Bridging The Sacred-Secular Divide

 To know & experience God’s pleasure at work, we must understand God’s reasons for work – why is work – all kinds of work- significant to God; there is no sacred/secular split  We don’t get meaning from our work, we bring meaning to our work (3 brick layers parable)  Values & attitudes drive behavior and are ultimately tied to worldview – the collective behaviors of people form culture, which then influences behaviors, values & worldview

 Who or what is the ultimate authority or highest power, and what is the nature and role of this force or entity?  What makes up all the stuff of the universe, how did it get here, and is there more to it than meets the eye?  Who are human beings, what gives them value, what happens when they die, and how do they know what is true?  How do people determine right & wrong?  Is there a reason & purpose for all that exists?

 Whether we’re taken captive by thoughts or we take thoughts captive (II Corinthians 10:5; Colossians 2:8) depends upon one critical factor – our worldview.

 God’s Pleasure At Work is about recognizing biblical worldview premises that specifically relate to work & aligning those premises with workplace values & behavior that can ultimately renew the community & transform culture.  All of the issues & activities involved in our work (the smaller pieces) are affected by our frame of reference (the bigger picture).  If everyday work events are disconnected or isolated from the bigger context, they won’t be seen as they really are. Our challenge is to always keep the bigger picture in mind as we consider the smaller pieces of life. GPAW DVD Ch. 1, clips 3 & 4

 Worldview examples & ramifications p. 26 – Hindu ideas of karma & reincarnation American Animism – GPAW DVD ch. 2, clip #5 p – Humanism & impact on Western society

 Can you give some examples of how a belief in “no God” can affect behavior in the workplace?  How might the following be viewed differently by a Humanist than by a follower of Christ? a) providing “adult”entertainment, b) operating a Christian school, c) running an abortion clinic

 Romans 12:2 (NLT) says: Don’t copy the behavior & customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  What kinds of specific pressures at work try to “squeeze you into the mold of the world around you:?

 To bring biblical worldview premises to the surface where they can be examined  To determine specific workplace values that might stem from those premises  To consider workplace behaviors that might flow from those values Ultimate goals: to invigorate the workplace, to renew the community & to transform culture

Christian & Western Dualism is largely rooted in Plato’s division of the physical (matter) & metaphysical (form) realms; Plato devalued physical matter & elevated the realm of ideals (e.g. circle, p. 34) Western dualism is a deeply ingrained way of thinking that divides reality into two distinct components, with a wide gap between each. examples: mind/body, secular/sacred, science/religion, public lives/private lives, corporate life/personal life, spiritual world/material world GPAW DVD ch.4, clip #9

1. Some things are temporal & pass away, while other things are eternal & never decay. 2. It is vain to live your life for the pursuit of material things. 3. Temporal things do not have real significance. 4. Only eternal things have true value. 5. The eternal world is a place to which we escape. 6. The body is the prison house of the soul.

 Overman purports that only the first two statements are true. His defense rests on the Christian principle of restoration: We live in a fallen world, which is not the way it was originally made to be, but we do not live in a forsaken world.  God declared his creation good in Genesis 1 and Colossians 1:16-17 says creation continues to exist through, in and for Christ. In him, all things consist (cohere, are held together).  Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein”.

Talking point: Do you often think of the people and things you work with as God’s own possession? Do they seem different to you when you think of them in this way? What is their significance to God?

 It is possible & desirable for people to be engaged in spiritual worship by means of the physical body & material creation. We should not think of body & soul as divorced. Romans 12:1 says to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living & holy sacrifice–the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Authentic worship depends on the heart & head. Collosians 3:23 says whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.  Work provides countless opportunities for worship. How can your work be done “for the Lord”? DOLCM DVD clip ch.9, #17

 The physical world has significance for God, and thus, for us.  Work is a means by which we fulfill God’s First Commission to us – his original intention (before sin). Genesis 1:26-28 & Genesis 2:15: Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule… over all the earth. The the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden, to tend and keep it. DOLCM DVD ch. 9, #20 How does you work serve to fulfill this commission (cultural mandate)?

 We tend to elevate “thinking” professions and elevate the work of those “in the ministry”. DOLCM DVD ch. 9, clip#18 Interestingly, Jesus was a carpenter about six times as long as he was preaching In Jesus’ day, a rabbi was also expected to know a physical trade GPAW DVD ch. 4, clip #8

 The sacred & secular have been divided, as if we can actually remove God from those things considered secular. Overman suggests we drop the word “secular” from our vocabulary, using the word “secularized” (if necessary) instead to describe something that attempts to leave God out. We can ignore him, but cannot remove him.  GPAW DVD clip ch. 4, #10