Irrational bosses can be the bane of our lives: Their demands, unrealistic and their attitudes, abhorrent. Those of us who have to endure them all too often go home from work seething or depressed and, to our shame, end up indulging in a spot of revenge-fantasy. So itâs no surprise that the latest Hollywood offering, Horrible Bosses has found a certain resonance with many. Extreme it may be but thereâs something deeply appealing about its basic plot: wreaking revenge on those who make 9-6 an utter nightmare!
Now, before I go on, it would be wise to emphasise that my current bosses are absolutely wonderful! But many of us donât have that privilege. So how should Christians respond when we find ourselves working for horrible bosses?
According to 1 Peter 2:13-25, by respecting them!
Peter wasnât being a first century sadist. Rather he was someone who saw beyond the daily grind of the working week to the most important calling of any believer â the calling to be like Christ.
He reasons that suffering for doing wrong is getting what we deserve. Suffering at work when we donât deserve it â and enduring that suffering in ways that are mindful of Jesus, with no hint of retaliation â is something that both displays and develops godliness.
That is not to say that we should be doormats. We have more freedom than many 1st century servants and so if something in our workplace is seriously awry then it is right we use that freedom help solve those problems. But always in a framework of respect ⌠never out of a desire to see our boss âget what they deserveâ.
Respecting an unreasonable boss is not an easy path. There will certainly be days when we need the prayerful support and encouragement of wise friends ⌠But we are followers of a saviour who took the most difficult path. Becoming like him was never going to be easy!
Neither Christ alone as man nor the Father alone as God could be our substitute. Only God in Christ, God the Father's own and only Son made man, could take our place. âI donât want to be stuck in some library.ââHow is Greek going to help me?â âIsnât it a bit weird to turn my faith into an academic discipline?â
Most people in local churches acknowledge that getting to know God better is important. Some people actively take steps to deepen their understanding by attending home groups, conferences or reading books. Few, however, take the plunge and study theology. It has a bit of a bad press: boring, irrelevant and even a danger to our faith. But the reality is that studying theology, at a Bible-centred college, can be one of the most transforming and exciting experiences of our life!
1. Theology is relationship-deepening
Good theology never encourages us to know about God, it always inspires us to know God. The more we truly understand the living and active word of the Lord (Heb 4:12), the more we fall in love with the author and perfecter of life (Heb 12:2) and can spur one another on to good works (Heb 10:24)... learning from trusted teachers who think biblically and encourage us to do the same is a brilliant way to deepen our understanding and fuel our faith.
2. Theology is practical
Understanding Godâs nature and purposes are deeply practical pursuits because they effect how we think and act (Rom 12:2). And whatever our specific spiritual gifts â preaching, pastoral care or administration â studying theology can help develop them. Setting time aside to learn from people who have a proven track record at exercising their gifts humbly and faithfully inspires us to grow and serve passionately (1Cor 4:16).
3. Theology encourages wisdom
There are very few new heresies in the world â the old ones just keep popping up in new guises. Rigorously engaging with the past equips us to avoid being âtossed aboutâ in the present (Eph 4:14-16).
4. Theology is enjoyable
And doing all this with our brothers and sisters in Christ is just plain fun! We rejoice in what we learn (Ps 19:8) and meet lovely people who become valued partners in mission and prayerful companions in the good times and the bad...
So why not give it a go? Whether you opt for full-time, part-time or distance-learning, thereâs a course out there that might just change your life!
Recently I was given a âZero Intoleranceâ leaflet. Itâs a publication from the United Reformed Church â one that seeks to encourage congregations of all denominations to stamp out prejudice. Itâs a precursor to a poster campaign that may be hitting a church or a street near you in the not too distant future.
Its central thesis is that Jesus welcomed everyone but the church doesnât and that failure to love is a blot on our copybook, a reason why many have left local congregations and a reason why others donât join. Its call is to encourage churches to become âradically welcomingâ to the marginalised of society and to accept people of all backgrounds without issuing any call to change.
If nothing else, the campaign poses some interesting questions ...
â˘Do we need to repent of prejudice?
Quite possibly! I, for one, have been sinful since conception (Ps 51:5) and there is no part of my being that hasnât been tainted by sin. Unlike God, I donât always look at peopleâs hearts, I do sometimes look at outward appearances at least at first glance (1Sam 16:7) and that is something I do need to repent of. Maybe your church too...
â˘Does more need to be done to make our churches more welcoming?
