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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Praca ludzka w ujęciu ewangelickiej (luterańskiej) etyki teologicznej

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Work is undoubtedly a phenomenon which permeates the daily life of every person. It is work that enables us to make our living, determines our social status, shapes our identity and integrates us into the community. Since the very beginning, the Christian tradition has emphasized the great importance of prudent activity, which continues throughout human life. Obviously, nowadays it would be hard to talk about a social teaching common for all Christianity. Individual Churches have different approaches towards specific social and ethical matters. In this context, the subject of human work, even though it is not as controversial as issues related to bioethics or sexual ethics, should remain present in the common field of interest to Christian theologians of different denominations. Processes that are happening in today’s world, especially secularization, but also digitization and computerization, often lead to alienation and distort people’s attitude towards the world of work. It seems that an interesting answer to these challenges of contemporary times is proposed by the Evangelical work ethics, which is not very well known in Poland. This monograph is striving to face up to these shortcomings. Its subject is human work from the perspective of Evangelical or, more specifically, Lutheran theological ethics. It is worth noting that Martin Luther and his successors usually saw work ethos differently than John Calvin and the Reformed tradition established by him. Therefore, the aim of this book is to show broadly defined human work within the scope determined by the ethics of Evangelical (Lutheran) Churches. To achieve this research aim, it is necessary to refer to sources which stem from the very nature of this ethics. These are, in particular: The Old and the New Testament, the Reformation Father’s texts with Lutheran symbolical books and contemporary documents of Evangelical Churches (mostly the Evangelical Church in Germany). The structure of this book consists of three key chapters. Taking into account the principle of sola scriptura, which is fundamental to Evangelical theological ethics, the first chapter discusses the Biblical understanding of work. On the basis of analyses made by Evangelical exegetes and theologians, it needs to be emphasized that in the Bible work appears as an obvious part of human life, which is related to the creative command (mandate) from God. It does not refer solely to gainful activity, but every activity of man which is consistent with his nature, meaning that it is also connected with rest. Moreover, in the Bible we can notice the ambivalent nature of work that manifests itself in a tension between a blessing and a curse, which has accompanied human activity since original sin. Ultimately, it is God’s grace that triumphs. It is also the foundation of hope for human work. To conclude, it can be said that the Bible frequently emphasizes respect towards work, but it is never treated as the only purpose or meaning of human existence. The second chapter of this monograph concerns the theological and ethical reflection of Martin Luther on human work, so the subject of research is put in an appropriate historical and religious context. It needs to be noted that even pre-Reformation social teaching of the Church (back to Antiquity and the Middle Ages) frequently referred to the problem of human work. The views on this topic expressed at that time were to some extent adopted by the Father of Reformation, but he changed them somewhat over time. Most importantly, Luther relied on his personal and family experiences and enhanced the value of work, which in his view outstripped even monastic asceticism and contemplation. As one of the fundamental “orders of creation”, work is in fact grateful service to God and one’s neighbours, to which every human being is called. Without a doubt, it is this very perception of professional work as vocation (German Berufung) that should be regarded as the most characteristic and innovative aspect of Luther’s work ethos. It is worth adding that in his writings, the Reformer from Wittenberg often criticised not only indolence and laziness, but also greed and fraud. To conclude, one could risk a statement that in his reflections on work, the Father of Reformation proposes a “golden mean”, because he identifies human activity neither with gloomy asceticism nor with an unrestrained pursuit of profit. The third and last chapter of this book presents the contemporary approach of Evangelical ethics towards the phenomenon of work. In the first place, it discusses the theological aspects of this problem, i.e. the reflections on human work by several famous Evangelical theologians and ethicists (A. Ritschl, K. Barth, D. Sölle, G. Brakelmann). Then, readers will become familiar with the message of the most important ecclesial statements, especially the documents of the Evangelical Church in Germany, related to the issue of human work. To conclude, it needs to be noted that the claims which are currently expressed in Evangelical work ethics generally coincide with the message of the Bible and the thoughts of the Father of Reformation. Of course, not all principles of Luther’s work ethics can be directly applied in current social and economic life. This is why it is often necessary to revise and adjust his classical Evangelical work ethos to contemporary reality. Nevertheless, work has been and still is understood by Evangelicism as service to God and one’s neighbours. It is characterized by dignity not so much because of its final result, but because of the way of thinking about it, as well as the bond between God and the person who performs work. Therefore, the most important characteristics of good work from the perspective of Evangelical (Lutheran) theological ethics are e.g. cooperation (vocation) related to individuals and their talents; fair tangible and intangible remuneration (recognition); the sense of being a part of a whole (participation) and the principle of looking for a consensus in conflict situations (community). In this sense, work is nothing else than making love visible.