Review of EVERY GOOD ENDEAVOR by Tim Keller

Rating: 5 out of 5

I love everything that Tim Keller writes because he has a way of applying the gospel to real everyday matters of life like no one else I’ve heard or read. In his latest book EVERY GOOD ENDEAVOR, he with co-author Katherine Leary Alsdorf tackle that biblical perspective of work. Specifically, the book looks at the integration of faith and work.

Keller strives to give people a perception of work as a good thing designed by God for a good purpose. Many people think of work as a bad thing, perhaps a result of the fall. It often feels like a necessary evil and something we dread going to each day. But Keller shows the biblical framework of work as cultivation. God is creator, and he created us to be creators. We create culture and promote human flourishing through our work when it’s done in a faith-driven way.

Yet there are some side effects of the fall when it comes to work, and Keller tackles some of the things that we often experience with our work such as fruitlessness, pointlessness, selfishness, and idolatry.

Then in true Keller fashion, the book applies the gospel narrative to work. The gospel gives us a new story with new motivations. We don’t work to find our identity or our meaning. We work because God has called us to work. We choose career paths that fit our unique giftedness, but also move us on the journey of cultural cultivation that God designed work for.

EVERY GOOD ENDEAVOR is a brilliant book that anyone would should read to be encouraged by God’s plan for work. It may convince you to do some things different. It may convince you your in the wrong line of work. Or it may convince you you’re right where God wants you to be. The message of this book is greatly needed to understand our role as cultivators in our world.

Review copy provided by Dutton Books