Absolutely! There is much to commend the welcome of my church and I guess yours as well but weâre not perfect. James 2 makes it quite clear that churches down the ages have been guilty of the sin of partiality. We need to be passionate and intentional about doing all we can to change that.
â˘Is it our responsibility to accept people without calling them to change?
Not in a million years! The church isnât a place where people stay the same. We follow a saviour who loved those that others tossed aside but who also issued the call to lifestyle change (Jn 8:11). We are bearers of the Holy Spirit whose role it is to help us put off the âold selfâ and put on the new (Col 3). And that message must ring true to people of all backgrounds (including our own).
If you see a âZero Intoleranceâ poster later in 2011, why not think and pray about how you can start some conversations like this, using it as a spur to show love... and speak truth.
Tim Thornborough writes about keeping an eye on the clock over on his blog about leading a home group.
The study is flowing, the conversation is sharp, funny and moving by turn.
Someone raises an interesting question that everyone wants to comment on. Someone shares a deeply moving need that everyone wants to pray for.
You look at your watch, and it's 10.45.
"Whoa!" you cry, "time these little piggies were all tucked up in bed for the night." Some members shoot out of their seats and head straight for the door. Others linger in the hallway talking by the open door. You stifle a yawn, close the door and switch on the TV to wind down before you go to bed. The light doesn't go off until 12.45.
Sound familiar?
Time can just rush by at a homegroup when things are going well, when enthusiasm and interest seem to be sky high. But did you notice the warning signs in the little scenario above? "Some members shoot out of their seats and head straight for the door."
Before you read on, just pause for a moment and consider what the typical timings for your group meeting might be.... continue reading
This is an excellent testimony from our friends at Hill City Church, Wales.
"People used to think of me as Jim the Marine - it gave me that sense of recognition. And yet... there was something still missing."
James Richards talks about his experience serving with the Royal Marines, and his search for belonging in the battle of life.
Just laying out some Explore notes on 2 Timothy by David Sprouse, and thought this comment was a corker:
"It is a wonderful, as well as a sobering, fact that unlike any other book in the world, every time the Bible is read the author is present. And it is what He thinks that counts."
The debate on euthanasia is not going to go away. Weâve blogged on how we approach the issue ourselves, as Christians: and Dr Jason Roach guest-blogged a medicâs perspective.
But what about the question asked by a friend over a coffee at work, or on the way home from football, or at the school gate?
Here, for what itâs worth, is what we think we might say:
The media furore over euthanasia during the last few days has made one thing abundantly clear. Sir Terry Pratchettâs documentary on assisted dying only showed us one side of the debate.
Both disability groups and Christian ones declared that other views needed to be heard. I have to agree. My medical background and Christian convictions both push me to think about the other side of the story.
A key question for me is: âHow does a change in law affect the most weak and vulnerable?â
My medical oaths tell me to do no harm. My Christian values tell me to âhelp the weakâ (1 Thessalonians 5 v 14).
And my experience tells me that hard cases, like the ones that make it onto TV documentaries, make bad law.
Two examples illustrate the point. First, what starts as a right to die sometimes seems to turn into a duty to die. For example in Oregon, where euthanasia is legal, the percentage of people taking their lives who felt a burden on their families rose 50% in three years between 1998 and 2000. Disability campaigners are rightly concerned that the most weak may begin to feel they are obligated to end their life.
Secondly, such legislation would be intended to authorise people dying because some thought it was right; but it might lead to people being killed when we would all agree it was wrong.
I remember only too well reading the case of Philip Sutorius, a GP who helped an 86 year old woman to die. He said that she was suffering âunbearablyâ. His reasons? She had said that she was obsessed with getting older, and thought her existence was hopeless.
I wonder if, just like traffic lights rightly limit our freedom to protect other drivers, so keeping the law as it is limits our freedoms for the benefit of all.
I wonder, too, if this whole debate distracts from the great work of the hospice movement. Dame Cicely Saunders, a Christian woman, set up St Christopherâs Hospice to give weak and vulnerable patients the care, pain relief and comfort that deserve. She recognised that for the Christian our dignity isnât conditional on our productivity, but intrinsic to our humanity.
Perhaps our âBig Societyâ would do well to champion those hard-working servants in hospice care. They have certainly taught me over the years to work hard to show sick people the respect that society so often seems to decide in advance that they cannot have.
Jason is a vicar and a doctor with a particular interest in medical ethics and has worked for the British Medical Journal.
