ALL THE HOURS GOD SENDS
By Peter Curran
IVP. 221 pages. £7.99
ISBN 0 85111 656 6
If you are in work, you are likely to be working harder and more hours than ever before. Britain averages the longest working week in Europe.
Yet it is still sadly true that relatively little Bible teaching is given in our churches on the practicalities of being a Christian in the workplace.
This book, published last year, provides an excellent resource for Christians at work and for pastors who want to help their congregations with their working lives. Three great strengths are apparent in these pages. First, the author, is not merely a theological pontificator. He is a man who has worked for many years in the high pressure atmosphere of the oil industry and therefore has an astute awareness of the kinds of situations which employees and employers may face. Secondly, the variety of issues covered is very thorough. These include staying motivated, time management, coping with change in your work, redundancy, ambition and many more. Thirdly, the chapters contain helpful diagrammatic summaries, stimulating bullet point lists of practical advice and thought-provoking questions to conclude.
However, the book does have drawbacks. The author aims to be biblical and generally does a fine job, but sometimes his use of Scripture is too facile. Also there are too many quotations from Karl Barth for an old conservative like me. Others will find that the book is written very much from a management point of view and sometimes one gets the feeling that there are problems which are being skated over rather too readily because of this.
Over all, though, it is to be recommended. It is full of material which will help Christians to bring their faith out of the privatised world of Sunday into the public world of the workplace.
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