Author Biography
Justin Denholm lives in Brunswick, Australia with his wife, three children and two chickens, where he has many challenging conversations about faith and life. Since 2008, he has coordinated the Centre for Applied Christian Ethics at Ridley Melbourne Mission and Ministry College, which concentrates on providing resources and support for Christians to engage with ethical issues in all aspects of life. Justin also works as an infectious diseases physician and epidemiologist at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, where his clinical and research interests are focused on tuberculosis and other communicable diseases. He holds degrees in medicine, ethics, public health and epidemiology, and is actively involved in teaching programs for these subjects at the University of Melbourne. He has written or edited several books, including most recently a Christian guide to having better ethical discussions; Talking About Ethics: Negotiating the Maze (Acorn Press, 2011).
Is it right for Christians to seek success?
It is extremely tempting to approach our fields with a desire to reform them for God. This is particularly the case for those of us who inhabit workplaces and locations that are heavily secular in nature. Many of us long for increasing power and influence in these fields, with which we intend to shape them in ways that glorify God and attract people to him. We need to understand, though, that our ability to accomplish these goals is limited, and our motivation to do so is mixed.
We commonly look to examples like Daniel and Joseph as faithful people of God who succeed in the world. Clearly, there are times when God's purposes coincide with worldly success and influence. God can certainly use us as the CEO of a major corporation or as Nobel-winning scientists. Such people have served him faithfully before, and he can surely use them again. The problem I have, though, is that it doesn't seem at all clear to me that God intends for us to seek to serve him in these ways. Think of Daniel, kidnapped and press-ganged into service, or Joseph, sold into slavery. These men rose to power obliquely; they sought to follow God faithfully regardless of circumstance, and were used in ways that seem 'successful' to us. For every Daniel or Joseph, though, is a Jeremiah or Hosea; people who follow God's call in ways that lead them to suffer ridicule and be sidelined. God's call may not lead to the corner office that I think would suit my talents perfectly, but to caring for my disabled neighbour. Perhaps even more difficult is the idea that I may be asked to continue to serve God in my field of work but be “mediocre” in order to devote myself to the work of the local church or some other end.
In some situations, faithfulness may be rewarded in worldly pursuits. Traits like honesty may be recognised and lead to advancement in some fields. It seems to me far from inevitable that this will be the case, however. It is at least as likely that following Christ will lead us to worldly failure. Our priorities for serving our families and our churches may mean that we are less committed to our workplaces than others, and in some fields honesty may not be a pathway to career development! More fundamentally, though, we follow a crucified God and walk the road to Calvary. We serve a God who is most glorified in us when we are weak and powerless. We are people who are told we should be pitied if we do not have resurrection and vindication to look forward to. The question I ask myself, then, is 'how likely is it that faithful abandonment to his service will lead to a life of worldly influence and respect'?
So what does this mean for me as a Christian who aspires to lead? Well, most bluntly, it leads me to distrust my reasons for wanting to lead and influence. As much as I tell myself that my motivation is to serve God, to influence others in ways that glorify him, to lead my field towards aims that please him, I don't believe me. While Christian faith should not mean that we can never lead or be successful in worldly terms, I am increasingly convinced that these things should be thrust upon us reluctantly rather than be things we strive for.
14 comments:
This is a very powerful commentary and really challenges the common perception amongst many of us that we will be more likely to glorify God through our success. It seems to me that God has habit of getting more glory through our failures that turn our hearts to him. That brokenness, humility and total dependence on God points people to him. Failure strips away the many masks of self protection and shows our heart. If Christ is in our heat then it shows Christ.
When we started developing this book it was initially about being faithful in success at work. We asked whole lot of successful people how they integrate faith and vocation. However, after reading many of the chapters by successful people a common theme that emerged was 'failing faithfully'. One of the true marks of a 'successful' Christian professional or professor is being able to fail faithfully. To put aside earthly success, when obedience requires us to, and trust that God will be glorified....but not necessarily in our worldly success.
"His power is made perfect in weakness."
Thank you Justin for the helpful thoughts. I sure that we all look forward to reading the full chapter
In this excerpt, Dr. Denholm gives a balanced perspective on how Christians should view professional success. I enjoyed his comparison of Daniel and Joseph versus Jeremiah and Hosea as biblical examples of two very different paths on which God can set His followers.
