Extorted Idolatry of Work

I was talking with a friend of mine today about his work. He described what can pretty much happen to anybody who has a job:

He is rewarded for working hard. What this translates into is staying later and even putting in time at home for which he isn’t paid. His superiors know this about him and reward him for it. What’s his reward? He gets to keep his job while a coworker loses hers. She can’t put in as much extra time because she is a single mom. She can’t stay late because she has to pick him up at day care. The bosses know this. Her reward? She’s dismissed.

This is what the job-market and the workplace has become. It is highly competitive. People are working extra hours, not for pay, but to impress the bosses in hopes of keeping their jobs. It is highly toxic because it creates an attitude of fear, insecurity and distrust in the workplace, which is also favorable for the company. The brutal game of survival of the fittest playing itself out amongst the employees saves the bosses the trouble of winnowing the wheat from the chaff. The employees unwittingly do it for them.

Those who sacrifice their lives to their work win. This is extorted idolatry.

The same thing happens in all institutions, including the church. Those who work the hardest, sacrificing their lives to the church, are rewarded with favor. Those who are most sacrificial are most lauded. The toxic idolatry of this should not escape us.

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