The Truth Project: Labor

Del tries to tell us that labor is good, and he makes a good case but leaves out such scriptural references as Gen 3:17 "painful toil." Aside from Del's one-sided presentation, there is a lot to be said for work as fulfillment of a need for purpose and the satisfaction of doing a job well should be part of every Christian experience. Del's best point is that both the employer and the employee should be elated at having a Christian in the other role simply because a Christian would do his best both in the work and in seeing that the work is appropriate, challenging and properly compensated. Though it was not couched exactly in those terms, the point was also made that the last penny of profit should not be the main thrust of business, but social responsibility. My only objection is that Del stresses his perception of "ownership rights" without any real justification and does not really investigate implications of "stewardship" in this regard. I see a little problem with "who is in control" here that needs to be developed in discussion. Del's presentation on "gleaning" was somewhat ludicrous with the idea of letting poor people sweep up the sawdust in a furniture shop and sell the sawdust for their reward, and he says that it is the responsibility of the private sector to provide such work for the poor and not the government, but that's to be expected, noted and dismissed as simply not happening, whether desirable or not.
All in all, a well done presentation.