The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters for Eternity (Even When You’re Not Sharing the Gospel)

Christians need not choose between their spiritual and professional lives, promises Raynor (Redeeming Your Time), executive chairman of tech startup Threshold 360, in this well-reasoned guide to the meaning of godly work. While the evangelical church prizes ministry and mission work above all else, secular work has “intrinsic eternal value,” Raynor argues, even when “you’re not leveraging it” to “share the gospel with those you work with.” According to the author, one’s job can “bring God eternal pleasure,” as he “delights in every detail” of Christians’ lives; help one earn “eternal rewards”; and reveal “the kingdom of God in the present.” In one of Raynor’s examples, a customer service representative recalls how he connected with an enraged customer through kindness and compassion, offering a “glimpse of something transcendent and eternal” in an “ordinary call center” interaction. Drawing on scripture and personal anecdotes, Raynor makes clear that Jesus’s injunction to “make disciples of all the nations” isn’t the only way to honor God; provides an alternative to rigid, mission-centered notions of Christianity; and reminds readers to follow their own paths because “the world needs Christians who ooze exuberant joy that gives evidence of the abundant life found in Christ alone.” Churchgoers equally committed to bible study and business meetings will be buoyed. (Jan.)