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Mackenzie Alistair: Faith at Work - Vocation the Theology of Work and the
Pastoral Implications. Otago MTh thesis (Dunedin 1997)
In a plea for a new theology of work Mackenzie makes these observations -
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For the majority of men and an increasing number of women working lives are
dominated by employment in a context which places many stresses and demands on
them and which many find very wearying.
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For some people employment is very enjoyable and a source of satisfying
stimulation. For others employment is harsh or boring and oppressive. For many
it is a mixture of both these experiences.
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Many people are attempting to establish ‘portfolio’ careers doing a variety of
different sorts of work for different clients involving a mix of different
roles.
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The old expectation of following a predictable career path has become the
exception rather than the rule. Many people have been forced to change careers
through the experience of redundancy. Other people have chosen to make changes
in a context in which people have become markedly more mobile and willing to
move.
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The ethical problems people confront in the course of their work are often
increasingly complex and far removed from the simple biblical principles that
we once hoped would provide neat and tidy answers to most of our moral
dilemmas.
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There is a wide-spread spiritual hunger being expressed but seldom in a way
that connects easily with traditional Christian categories." [Quote pp 89-90]
Mackenzie would have us rediscover the relevance of vocation and says that to
fit our modern world it would need to include at least the following elements -
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A view of vocation that grants meaning to the life of every Christian and
rediscovers the priesthood of all believers.
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A view of vocation that overcomes the dualism of separate sacred and secular
spheres.
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A view of vocation that relates to a person’s everyday work and helps to
integrate the life of faith with that work.
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A view of vocation that makes sense even when work is experienced as a negative
and alienating reality.
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A view of vocation which does not just accept unjust and oppressive
circumstances but works to challenge injustices and redeem bad circumstances.
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A view of vocation which is not static but can apply in a dynamic way to a
world in which work patterns are constantly changing.
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A view of vocation which includes an understanding of the place of leisure and
the contemplative dimensions of life." [Quote p.30]