This document provides an outline and introductory information for a course on theology of work for STEM professions. It discusses defining STEM fields and the gap between these fields and Christian attitudes. It also examines definitions of theology and ministry. The course aims to establish a new theological paradigm that rejects dualisms between sacred and secular work, and equips all Christians for meaningful work. It argues that God values all work and wants to redeem the world through various professions, including STEM fields.

1. Study notes for the course.
Presented by Fletcher L. Tink, Ph.D
Professor

2. Instructions:
Please follow these Powerpoint notes along
with the accompanying oral lectures that are
provided. The lectures vary from 30-45
minutes each with the exception of the final
one which is 15 minutes long. However, it is
supplemented with a 45 minute documentary.

3. An Introduction to “Theology of Work for the
STEM Professions”

4. Outline of Session #1
Topics to be Covered
1. Defining the STEM Professions: Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
2. Causes and Evidences of the Gap between the STEM
Professions and Christian attitudes
3. Defining Terms: “Theology”
4. The Fallacies of the Current Understanding of
“Ministry”
5. The Current Context of the Discussion
6. The Need for a New Theological Paradigm

5. Introductory Definitions:
 “Theology”: “The study of God and His
ways”---We only know about God through
His “mighty acts”, in other words, His
“Work” in creation, in redemption and in
sustaining---bringing all things into
Himself. Theology does not merely
speculate on who God is, but studies the
narrative of how God interacts and works
among human beings. That work, in some
sense, defines who God is, to humans who
themselves “work” to understand Him.

6. In other words, there is no such thing as
unapplied theology!!!!

7. 1. Does STEM work matter to God? Or is it only
“church work” that has value?
2. Does all STEM work have intrinsic value?
3. Why do we engage in the STEM professions?
4. Does our professional work have a part to play
in our spiritual formation?
5. Does our professional STEM work have any
eternal significance?
6. Is our STEM work defined differently from one
culture to another?
7. Do we have an inherent attitude that our work
in the STEM professions is superior to that
other professions or other jobs?

8. What do each of these words
tell us about attitudes about
“Work”?
Examples: Job, Occupation, Career, Living,
Profession, Trade, Labor, Employment, Business.
Examples of Attitudes: Drudgery, Travail, Sweat,
Toil, Daily Grind, Duty, Obligation, Grunt work

9. “Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a
chance?” ---Edgar Bergen
“I’m a friend of the workingman, I would rather be
his friend than be one.” ---Clarence Darrow
“Work is the curse of the drinking classes.” ---
Oscar Wilde
“I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at
it for hours.” --- Jerome K Jerome
“People are still willing to do an honest day’s work.
The trouble is they want a week’s pay for it.” ---
Joey Adams

10. “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is
the probable reason why so few engage in it.”
---Henry Ford
“Working gets in the way of living.” ---Omar
Sharif

11. Dictionary: “Physical or mental effort or activity directed
toward the production or accomplishment of something”
John Stott’s definition: “Energy expended whether manual or
mental or both, whether remunerated or not,”
In other works, effort towards accomplishing something
whether paid or not.
The STEM professions require both mental and physical
labor, i.e. the laboratory. And much of the effort is not
calculated in financial personal profit but in intangible
rewards.

12. “A man is not idle because he is absorbed in
thought. There is a visible labor and there is
an invisible labor.”
Victor Hugo

13. 1. Meaning: Because it brings meaning to that
portion of a person’s life that occupies most of
his or her waking hours. It is central rather than
peripheral. We spend far more time at our
workplaces than we do in “Church”.
2. Balance: Because it is essential for putting “work”
in its proper place. Work cannot be our “god” (the
center of one’s meaning), nor is it simply a curse
as many suppose it to be.
3. Freedom: Because work can be a liberation for all
Christians in that every Christian lives life in two
worlds---in the world of the Church “gathered”
and in the world of the Church “scattered”.

