Industry, Thrift and Divine Reward: an Examination of the Ideology and Theology of Work in New Zealand (1840-1992)

<p>This study of the ideology and theology of work in New Zealand 1840 - 1992, is in response to political statements in 1991 regarding the lack of a work ethic in New Zealand. The concept of the Protestant work ethic as advanced by Max Weber is explored as a background supposition, and is augmented by an examination of the Victorian "gospel of work" which, it is argued, was the basis of the work ethic in New Zealand. Three time periods are explored within New Zealand history illustrating the contemporary work ideology among the politicians and the people, and reflecting on the churches' position in terms of work theology or ethics. The specific times examined in detail are the early colonial years (1840-1900), the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the period of the major restructuring of the New Zealand economy (1984-92). In each instance secular sources are explored, and some church records are examined, in particular those of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. A detailed survey undertaken in 1991 of a group of public servants who were at the centre of much of the Government's economic restructuring (1984-92), is taken as evidence of the existence of a work ethic ideology among a middle class professional group. The opinion is given that church in New Zealand has evolved from initially supporting the Victorian work ethic ideology of the capitalist system, to questioning its relevance in the late twentieth century but has contributed little to a contemporary theology of work. The conclusion is reached that historically New Zealanders have displayed a work ethic ideology which has been encouraged by the politicians.</p>

Industry, Thrift and Divine Reward: an Examination of the Ideology and Theology of Work in New Zealand (1840-1992)

<p>This study of the ideology and theology of work in New Zealand 1840 - 1992, is in response to political statements in 1991 regarding the lack of a work ethic in New Zealand. The concept of the Protestant work ethic as advanced by Max Weber is explored as a background supposition, and is augmented by an examination of the Victorian "gospel of work" which, it is argued, was the basis of the work ethic in New Zealand. Three time periods are explored within New Zealand history illustrating the contemporary work ideology among the politicians and the people, and reflecting on the churches' position in terms of work theology or ethics. The specific times examined in detail are the early colonial years (1840-1900), the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the period of the major restructuring of the New Zealand economy (1984-92). In each instance secular sources are explored, and some church records are examined, in particular those of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. A detailed survey undertaken in 1991 of a group of public servants who were at the centre of much of the Government's economic restructuring (1984-92), is taken as evidence of the existence of a work ethic ideology among a middle class professional group. The opinion is given that church in New Zealand has evolved from initially supporting the Victorian work ethic ideology of the capitalist system, to questioning its relevance in the late twentieth century but has contributed little to a contemporary theology of work. The conclusion is reached that historically New Zealanders have displayed a work ethic ideology which has been encouraged by the politicians.</p>

Tafsir Efesus 6: 5-8 Tentang Teologi Kerja Dan Aplikasinya Bagi Pemuda Gereja

This article was written to describe the theological understanding of work among church youth and motivate youth to work according to God's word from Ephesians 6:5-8. This article aims to provide an understanding of what the purpose of human work is, provide an understanding of the Biblical concept of work, deepen the knowledge and understanding of congregation members about work theology according to Ephesians 6:5-8 with integrity and a good work ethic, provide an understanding of the contribution of Ephesians 6:5-8 in the relationship between workers and employers. The researcher uses a literature study and interprets the text with the method of theological interpretation. In addition, the author also distributed a questionnaire among church youth who had worked, to obtain a picture of their understanding of work theology. From the results of the questionnaire distributed, it was found that 42.22% of youth really understand work theology, and 52.77%, understand work theology, but in its application, only 37.22% always do the correct life application. So, the researcher conducted deep interviews with several respondents and found that the youth of the HKBP Tanjung Sari church were still lacking in understanding the theology of work. And then they had to be afraid and trembled like Christ and had to be honest and have integrity at workplaces as a service to God.

Formulasi Teologi Kerja dan Hubungannya dengan Reinkarnasi dalam Teks Bhagavad Gītā

<p><em>Every action will produce a result (phala) which leads to two motives, namely attachment and freedom. Humans in their lives can choose which goals they will achieve. Do they choose to be bound by the results of each work or otherwise surrender all the results of their work as an offering to God. Work done as an offering to God will achieve liberation and joy, on the other hand, work done with the motive of hoping for the result (phala) as a reward will increase the feeling of attachment and sorrow. Therefore, people who want to find happiness and true self must place their goals in work that are entirely an offering to God. This is what is meant by Theology of Work or the term in Bhagavad G</em><em>ī</em><em>t</em><em>ā</em><em> is called Karma Yoga, which is the highest knowledge of a main Principle of Work. The realization of an understanding of the real concept about Theologi of Work can help humans break the chain of reincarnation (punarbhava) by presenting God in every work activity, whether in the form of actions, speech or thoughts.</em></p>

Teologia pracy: asceza, kenoza, apokalipsa

The subject of this essay is the modern theology of work. Contrary to neoplatonism that condemned matter as unworthy of spiritual investment, theology of work states that matter is an ontological material that deserves further processing. Therefore, if modernity is to be understood as the beginning of the materialistic philosophy of immanence, early modern theological transformations have deeply contributed to this. Namely, the appreciation of matter as a realistically existing material to work through, the not yet ready and not fully shaped element of creation justifying the creatio continua in the human version, has certainly inaugurated a turn towards temporality, far less random than Max Weber thought. In Weber’s classic approach, Puritan theology played the role of a catalyst for modernity, creating the concept of “intra-world asceticism”. It stood for work conceived as Beruf which, in line with the Lutheran concept, means “profession and vocation”. However, the author points to another – no more ascetic – theological genealogy of the modern idea of work, whose sources lie in the vision of the delayed apocalypse or, in other words, creative destruction. This extraordinary theology of work has its roots in the nominalism of Duns Scotus, the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria, then transformed into the Christian Kabbalah, Goethe’s Faust and particularly in Hegel’s dialectical concept of work performed by the destructive and yet suppressed negativity.

Ekklesia as enterprise: Discovering the Church at work

A growing number of leaders around the world believe that business can be a force for good: for justice and equity, for meaning-making, and for human flourishing. Yet the Church has very little to say about engagement in the marketplace beyond the tradition’s negative injunctions (i.e., do not abuse people). This lack of theological address to the marketplace leaves the Church with a partial witness amid empire, with a critique but without creativity. This gap is not problematic for the “powers that be,” which let the Church preach and have its protests so long as the status quo is protected – which is what happens unless there is a new creation. The new creation provokes the “powers” and the institutional Church by concretizing hope in God’s economy and evoking the gifts God gives for human flourishing. Reimagined as ekklesia in enterprise, the Church will undertake the construction of a new theology of work. It accomplishes this first by the creative discovery of divine movement in the world that began at creation with God’s word that work is good, then by the appropriation of ekklesia’s cultural orientation for the common good, which leads to the marketplace, the heart of the empire and the locus of human flourishing, the place for the Church to make its revolutionary witness to the way of Jesus.