Taking Your Soul to Work: Overcoming the Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace [Paperback]

R. Paul Stevens (Author), Alvin Ung (Author), Eugene H. Peterson (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 9, 2010

Instead of regarding work as a diversion from the spiritual life, R. Paul Stevens and Alvin Ung are convinced that it is an arena and an incentive for spiritual growth. However, they acknowledge that this is not without its challenges.

Work in Progress examines life in the workplace through an innovative exploration of both the seven deadly sins and the ninefold fruit of the Spirit. This approach provides a framework to reveal how the Spirit has given Christians powerful gifts to overcome struggles the face in the challenges of daily work in a globalized world. The authors interact both with one another and with the wisdom of great spiritual writers of history in order to draw out real-life dilemmas and to suggest practical tips for becoming vibrant disciples in the workplace.

In addition to filling a critical need for a resource on spiritual growth at work, Work in Progress has an intercultural approach — the authors are from Canada and Malaysia — that is particularly dynamic and engaging.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If you are among the growing number of Christian men and women who want to take your souls into your workplace, this is the book for you. Paul Stevens and Alvin Ung are wise guides.”
— Eugene H. Peterson (from foreword)

“One of the very best practical guides to being a Christian believer in the workplace that I’ve seen — ever!”
— Karen Mullane
Vice President and Director of Faculty Programs, Pearson plc

“Full of deep theological insights. . . . A practical workbook offering sensible answers to the common pitfalls in the modern workplace.”
— Simon Chan
Trinity Theological College, Singapore

About the Author

R. Paul Stevens is professor emeritus of marketplace theology and spirituality at Regent College in Vancouver and adjunct professor at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle and Biblical Graduate School of Theology in Singapore.

Alvin Ung is a Fellow at Khazanah Nasional Berhad, the national investment agency of Malaysia. He has taught seminary classes and led workshops for CEOs in Asia and North America on the integration of faith and work, and he is author of a forthcoming book on the mind-sets of breakthrough leaders.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (November 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802865593
• ISBN-13: 978-0802865595
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #460,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars reading this book is like jumping down a reflexology path, December 12, 2010

By 

S. Ang (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Taking Your Soul to Work: Overcoming the Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace (Paperback)

I haven't finished reading this book yet and may come back and add to the review. I'm about 2/3 done and this book has made me so uncomfortable that I don't know where to turn. The first section of the book on the soul-sapping struggles of work revealed just how much I am in need of grace even in areas that I never realized were holding me back. The second and third sections are organized in a schema that relates back to the first section and while the schema is useful, it might be better to think of those relations as being fluid. Love, for example, could help us address any one of the deadly sins. I haven't made it to the third section so I can't say anything about that.

What the authors make clear is that all parts of our lives revolve around God. Work is meaningful only when God is in the center, and only when surrender to God (and you'll have to read the book to find out how this surrender can take place) grounds our lives. This book is challenging me to think of work in completely new ways and that makes me uncomfortable. But I cannot argue with the truth of the authors' insights so far.

The book's writing style seems mostly directed at those in the corporate sector. The chapters are short and pithy but the questions and exercises they raise are pointed and I think very useful. This book will be relevant to everyone regardless of the type of work they do and I hope to convince my cell group to adopt it as part of their study this year.