As a biomedical researcher, I see many people who are caught in an unfortunate cycle of more hours=more success. I certainly agree with Dr. Denholm that Christian professionals should know when to stop working and obey God in other areas, such as: taking some form of Sabbath rest, protecting time with family, and just being available for people. Obeying God in these ways may limit our professional success to a degree, but when a Christian is at work, he or she should absolutely seek success...for the glory of God.
I once heard a physician from Africa say that he resisted accepting Christ while in medical school because his Christian classmates were weak students. He eventually became a believer, and now he is committed to succeeding in medicine so that no one can say that about him. It had never occurred to me that Christians who do not take their work seriously could be a stumbling block to non-believers, but it does makes sense.
I look forward to future excerpts!
Very thought-provoking...
As someone who is naturally less driven, it isn't hard for me to accept that faithfulness may not lead to worldly success. I'm honestly comforted by the idea that leadership and success are things to accept reluctantly if so called, because I don't really want them, and it makes me feel justified in not seeking them. But I have to question my motivations, too. My inclination could stem from embracing God's upside-down values; it could stem from laziness and poor stewardship of the gifts I've received. In reality, I think it's a mix of the two.
Maybe part of the challenge is to not confuse our success/failure with our identity or value. Some may struggle with thinking they need to achieve worldly success to be valuable. I probably find too much of my identity in being "above" that. But both are attempts at self-righteousness. I think faithfulness would involve genuine openness to whatever God has for you -- whether success or failure -- even if it means laying down your self-concept and natural inclinations.
Thanks for some good stuff to chew on!
Excellent blog. I just have a comment. It is a fact of life that someone will lead every enterprise, and sometimes Christians fearing 'unholy' motives step aside and let someone less competent do the leading. To a certain extent being "salt and light" involves leading. "Let your light shine before men" may involve saying "look at me" in some egoless way, if such a thing be possible. As Saint Paul said "If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work." (1 Timothy 3:1, NKJV) Ambition is not the problem -- the problem is being ready to do what you are called to do even if you feel inadequate, as well as being ready to step aside if someone more qualified has been called by God to do what you aspired to do.
Thanks all for your comments so far, which are much appreciated. I'll try to respond individually to points that comments raise, and am happy to bounce ideas back and forth on this comment thread, too.
Andrew, I think this point from your African friend is a good one. My observation is that it is very difficult to know what parts of our behavior people who aren't Christians might find challenging or confronting. I'm sure that there are people who first are attracted to become Christians because they see a Christian who excels in their field; my worry, though, is that if we try to do this, aren't we trying to make ourselves attractive rather than Christ, and aren't we trying to do so on the terms set by the secular world?
I certainly agree that our faith doesn't give us license to be lazy; quite the opposite! It might be, though, that we sometimes give that appearance to people who don't understand our priorities and why we live the way we do.
Courtney, this is very helpful, I think. We need to hold ourselves openly before Christ in the light of our personal situations and qualities, and be honest about our struggles to live faithfully. I know that my writing reflects my own weaknesses and pitfalls; I hope they resonate with some people but know that others will struggle in different ways, too.
Herbert, thanks for your comment. I've found it helpful to remember a comment a friend of mine made in response to a period of agonizing over my mixed motives - "well, if they're mixed, at least they're not all bad...!" I find that helpful in wrestling with holding together the tensions this area highlights, rather than thinking the answer is to be found in an extreme.
In my full chapter I will go into a biblical framework for grounding these ideas, but I will say I'm cautious about interpreting Paul's comment from my vantage; I have to keep remind myself how many bishops of the early church were martyred instead of necessarily feeling that these were privileged positions that one might be ambitious for!
Herbert and Justin,
I think this raises an important paradox in our faith, which includes both downward mobility and genuine attempts to "influence" the World. I wonder if part of the solution comes from:
1) Making sure the success we pursue is not yoked to what our culture says is successful, recognizing that it is sometimes an either-or choice.
2) Faced with this choice, choosing a path a faithful obedience to the Lord's calling and values.
Personally, I find this discussion a bit world turning. Because it is often so easy to forget #1, thinking that success in the world follows from obedience to the Lord.
Let me start off by saying that I was "drawn" to the title of "failing faithfully". As a research student, I spend hours in the lab "failing". But one thing that keeps me going is the idea that something would work out some day and when it does, it will glorify God. So often like many of us, I forget that God is glorified in my "failures" sometimes much more than my successes. I feel I use 2 Corin 12:9 as the last resort, whereas it should be my first proclamation.
