To Change the World

A book that is on my "to get" list is James Davison Hunter's book To Change the World. Greg Gilbert provides a few excerpts from it in a post on Thinking Humbly About Changing the World. One of the paragraphs he quotes addresses our attitude towards work, education, artistry, etc:

Even if our tasks in this world do not have "ultimate significance," that does not mean that the tasks we perform have no spiritual significance. . . . Indeed, when our various tasks are done in ways that acknowledge God, God is present and he is glorified. Such tasks may not be redeeming, but they can provide a foretaste of the coming kingdom. . . . To manage a business in a way that grows out of a biblical view of relationships, community, and human dignity before God has divine significance, irrespective of what else might be done from this platform. Policy pursued and law practiced in light of the justice of God is a witness to the right ordering of human affairs. Inquiry, scholarship, and learning with an awareness of the goodness of God's created order is a discovery of what is truly higher in higher education. And, not least, reflecting the beauty of God's creation in art or music is nothing less than an act of worship.