“Work that produces something is incredibly important.” – Chuck Colson

Chuck Colson has exceptional insight into the way work is necessary to individuals in a healthy society. In this excerpt from Seek Social Justice, he talks about how God made us in His image in order to be creative and purposeful. He recounts an experiment with work that the Nazi’s did which sheds light on what happens in a welfare society that follows a utopian worldview. When we were filming Seek Social Justice, we had the chance to spend some time in the projects just filming people. We normally shot the footage in the middle of the workday, and it was striking to see how many young men were just wandering down the sidewalk or sitting on their porches talking to each other: it’s no wonder that crime has a tendency to come out of these neighborhoods. The Bible draws a direct relationship between not working and misconduct: “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.” (Prov. 18:9)  In seeking social justice, there is an important role for Christians in creating meaningful work opportunities for those who desire to work, thereby enabling them to work their way out of poverty. In fact, work is the only true, long-term solution to poverty. A situation of ongoing welfare inevitably leads to a life of crime and dependency.