EVERY WAKING HOUR

An Introduction to Work and Vocation for Christians

Benjamin T. Quinn & Walter R. Strickland II

Every Waking Hour: An Introduction to Work and Vocation for Christians

Copyright 2016 Benjamin T. Quinn and Walter R. Strickland II

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

LexhamPress.com

You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (nasb) are from the New American Standard Bible ®, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Print ISBN 9781577996781

Digital ISBN 9781577996798

Lexham Editorial: Rebecca Brant, Abigail Stocker

Cover Design: Christine Gerhart

Back Cover Design: Brittany Schrock

To Eugene Smith

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1

Theology of Work

Chapter 2

Work throughout the Old Testament

Chapter 3

Work throughout the New Testament

Chapter 4

Christ, Wisdom, and Work

Chapter 5

Putting It All Together: Kingdom, Mission, and Discipleship

Conclusion

The Way Forward

Appendix A

With Whom Should We Work? A Framework for Collaboration

Appendix B

Vocation Questions

Appendix C

Recommended Reading Summary

Subject and Author Index

Scripture Index

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We wish to thank Brannon Ellis at Lexham Press for believing in this project and Amy Whitfield at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for her continued encouragement as the project came together. We would also like to thank Greg Forster of the Kern Family Foundation and their support of the Economic Wisdom Project, whose passion is to help connect pastors with faith, work, and economics. In addition, we would like to thank Devin Maddox for helping shape the book’s content—originally taught in a seminary classroom—to be accessible to a broader audience.

We are grateful for the leadership of Danny Akin and Bruce Ashford, who have impressed upon our faculty, staff, and students that every square inch of the earth is the Lord’s. We are grateful for others in the Southeastern family, and we owe undying appreciation to Billie Goodenough for offering her keen editorial eye to the entire project, and to Carrie Kelly and Justin Clark for their assistance as well. We would like to thank the students in our fall 2014 doctrine of vocation course, whose questions helped bring clarity to our ideas.

Finally, we would like to thank our wives for their continued excitement and encouragement throughout the project and for the sacrifices they made for this book to be completed. Ashley and Stephanie, thank you for allowing us to burn the midnight oil wrestling with these ideas, daydreaming about the book’s ...