Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life

We were created to work, and our work provides unique meaning and purpose in our lives. Yet today we are living in a crisis of apathy and ignorance regarding work’s theological and existential nature. There is no shortage of books pleading with people to work less, to find “balance,” to think less of career and more of the things that bring them “happiness.” Likewise, there is no shortage of books making the case that work matters a great deal—that good things come from fruitful labor. This book belongs in neither of those categories. In Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life, David Bahnsen makes the case that our understanding of work and its role in our lives is deeply flawed—we are unmoored from what he calls “created purpose.” He argues that the time has come to stop tip-toeing around the issues that matter, that separating one’s identity from what they do is demonstrably false, and that this era of alienation is for many a direct result of a low view of work. It is in work—effort, service, striving—of every kind that we discover our meaning and purpose; a significant and successful life is one rooted in full-time productivity and cultivation of God’s created world. This book is not your normal “defense of work” book. Whether you are a leader, a follower, a boss, an employee, in a white collar or blue collar job, highly paid or “just getting by,” this book is for you. A life of meaning is right under your nose, and with it the joy and peace of a life well-lived. “David Bahnsen is a theologically grounded, vocationally minded, and Biblically focused man with a vision to make work a gift to the world. In this book, he does just that. Combining thoughtful cultural analysis, conservative economic theory, and practical application for how to live these ideas out in the real world, I am grateful for the keen insights he lays out here. This book is a great combination of ideas and application that I think will serve many well.” —Jon Tyson, Author, Pastor, Church of the City NYC “Far too many of us believe that we need to work in order to be able to live, and that’s it. We need to eat, and so we work. David Bahnsen’s new book leans heavily in the opposite direction, meaning that God gave us the gift of life so that we might have the grace and privilege of working. Highly recommended.” —Pastor Douglas Wilson, Christ Church