Good Work

A needed and most welcome book. By unraveling the different meanings of work and placing them into a theological context of rest and resurrection, Esther Reed makes clear how theology can enrich our thinking about our labor.

~Gilbert Meilaender, Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Professor of Christian Ethics, Valparaiso University

Highly recommended. Written in a clear, engaging style, Reed’s richly sophisticated discussion holds numerous treasures, including fascinating treatments of key issues such as vocation, liturgy, social justice, and human rights. Good Work is rooted in a profound reading of Christian theological and liturgical resources and includes a striking focus on Eastern Orthodoxy’s traditions and insights.

~David P. Gushee, Professor of Christian Ethics, Mercer University

This is a meaty little book.... It is engaging, interesting, and solid, but it moves in important fresh directions, touching down on matters of vocation and liturgy, social justice, human rights, the integrity of creation and our role as stewards.

~Byron Borger, Hearts and Minds Books

Throughout the book, Reed moves beyond simply understanding work in relation to individuals or even the relationship of working individuals to God--important as these themes may be for a Christian understanding of work--to understanding work in relation to the Triune God’s work within creation and all of humanity, which always relates to communities and not just isolated individuals…Esther Reed has written a provocative book on a difficult but universal experience.

~Wilton Bunch, Samford University, Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics