Social Justice and Work

It is interesting to note the double-bind in which ministers sometimes find themselves. They need to preach a work ethic and request support for the church, as well as work for family values. According to Lebacqz and Driskil, these may be in conflict. Ministers may wish to look at how “in contemporary urban culture the two values may well be in conflict. People may need to make choices about how hard they work and how much time they spend with their families. Women have been in the middle of this double bind for some time as they are expected- both by others and by themselves- to provide for a household physically and emotionally as well as bring home a paycheck needed to meet the monthly bills.”

Further, these authors ask us to recognize and participate in building a greater shalom which bridges these demands, instead of simply ignoring it. They note “we need to continue examining the demands of this workplace, rather than ignoring it. Wuthnow found one local church where the church leaders said they did not support working mothers- so they provided no day-care options. In that particular congregation, 70 percent of the women in the church worked. In another church Wuthnow found that four men had committed suicide after the loss of their jobs. In these cases the sense of personal failure was not alleviated by their religious communities, which failed to understand the ethical issues raised by the contemporary workplace.” 

Source: Lebacqz, Karen and Driskill, Joseph D. Ethics and Spiritual Care; a Guide for Pastors, Chaplains, and Spiritual Directors. Abingdon Press. Nashville. 2000.  120-121.