EQUIP20 Picks - books chosen and reviewed for you by our EQUIP team

We are living in a time when assumptions about work are being challenged on a daily basis. We’ve found ourselves grappling with questions such as, ‘Who is an essential worker?’. For many, the answers have been both surprising and humbling. Some of our most undervalued workers are finally being given the accolades they deserve, while others have experienced the devastating loss of security and identity as their life’s work disintegrated overnight.

It is into this context that I opened William Taylor’s Revolutionary Work. This short book originated as a sermon series, and its conversational nature and logical flow reflect this. It is divided into four chapters that build an understanding of work through the key events of the Bible. Having recently returned to paid employment after many years raising children, I found myself nodding along while using this lens to make sense of my own conflicted feelings about work. 

Our creation in the image of God tells us that work is good. We feel this in the satisfaction of a job well done, in the paycheque that lets us feed our families, or in the grief of unemployment. The effects of sin and the curse remind us that work is grim. It is often painful and frustrating, and always ultimately futile. But there is hope for work. In Jesus, our work is governed by the gospel.

The book concludes with a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section that cuts to the nitty gritty of application. Any time I read a book that uses an overarching framework to explore a topic, I find myself shouting, “But what about…?!”. This section complements the big picture by delving into the details of what work looks like for Christians in different circumstances. 

I’m looking forward to sharing this book with my Year 10 daughter. We’re currently deep in the world of Year 12 subject selection, where career and ‘fulfilling potential’ can so easily become the ultimate goal. It’s my hope that reading this book will free us both from the misconception that you are what you do. Whether you’re a new worker, a long-term employee, an unpaid worker, a retiree or unemployed, this book will give you a new perspective on the dignity, frustrations and opportunities of work.

The EQUIP20 Picks will be available for a limited time online via our ministry partner, Reformers Bookshop.

http://reformers.com.au/equip?aff=6

A percentage of the sales from books bought via the above link will support our CMS missionary, M.

Meet Louise Keun

Louise Keun is a long-term member of the EQUIP family, having served on the organising team since 2004. She lives in North-West Sydney where she works as a primary teacher while raising four daughters alongside her husband, Dave.