Taking Faith to Work

Taking Faith to Work

ENUMCLAW, Wash., June 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- As Christians we devote our lives to serving God. The bulk of our days, however, are spent not in prayer, worship, or church, but at work. Devotion to Christ does not erase our need to earn a living. "God created work," Chip Rick's Holiness Today article* points out. "Before the Fall, He gave Adam the job of tending the Garden of Eden and caring for the animals. Work became much more difficult after the Fall, but people continued to work, providing for their families, building cities and empires." Still, as natural and God-given as work is, this huge chunk of our lives continues to be a source of stress and conflict. Can we follow God's call in an ordinary 8-to-5 job? Are faith and work really connected or should we see them as separate aspects of our lives?

To author Richard Bouch, faith and work are very much connected. In his new book "The Faith-Work Window: Why Work Matters to Christianity in a Fallen World" he hopes to show that "personal ministry, mission and spiritual growth all benefit from understanding the faith-work relationship." He sees the nexus between faith and work as inherently interesting and always current yet often overlooked in churches. "Working is one of the biggest parts of life in the fallen world. It has a massive impact on social structures, self-perception, life choices, and on faith itself." Bouch also sees work as a topic that the Gospel takes very seriously.

Bouch calls "The Faith-Work Window" a "semi- academic" book written for thoughtful Christians. With quotes by great Christian thinkers like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Luther, and Pope John Paul II he draws from a variety of perspectives. Still he seeks to reach a wide variety of readers, from pastors to lay people showing that it is possible to glorify God in our work life. As one Anglican Priest said, "'The Faith-Work Window' arrives at a time when a comprehensive discussion concerning the integration of work and Christian personhood is long overdue . . . few have plowed its depths as does Dr. Bouch."

For more information, a review copy or to schedule an interview, please contact Abigail Davidson by phone at 360-802-9758, email at abigail@winepressgroup.com, or by fax at 360-802- 9992. To order visit www.winepressbooks.com or call 877-421-7323.

*"Taking Salt to the Water Cooler," Chip Rick, www.nph.com.