14. 4. Accessibility: Because all people are called to
serve in “mission” and many of them are placed
in STEM worlds where missionaries and
professional Christians have little access.
5. Preparation: Because Scripture indicates that
our “deeds” (our work) will follow us into
eternity where we will have a continuation of
work in the new heaven and new earth. Since
work is not just an earthly activity, we prepare
ourselves for unimaginable creative activity in
heaven.

15. 1. To earn our daily bread and provide for our
necessities.
2. To keep us out of trouble, because laziness is the
Devil’s playground. The yearning to create and
recreate is the antidote to laziness.
3. To exercise our creative talents and our gifts, or
to acquire some new capabilities.
4. To make a positive difference in an institution or
a community.

16. 5. To serve our neighbor with the results of our
creative talents.
6. To socialize ourselves in communities of research
and repair so that we don’t become “incestuous”,
or totally self-centered
7. To appropriate knowledge and insight from others
and to build relationships across communities
8. To advance and enhance the reach of the Kingdom
of God
9. To better conditions for the poor and needy

17. 10. To experience the euphoria of new discoveries or
solutions for the practical problems and challenges
of life.
11. To serve God and God’s purposes in discovering
and unfolding the potential of creation.
12. To grow in character and Christ-likeness
So which ones of these reasons motivate you in your
aspirations within the STEM professions?
Which ones of these motivate your friends in their STEM
assignments?

18. “The experience of the race shows that we get our
most important education not through books but
through our work. We are developed by our daily
task, or else demoralized by it, as by nothing
else.” ---Anna Garlin Spencer
“Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on
your attitude. I like fun.” ---Colleen C Barrett
“The secret of joy in work is contained in one
work---excellence. To know how to do
something well is to enjoy it.” ---Pearl S Buck

19. “What we do matters to us. Work may not be
the most important thing in our lives or the
only thing. We may work because we must,
but we still want to love, to feel pride in, to
respect ourselves for what we do and to make
a difference.” ---Sara Ann Friedman

20. 1. The understanding that all seven days of the week are
holy days, that the goals of Sunday are the same goals of
Monday, Tuesday, etc. Indeed worship is a seven-day
spiritual act.
2. That the whole people of God, including those in the
STEM professions, are empowered for service and
ministry in the world (there is no division in vocation
between lay and professional Christian workers).
Functions may differ, but intent and purpose are the
same.
3. That Christian discipleship training needs to be
redirected towards equipping all of God’s people for
finding transcendent meaning in their assignments.

21. 4. That the dualism that maintains that
“church” work is spiritual and all other work
including the STEM professions is, be
rejected, thereby producing a higher
purpose in work ethics, motivation, witness
and meaning.
5. That Christian training embrace more
integrated resources intended to equip all
the people of God, not just “called
preachers” in preparation.

22. By dividing Sunday from the rest of the week, secular from
sacred, lay from professional, we create the following
problems:
1. Compartmentalization: We are Christian in Church, but
someone else in other contexts.
2. Reductionism: We limit God and His work to “within the
walls of the Church” and fail to see God at work outside,
including in the STEM professions
3. Depreciation: We lose the effectiveness of the many
brilliant and capable people in the Church, by confining
their “service” to church tasks and responsibilities.

23. 4. Distortion: We diminish the Lordship of God in our
STEM worlds, and so do not bring to bear our ethics,
our compassion, our creativity, our calling to the
world outside. By confining “spirituality” to formal
religious exercises, we let Satan run rampant in all the
rest.
In the words of Paul Williams, “A faulty theology of
vocation and work was a significant contributor to the
secularization of Western society. Recovery of a fully
biblical theology of vocation and work has the potential to
energize a radical new missionary movement in the world
today.”

