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What Should Professors Teach About the Protestant Work Ethic? 63 Smith, Smith — What Should Professors Teach about the Protestant Work Ethic? 63 What Should Professors Teach about the Protestant Work Ethic? VIRGIL O. SMITH University of La Verne [email protected] YVONNE S. SMITH University of La Verne [email protected] ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to argue that Christian professors need to teach students to question assumptions underlying business constructs, even familiar constructs. The Protestant work ethic (PWE) is an important and influential work ethic, but after analysis, it will be shown to be neither biblical nor Protestant. By this we mean that some key definitional elements of the PWE are not Biblical and are not philosophically compatible with the theologies of Martin Luther or John Calvin. Our conclusion is that Christian professors should use the PWE as a cautionary tale to help Christian students evaluate worldviews. The authors suggest several classroom exercises to help students develop their skills in testing assumptions. INTRODUCTION Moorhouse, 1987; Robertson, 1990). What should Christian professors teach about this Many business professors agree that the PWE is an influential ethic? It is the argument of this paper that important work ethic (Friedson, 1990; Ness, Melinsky, Christian professors should utilize this familiar and often Buff, & Seifert, 2010). Work ethics are the intrinsic and misunderstood ethic to teach students to regularly question extrinsic interpretations and preferences that individuals and the assumptions behind ideas. Assumptions are the unartic- groups place on economic performance (Pryor, 1981; Parker ulated presuppositions and premises (Chaplin, 1985) that & M. Smith, 1976; Warr, 2008). Because work ethics are underlie constructs, including those of business (Bovee & significant moderators of job satisfaction (Staw & Cohen- O’Brien, 2007; Lynn & Wallace, 2001; V. Smith, 2010). Charash, 2005) job commitment, and turnover (Morrow, It is particularly important that Christians learn 1983; Warr, 2008), they are important for business students how to question assumptions. In order to live in Truth, to consider. Christian thinkers must constantly question the worldviews The PWE was created by Max Weber in his Die and presuppositions behind events, ideas, discussions, and Protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalism (The observed happenings. As Chewning (2001) argues, if an Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism), first published assumption is warped or incorrect, it produces deviant in 1904-1905. The 1930 English translation was an imme- thinking. Truth, in large or small things, should be the diate hit in the United States (Parsons, 1958), and Weber’s aim of every Christian and it is important for those more ideas made a significant impact in the larger U.S. society skilled in discernment to teach others. (Ward, 1996; Welsh, 2005). They also became embed- One of the purposes of this paper is to provide a small ded in large parts of the business literature (Greeley, 1964; example of why the assumptions behind a familiar concept 64 CBAR Spring 2011 need to be examined. We do not claim to be exhaustive in this examination nor do we claim to have the final word on Weber or the PWE. Rather, our intent is to apply THE PROTESTANT WORK ETHIC: scriptural and historic light to the assumptions underlying A DEFINITION AND EXAMINATION OF an often-invoked concept in order to demonstrate that, as ITS INFLUENCE the saying goes, “We don’t always know what we think we know.” What is the Protestant Work Ethic and what is the The paper makes its argument in four sections. In the extent of its influence? Researchers have found many dif- first section, we define the PWE and examine its impact ferent work ethics (England & Whitely, 1990; Warr, on the academic business literature. In the second sec- 2008). Individuals and groups have different perceptions tion, we ask the question: Is the PWE Biblical? The third about work depending on such things as national culture section discusses the historic assumptions regarding the (Ali, 1987; Page & Wiseman, 1993), age (Cherrington, “Protestantism” of the PWE. Weber argued that the PWE 1980; Ness, Melinsky, Buff, & Seifert, 2010), and social arose from the societies created by the Protestant theology class (Maynard, Mathieu, Marsh, & Ruddy, 2007; Morse of Luther and Calvin; he specifically discussed Luther’s & Weiss, 1955). view of calling (Weber, 1958, p. 79-92) and Calvin’s However, in spite of the large number of work ethics, teaching on predestination (Weber, 1958, p. 95-154). We many business professors continue to have keen interest in offer evidence that Luther and Calvin would have likely the PWE (Miller, Woehr, & Hudspeth, 