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Archbishop highlights need to reconnect God with the world of work
Tuesday 17 February 2009
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, today outlined the "desperate need" to reconnect faith in God with the workplace.
Speaking at the launch of the new God at Work course at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB), the Archbishop said: "There should not be a separation from what goes on in Church and in our prayers with what goes on in the boardroom, office or shop floor."
Dr Sentamu explained: "All of life is religious and there is a desperate need to reconnect the sacred and the secular. There is no more urgent time than now to break down the compartmentalised thinking that separates trust in God from the world of work."
The Archbishop outlined that we were faced with the challenge of finding ways of exercising the enormous freedom that God gives us to create for good. He said: "Every day we are confronted with difficult choices in a complex and ambiguous world. Balancing the success or survival of the company with the welfare of the people involved is a painful business, and needs much prayer as well as careful thought."
Dr Sentamu said: "As a Christian I am interested in business because I believe God is actively engaged in the wider world and the world of business – especially wealth creation soaked in business ethics. God is involved in the whole created order. God not only came down to earth in Jesus Christ but he continues to be very down to earth. We sometimes fail to do justice to the down-to-earthness of God. For the God we see in Jesus Christ is get-at-able!"
The Archbishop also commented that business and commerce were very often at the sharp end of ethical choices. He said: "It can be a real struggle to find a balance between competing views of what is good. There are no simple answers. In the current economic and financial crisis it is easy to point the finger of blame – it's more difficult to identify practical solutions. We need to be imaginative about identifying solutions. We bring to the table a particular perspective – the vision of justice and righteousness that comes from a creative and generous God. It is not as if we are the only ethically minded people on the block – far from it. But what we are called to in Christ often asks of us more, and beckons us to a bigger vision. We need to be shaped by that vision, and give ourselves to it, whatever it costs and however long it takes."
To read the speech in full click here