God at Work in Church Times
“Christians often spend most of their waking hours at work. Some are set apart for a special ministry there. How are they being supported?
…Depression about work is very common, says Ken Costa, chairman of UBS Investment Bank. A failed transaction, a disappointing pay review, unpleasant relationships, and fear of the future can all be triggers.
Mr Costa, who also chairs Alpha International, addresses this and many other workplace issues — including what he calls the “illusory nature of the idea of job security” — in his book God at Work, published next month by Continuum.”
He introduces the book by writing: “I have read the Financial Times and the Bible almost every day for the past 30 years. People often ask how I reconcile being a banker and a Christian. There is a widespread view that God and business simply don’t mix: the competitive cut-throat demands of the marketplace are seen as the obvious enemy of Christian compassion and love. But I have found that the God who created and sustains the world is also the God of the workplace. If the Christian faith is not relevant in the workplace, it is not relevant at all.”
He says that there are no magic buttons to press for Christians at work, but there is a need “to strain towards the light”.
“Some think that faith makes us immune from making wrong choices. I wish that were so. God gives us the spiritual resources to grow through weaknesses, and to recover when we succumb to the ever-present temptation.”
He also shows how working relationships can be as much a test of faith as business practices.
One of the purposes of the book, he says, is to rediscover joy at work, whatever the job. Different chapters look at ambition and life choices, decisions, work/life balance, stress, money, and spiritual renewal.
Holy Trinity, Brompton, in London, plans to use the book as a basis for a new course starting this year to help Christians in their daily life at work. A spokesman said that this would be distinct from Alpha in the Workplace, which presents the fundamentals of Christianity in small groups in the workplace.
From the Church Times, 12th January 2007.
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