R. Paul Stevens, The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Biblical Perspective. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000.
Referenced in: Missional Lifestyle, Discipleship, Spirituality – Missional Spirituality of Work
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
R. Paul Stevens is professor emeritus of marketplace theology and spirituality at Regent College in Vancouver and adjunct professor at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle and Biblical Graduate School of Theology in Singapore.
It expresses a theology that redeems the world of work from the false separation of “sacred” and “secular,” and aims away from a hierarchy of callings that regards some professions as more “spiritual” than others. Both Stevens and Cosden are practical theologians. Cosden’s volume is more academic, an abridged version of his scholarly monograph on the same subject. Stevens’ work, though theologically sound, is slightly less academic, and addresses the leadership dimensions of equipping the church toward a missional lifestyle. This is especially evident with the excellent discussion questions, group role-plays and activities found at the end of each chapter.
The special emphasis in The Other Six Days is a rejection of the clergy-laity division, affirming one’s vocation as a legitimate arena through which to express one’s spiritual gifts toward fulfilling the mission of God. Stevens argues that “a theology of the whole people of God should neither be clerical or anticlerical…[but] a-clericalism (Stott).” (7) In this sense, Stevens’ message resonates strongly with the missional lifestyle. Those engaged in the missional conversation will appreciate Stevens.
In the opening chapter, Stevens expresses his aim to provide: “a comprehensive biblical foundation for the Christian’s life in the world as well as the church, a theology for homemakers, nurses and doctors, plumbers, stockbrokers, politicians and farmers.” (4) He says, “A theology of the whole people of God must encompass not only the life of God’s people gathered, the ekklesia, but the church dispersed in the world, the diaspora, in the marketplace, government, professional offices, schools and homes.” (8) It should be not only a theology, but an “anthropology, and even a theology of creation in its relation to Christology.” (8)
In the rest of the book, Stevens does an excellent job in defining what it means to be the people of God who joyously live in a congruent relationship between vocation, work, and ministry. This book does a fine job in bringing the full wealth of scripture into the issues of calling, work, ministry, and mission.
The Other Six Days is best used as the theological base of Stevens many other volumes that follow the same theme, some that were written before and others after this volume. Below is a sample listing (each followed by the publisher’s descriptions):
- R. Paul Stevens and J. I . Packer, The Equipper’s Guide to Every-Member Ministry: Eight Ways Ordinary People Can Do the Work of the Church. Regent College, 2000 – Stevens shows how churches today can be faithful to the New Testament model of every-member ministry. Specifically he focuses on how the laity can teach and learn the Bible, conduct small groups, pastor the sick and hurting, lead worship, evangelize neighborhoods and more.
- R. Paul Stevens, Taking Your Soul to Work: Overcoming Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010 – Part of the Work in Progress Project. Instead of regarding work as a diversion from the spiritual life, the authors regard it is an arena and an incentive for spiritual growth. Yet it is not without its challenges. They use the classic rubric of the seven deadly sins and the ninefold fruit of the Spirit to reveal how the Spirit has given Christians powerful gifts to overcome struggles the face in the challenges of daily work in a globalized world.
- R. Paul Stevens, Doing God’s Business: Meaning and Motivation in the Marketplace. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2006 – Stevens explores the potential of business as a location for practicing everyday spiritual disciplines and as a source of creativity and deeper relationship with God.
- R. Paul Stevens and Michael Green, Living the Story: Biblical Spirituality for Everyday Christians. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003 – Writing to promote genuine discipleship and an everyday sense of God’s presence, R. Paul Stevens and Michael Green show that biblical spirituality is based on down-to-earth principles meant to foster righteous living — at home, at work, wherever one is. They highlight the importance of our being in relationship with the Triune God and discuss how we can be worshipers of Abba God, disciples of Jesus, and temples of the Holy Spirit. The book proceeds through the Old and New Testaments, engaging readers with the discoveries and struggles of people of faith from Adam and Eve to those gathered around the Lamb in the new Jerusalem. Stevens and Green focus throughout on how we can truly live the Word of God so that our own stories become part of God’s great story of love.
- R. Paul Stevens, Down-to-Earth Spirituality: Encountering God in the Ordinary, Boring Stuff of Life. InterVarsity Press, 2003 – Most books on spirituality focus on spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible study. But this can mislead us into thinking that God can only be experienced when we are doing something “spiritual.” Apart from private devotional times or church on Sunday, God may seem distant from and even irrelevant to our daily life. Paul Stevens has a radically different view of Christian spirituality. True spirituality, he says, is down-to-earth—we encounter God in the ordinary, common stuff of everyday life. Taking his cue from the biblical story of Jacob, Stevens explores the Genesis narrative and uncovers how ordinary moments are made extraordinary, transformed by the presence of God in the midst of the mundane.
- Pete Hammond, R. Paul Stevens, and Todd Svanoe, The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography: A Christian Guide to Books on Work, Business and Vocation. IVP Academic, 2002 – Every workday millions of Christians enter the marketplace. Whether as sales associates or engineers, auto mechanics or executives, Christians are called to serve God in the workplace. But most need help integrating faith and work. How can you be salt and light on the job? Where can you turn for help in developing a biblical and satisfying view of work? The Marketplace Annotated Bibliography is the largest and most complete resource for putting work in its proper Christian perspective. Pete Hammond, R. Paul Stevens and Todd Svanoe provide annotated reviews of hundreds of books on topics such as career guidance, leisure, termination and layoffs, business ethics, time and financial management, critical issues in the workplace, evangelism and much more! They also include a historical survey of the marketplace-faith movement and more than a dozen thematic indexes. Pastors, vocational counselors, professors and laypeople alike will find this book a unique and valuable resource.
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