I think it is our duty to use our God-given talents to advance whatever field we are placed in. Some times I find myself excusing my laziness and poor stewardship in the name of God's upside down values. I feel there will always be a tension in this regard.
I like how you combined Daniel and Hosea. Sometimes I wish for me 'success' like for Daniel would come soon. But then I read of stories like Hosea and Amos, who are on the other extreme.Yet a third category of examples, like Nehemiah, who give up prestigious jobs to serve the "disabled neighbour" as you call it. We need people in all 3 categories. None of these people sought success, but they strived to be faithful to God; in more cases than not, this brings us in direct conflict with the world.
Data science in church
I completely agree with the point regarding the fact that Daniel and Joseph did not seek positions of influence, but rather that through their desire to follow God and the mysterious plan of God they ended up fulfilling the will of God through worldly influence.
However, perhaps 'mediocre' is too strong a word. As a doctor in surgical training, I am not sure that I could mediocre in my approach to surgery. From young, I was taught that outstanding marks and good work would be a witness of God to the world. As your article states, this is not always true. Indeed, a Christian surgeon said to me that I could not hope to love my patients more than my peers - a group of highly motivated doctors who desire to provide the best care. Yet with the same breath he exhorted that I should aim to love my patients as much as my peers. Paul exhorted the same thing to the Thessalonians, to work hard with their hands, to win the respect of outsiders and not be in need of anything.
I am sure that you do not intend that we be 'mediocre' to the point of negligent in our work. Perhaps 'ordinary' is a better word?
I completely agree with the point regarding the fact that Daniel and Joseph did not seek positions of influence, but rather that through their desire to follow God and the mysterious plan of God they ended up fulfilling the will of God through worldly influence.
However, perhaps 'mediocre' is too strong a word. As a doctor in surgical training, I am not sure that I could mediocre in my approach to surgery. From young, I was taught that outstanding marks and good work would be a witness of God to the world. As your article states, this is not always true. Indeed, a Christian surgeon said to me that I could not hope to love my patients more than my peers - a group of highly motivated doctors who desire to provide the best care. Yet with the same breath he exhorted that I should aim to love my patients as much as my peers. Paul exhorted the same thing to the Thessalonians, to work hard with their hands, to win the respect of outsiders and not be in need of anything.
I am sure that you do not intend that we be 'mediocre' to the point of negligent in our work. Perhaps 'ordinary' is a better word?
I have found this blog & the comments fascinating so far, as they reflect many discussions I've had lately with friends & colleagues.
Dr Denholm's thoughts about not seeking out 'worldly success' simultaneously challenge & resonate with me.
Something that has been increasingly challenging me is that my desire to "work for the Lord & not for men" (ie: work diligently & to the best of my ability to give glory to God) should not be confused by others with a desire to earn more status or money, with particular emphasis on the money. Betrayed by my own sinful self-centredness, I'm still working out how this works in practice. However, the last thing I want is for people to believe money is my motivation, when I hope instead to point them to God as the motivator of my actions.
In the medical system, "status" is built into the hierarchical structure & so I think at times it is not as significant a driver as the income that can be achieved. In a world where success is often measured by $$$, I think aiming to "fail" by failing to worship this type of success is an important but at times neglected issue in the wealthy western church. & as Joshua mentioned, whole denominations have been sucked into the idea that obedience to God results in worldly success.
Keep up the discussion because without talking or thinking about these things, we will let them 'fly under the radar' & go un-addressed.
Thanks for the ongoing comments from everyone.
There are a couple of points I'd like to throw into the mix. I think the reflection you have, Raymond, about the use of the word mediocre is a good one. I have deliberately used this word to confront, as there is something almost offensive to us about the idea of mediocrity that I think we need to address. I mean to use it in the sense of 'ordinary', 'normal' or 'undistinguished', rather than 'bad' or 'careless'. In the particular situation that you bring up, I'd suggest that you could still work hard and become a good surgeon who can operate safely and faithfully for the good of your patients without becoming a famous surgeon who is lauded by your peers and academically influential. I suppose the averageness I'm looking to explore is about our desire for personal success rather than developing a skill used for the service of others. This touches on something Simma brings up, in that we need to be honest about what it is that motivate us as we think about our faithful responses. Some people I admire very much are able to take academic positions and be truly servant-hearted in them, while I worry that my own motivations are more about titles and appearances. On the flip side, I don't seem to care very much about money, but as Simma says this may well be the bigger measure of success for many.
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