, and fulfill its promise of living in God's time that one day, the other days would fall into line. Instead, the market has captured Sunday, the last daily redoubt of public religious practice. Let's start by taking that back.