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Culture Watch:What Ever Happened to the Protestant Work Ethic?
by Lee Warren (Lee's bio)
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When I was fifteen years old, my Grandpa had a proposition for me. He told me that for every dollar I saved to buy a car, he would match it. I knew he had quite a bit of money and that he could have easily afforded to buy a car for me, but I also knew that my Grandpa liked to teach his grandchildren lessons and I was sure that this was one of them. I was right.
When my grandparents moved to Omaha, Nebraska from a little town just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas in the late 1930's, they didn't have a lot of possessions—by today's standards, they were broke. They moved to Omaha because they wanted off the farm. But they brought something with them that helped them prosper in Omaha: a protestant work ethic. It was engrained in the culture in the South when they grew up.
Max Weber, a German sociologist who lived from 1864 to 1920, coined the term “protestant work ethic.” He wrote a book in the early nineteen-hundreds called The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. His term encompassed the following traits: hard work that glorifies God, a long term view of the future (savings and putting off current wants to meet tomorrows needs), and self-reliance rather than government reliance.
My Grandma died a few months ago and as I work on her estate I am amazed at the fruits of my grandparent's labor. Even though my Grandpa died seventeen years before my Grandma did, their work ethic was still paying dividends when Grandma died.
With this fresh on my mind, I sat down to watch Game Three of the division playoff series between the New York Yankees and the Anaheim Angels recently. I watched in disbelief as Anaheim outfielder Garret Anderson hit a ball to the second baseman and jogged to first base. Jogged might even be a bit kind.
The New York Yankees second baseman misplayed the ball and if Anderson had been running, he would have been safe. Apparently Anderson didn't care enough about his teammates, about the game or about his reputation to run ninety feet.
In Ecclesiastes 9:10, King Solomon said, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”
In I Corinthians 10:31, the Apostle Paul said, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
If King Solomon and the Apostle Paul are right, then why are we afraid to condemn a poor effort? Why are we afraid to take action against it when we are in authority? Why are we afraid of offending someone? Has fear so gripped us that we are willing to let this new non-work ethic replace the biblical work ethic?
Angels manager Mike Scioscia should have pulled Garret Anderson out of the game and out of the playoffs pending his sincere apology to his ball club and to their fans. In doing so, Scioscia would have made it clear that even though not all players are equal in ability, all had better be equal in giving their best effort. Instead, sadly, he left Anderson in the game.
Is it possible to bring the protestant work ethic back to our culture? If so, how do we do it? I believe it is possible, but we've got to start all over again. We have to teach our children the biblical principles of sowing and reaping and what it means to work to the glory of God. Then we've got to model it for them. It's a long term solution to a problem we may never see solved in our lifetimes, but then again, isn't that what the protestant work ethic is all about?
Copyright 2002, Lee Warren. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About Lee Warren: Lee Warren is a freelance writer from Omaha, Nebraska. He has written for various publications and is currently working on a novel. If you are interested in reading more of his work or in receiving his column via e-mail, please go to his website: www.leewarren.net or drop him an e-mail: LeeWJunior@cox.net.
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