AT ISSUE: A move is underway to promote the practice of the Christian
faith in the workplace. Drew Crandall, director of the
Connecticut-based Northeast Christians at Work, and other such
consultants, reportedly advise Christians on how to practice their
faith at work and at their cubicles. As corporate America embraces
cultural diversity, religious practice at work should be part of that
diversity, Crandall says. Should there be a place for religious
practice at work?
First of all, it depends on the workplace. It's fine at mine. (I
pastor a church.) But generally speaking, no. That's what homes and
churches are for.
Faith is like a badge, but it should be worn inside -- not
outside. My faith is deep and personal, and I wish everybody had it.
But they don't. And they must get it the same way I did -- in
private. You never know who you are -- until you decide for yourself.
Otherwise, it's just a Tupperware party -- and you bought something.
I've worked with some lovely people in my life. They might have
been Christians. But what impressed me most was their determination
to do a good job at work. True religion should compel us to be
excellent at everything we do. That is a true Christian witness. It
is more powerful than a plastic sign or a bumper sticker.
PASTOR JOHN C. JENKINS
First Southern Baptist Church
Glendale
The work environments are fine the way they are. Faith and
expressions of Christ's message are not like a shirt we put on and
take off.
To reflect the love and joy that Christ offers is not limited to a
few minutes nor to a few hours a day. The Christian is called to live
and act faith.
When we look at our society, riddled with its excesses, we know
that there has to be something more to life. Religion is the search
for those deeper elements of life. Religion and faith are not outside
of life, but directly part and parcel of it. The greatest testimony
to one's faith is to become a living example of love, harmony,
compassion and trust. This is not accomplished in cubicles but in the
large work environment known as life.
Scripturally, Jesus warns against the outright practice of piety
in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). In no uncertain terms, he
calls for a person's reconciliation with God, through private
practices of prayer, fasting and compassion. He further warns against
the hypocrisy that accounts for most of our expressions.
I'm afraid that by setting up these areas of practice, we're
missing the point that faith is not an extra curricular activity, but