24. Ironically, many historians believe that it was Christianity itself with
its presuppositions about the sacredness of all, that spurred
scientific research especially in the West.
Indeed, many theologians would argue that Christianity is the
most “materialistic” of all religions, in that the Bible teaches the
reality and value of the material world.
For instance, God came to earth in material form, and Christians
are to experience their eternal fate in their renewed “bodies”.
God cares for the material condition of His universe and of the
humans that populate the earth. The concept of “stewardship” is
God’s affirmation of the value of the “material world”

25. Thankfully, we are being forced back to Biblical understanding of
“ministry” by the following realities:
1. There are not nearly enough graduates of Seminaries and Bible
Colleges to expand the impact of Christian faith the world.
Many cultures are leapfrogging from their pre-Christian
worldviews into secularized materialistic pursuits, without
stopping at Christian premises.
2 Many places in the world no longer welcome “professional
ministers”. Indeed, even training centers have changed their
nomenclature from “School of World Mission” to “School of
Intercultural Studies” due to the hostility shown towards those
labeled as missionaries. On the other hand, people of the
STEM professions are welcomed almost anywhere.

26. 3. Ministers are becoming increasingly isolated within
their religious institutions which absorb all their
attentions and energy. Many of them do not
understand the STEM professions and discount the
value of their contributions to the quality of life,
while appropriating their technologies.
4. There is a major cultural backlash against formal
religious figures due to scandals and political
stereotypes. The scientific world generally requires
a scrutiny and accountability rarely found in the
religious world.

27. 5. The Church is no longer the initial “point of encounter”
for non-believers.
6. Christian lay leaders are usually at the forefront of new
Christian initiatives. Interestingly, some missionary
strategists bring their engineering skills to their
missiological tasks.
5. There is a growing hunger among STEM Christians to be
a “part of the action
6. Sadly, the Church, the ministerial training centers and
the traditional denominational programs, are ill
equipped to face the challenge of the growing number of
highly educated STEM professionals.

28. Dennis Bakke, author of Joy at Work, offers his own
story as a case study of how God reshaped him
both theologically and practically to redesign his
energy company, AES, to be a transformative force
in the lives of his employees, his clients, and their
contexts. His company established power plants in
over 20 nations.

29. In the course of this class, you will hear
certain “Bakke” themes repeated many
times. These include:
1. We should find “Joy at Work”
2. Our work should empower those around
us
3. Failure is not necessarily final or fruitless.
4. The leader serves his followers

30.  5. The leader works in teamwork and shares
decision-making with all. More and more, the
“Wikipedia” model of mutual contribution is used.
 6. There must be heightened “trust” among
employees rather than suspicion and mistrust.
 7. There is a need for visionaries who think
“outside of the box”. These people should be
valued rather discounted. The entrepreneurial spirit
of STEM workers is conducive to this.
 8. A certain amount of messiness and chaos is
permissible because people take priority over
program and because experimentation and
research presupposes considerable failure.

31. 9. Christian influence in the STEM professions is seen
at many multi-faceted levels, not just in
evangelizing or inviting people to church. It
includes:
A. Stirring an environment of freedom and
honesty
B. Encouraging people to express their
creative gifts and talents in roles that are
appropriate
C. Offering a sense of participatory control

32. D. Finding a role for the business or the
institution to be transformative within
the communities and among the
individuals that it services
E. Fostering a spirit of joy
F. Nurturing true community within the
professional field that it serves

33. 1. God want to use the STEM professions for His mission of
redeeming the world.
2. The Bible is filled with stories of people who used their
STEM talents to make a difference in their worlds.
3. Most parables and examples that Jesus used to teach
about the Kingdom of God involved improbable people.
4. God wants to redeem the world in all dimensions not
just those who attend church. He is also looking for
truly creative expressions that address the human need
for transcendence.

34. 5. We are all called to be agents of
reconciliation: “For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him, and through him
to reconcile to himself all things, whether
things on earth or things in heaven, by making
peace through his blood shed on the cross”
(Col. 1:19). We are all called to be agents of
reconciliation. The STEM professions are well-
poised to serve this function.

