"All work is equal" -- truth or rhetoric?

Christian authors like to say all labor has equal dignity. They rightly question the old distinction between sacred and secular work and affirm that all honest labor pleases God. To wash dishes, clothes and floors is to serve God. God blesses mechanics, farmers, and preachers alike, if they fulfill their callings. Important as these points are, they are not the whole truth. In our zeal to motivate individual workers, we act like cheerleaders, shouting, "Your work matters! It lasts forever, whatever you do." But motivational cheering neglects vital distinctions. In fact, some work neither lasts long nor matters much. Promotional items, for example, can be so flimsy that they are essentially debris; why make them?

The statement "All work is equal" invites the motivational but imprecise thought that stock clerks matter as much as executives. As humans, everyone matters equally, but at work, leaders have more impact. When I asked people, "Do you like your job?" many answers began, "I do, because my boss…" A godly kitchen hand is God's light in the restaurant, but the chef shapes the entire kitchen's structure and culture, making it a joyful or stressful place for all I once worked on a four-man maintenance crew in which everyone was injured within three months. Why? Because antiquated equipment and hot liquids were everywhere and the boss didn't protect his people. Unemployment was high. If one man quit, replacements lined up at his door. The maintenance crew was disposable. Because the head of maintenance permitted a workplace filled with dangers and void of safeguards, the crew's efforts to avoid injury were doomed. In this sense, the work of the head mattered more. True leaders create healthy work environments. That includes the provision of proper equipment.

So "all work is equal" is true from one perspective, but empty rhetoric from another. All work is equal in that a stock clerk and an executive can please God equally. And every honest job has equal dignity. But an executive shapes a company, even society, in a way a stock clerk never will and it's ludicrous to pretend otherwise. As a former pastor and former stock boy, I'm sure I did more good with a strong sermon for a thousand people than I did when I put olives in the most convenient spot for a low-ranking cook.

Jesus said, "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more" (Luke 12:48). Great gifts bring great responsibilities. If the Lord has given you the skill and opportunity to lead, seize it and do good (Gal. 6:10, Eph. 5:17). Beyond that, talented leaders attract bold people. When David, so skilled in music and war, had to flee from a deranged king Saul, hundreds of men rallied to his side. Dozens eventually became "mighty men" (1 Sam. 22:2; 2 Sam. 23:8-39). So yes, all work is important, but leadership is more important.

Dr. Dan Doriani is Executive Director of The Center for Faith & Work Saint Louis and serves as vice president at large and professor of biblical and systematic theology at Covenant Theological Seminary.