I like Samlcarr’s comment very much. To live by the ten teachings of Jesus he describes would be to live with personal integrity in the world. I wonder whether these principles extend to how one makes a living. Do the powers of this world inevitably corrupt whatever work we do so that even our best efforts contribute to the destruction of the world? If so, then resistance is futile: it doesn’t much matter what job you take. On the other hand, is it possible to work redemptively, consciously seeking to “do good” within your scope of responsibility on the job?

Andrew looks for the church collectively to arrive at a godly ecological stance. Most people spend most of their creative energies at work. Given the economic and social pressures that individuals face on the job, maybe part of the church’s task to equip people to stand up for what’s right. This means virtuous personal participation in the economy, both as consumers and as producers. Perhaps nothing will change: companies can always find somebody else to do their dirty work. But a church that actively supports the individual’s virtuous stance in the world would give people the strength to know they aren’t alone when they make those impolitic and seemingly self-destructive decisions marking them as “bad team players.”