35. Jesus himself did God’s work: “My food is to do
the will of Him who sent me and to finish
His work” (John 4:34).
Or . . .
“My Father is always at His work to this very
day, and I, too, am working.” (John 5:17)

36. Was it to . . .
Reshape Society by Being Salt and Light?
Reconcile People to Himself and Each Other?
Usher in the Kingdom of God?
Die on the Cross, offering Salvation from Sin?

37. It includes all of these tasks. God invites all of us to
identify, introduce, proclaim and celebrate the
mission of God (“missio dei”).
Jesus invites us to be co-laborers with him in these
tasks.
Everyone is called to “preach the Gospel, and if
necessary, use words”. Competent, meaningful
engagement in the STEM professions can be a way
of “preaching the Gospel” in that it offers “good
news” to distressed people.

38. According to the Dictionary of New Testament Theology:
Greek Terms:
Ergazomai (to labor, be active, work, bring about)
Ergon (deed, action, achievement, work, thing, matter)
Ergasia (work, practice, business)
Ergates (someone who is doing something, workman
Energeia (working, operation, action)
Energeo (to work, be at work, be active, effect something
Euergesia (kindness, a good deed, well-doing)
Euergeteo (to work, benefit, show kindnesses)
Energetes (benefactor)
Synergos (working together with, a colleague, fellow-worker)
Synergeo (to work together, cooperate, aid)

39. Problem of inadequate language:
“Occupation” can mean to “occupy” or “fill
space”, or it can mean “busy-ness”, or “doing
for the sake of doing”---there is no
necessary “objective” in “occupation”
“Employment” suggests work, or again, just
busy-ness, according to the whims of an
employer.
“Career” and “Profession” suggest status rather
than servanthood.

40. The term “Vocation” comes from the Latin “vocare”,
“to call”, and suggests that our purposes are bigger
than just doing a task, or filling space, or busy-
ness. It suggests that the God who made us (He
was fashioning us for His pleasure, His artifact),
wants us to be similarly creative. He made us with
gifts, and uses families and friends to develop our
talents, so that we may work with Him in tandem
with His creative process. This we call “ministry”
[we will define this term in the third session].
In other words, we are all “called” to work alongside
of God for His purposes and our fulfillment.

41. When God fashioned the world, He did so in two ways,
as understood by the verbs used in Genesis 1. He
was the ultimate “engineer”.
1. “Bara” to form, fashion, create. Usually this word
represents the miracle of creating something out of
nothing (“ex nihilo”)
A. Gen 1:1, “God created the heaven and the earth”
(the creation of energy and matter)
B. Gen 1:21, “God created great whales and every
living thing” (the creation of biological life)
C. Gen 1:27, “So God created man in his own
image” (the creation of humankind)

42. However, on the other “days” of creation,
specialization and diversity was produced out
of what already existed. In other words,
God’s work both operates in a “vacuum” and
also in the context of what already exists.
God creates “ex nihilo”, “out of nothing” and
out of what is. We, being made in His image,
have the similar desire and capacity to create
both that which is imagined (first in the mind
of God), and that which is yet to be imagined.

43. Please read the sermon-poem of James
Weldon Johnson (1871-1938), given as a
resource piece in this session, that so
vividly describe one dramatic expression of
the “Work of God” at Creation. It is
entitled, “The Creation” published in 1922
as a Negro Sermon.
This can be found on the following address:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIkNypT
XdHE

44.  As God found joy in his creative efforts, we
too were intended to find joy in His creation
and in the act of creating.
 God created us to be partners with Him in
stewarding His creation. Therefore our work
is important in God’s Kingdom.
 Every believer is engaged in “sacred” work, or
ought to be.

45.  By seeking to understand our “calling” and
fulfilling it faithfully, STEM believers find
purpose and fulfillment in life.
 Humankind will be held accountable for how
we steward God’s creation.

46. Feel free in insert below your questions and feedback
on what you have learned in this powerpoint:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

47. This is the end of the PowerPoint
of Session One