2002; Moorhouse, repudiated the ethic. However our main intent in this sec- 1986; Welsh, 2005). This includes Christian professors. tion and throughout the paper is to emphasize how neces- For example, an examination of paper titles from the sary it is to examine presuppositions. The fourth section 2005-2008 CBFA conferences yielded 11 papers that refer- will be devoted to pedagogical reflection and a series of enced the PWE in the title. Some Christian business writ- exercises to assist professors interested in teaching students ers even embrace the ethic as “our own” (e.g., Manz, 1999; how to evaluate assumptions and worldviews. Gooden, 2000). An examination of the presuppositions It might be clarifying to note what this paper does behind the PWE, therefore, should be of value to all of us. not do. It is limited to an examination of the PWE and In 1904 and 1905, Max Weber published two well therefore contributes modestly to the important discussion received articles on the Protestant ethic. In 1920, he com- about the meaning of “work” or “vocation” for Christian bined the articles into a book, Die Protestantische Ethik professors and students (e.g., Huie, 1998; Klay, Lunn, und der Geist des Kapitalism (The Protestant Ethic and the & TenHaken, 2004; Lynn, 2006; V. Smith, 2004). The Spirit of Capitalism), affirming and expanding his origi- paper deals with only one small part of a larger conversa- nal thesis and responding at length to critics. The 1930 tion. English translation found a receptive audience, particularly This paper also does not focus on the debate sur- in the United States, which was just entering the Great rounding Weber’s thesis. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit Depression (Poggi, 1983), and there were further editions. of Capitalism is controversial. Weber’s intent was to explain In this paper, we examine Weber’s work using the 1958 what Tawney calls “the psychological conditions which English translation of the 1920 edition. made possible the development of capitalist civilization” Weber argued that the economic growth of the capi- (Tawney, 1958, p. 2). Some scholars embrace Weber’s talist countries of northern Europe was a direct response to explanation (e.g., Attas & De-Shalit, 2004; Parsons, the values of the Protestant Reformation. Tawney (1958) 1958; Manz, 1999; Muller, 2006; Parker & M. Smith, summed up Weber’s argument thus: 1976; Tawney, 1958; Welsh, 2005). Others do not (e.g., Braude, 1975; Buchholz, 1978; Geare, Edgar, & McGrew, “The tonic that braced [capitalists]…was a new con- 2009; Greeley, 1964; Novak, 1993; Nord, Brief, Atieh, ception of religion, which taught them to regard the & Doherty, 1990; Poggi, 1983; Ward, 1996). However, pursuit of wealth as not merely an advantage but a our purpose in the paper is not to discuss whether Weber duty…. Labor is not merely an economic means: it is was correct in his assessment of the Protestant cultures of a spiritual end” (p. 3). Northern Europe but whether his construct is biblical. Our goal is to examine the largely unconscious presuppositions In the first part of The Protestant Ethic and the of the ethic. With that understanding, in the next section Spirit of Capitalism, Weber utilized the writings of we focus on the definition and influence of the PWE. Benjamin Franklin to describe what he called the “Spirit Smith, Smith — What Should Professors Teach about the Protestant Work Ethic? 65 of Capitalism.” He argued that this spirit was a response construct differ significantly” (Ward, 1996, p. 10), the to Martin Luther’s understanding of beruf, or “calling” evidence is inconclusive (Braverman, 1974; England & (Weber, 1958, p. 79-92). Then in the second part of the Whitney, 1990; Furnham, 1990; Furnham & Rose, 1987; book, Weber (1958) contends that Calvin’s doctrine of Geare et al., 2009; Poggi, 1983). For example, researchers predestination led to a society preoccupied with demon- have found that an emphasis on hard work is uncorrelated strating worth to God through activity, specifically eco- with religious orientation (Novak, 1993; Miller et al., nomic activity: 2002) and that “work is rated as significantly more impor- tant by respondents in historically communist countries “For the saints’ everlasting rest is in the next world; than by those in historically protestant countries” (Warr, on earth man must, to be certain of his state of 2008, p. 767). grace, ‘do the works of him who sent him, as long as it is yet day.’ Not leisure and enjoyment, but only The Influence of the PWE in U.S. Society activity serves to increase the glory of God, according Regardless of these difficulties, the practical influence to the definite manifestations of his will” (p. 157). of the PWE remains strong in western cultures, particu- larly the United States. Researchers note that the PWE In the next section, we will use Weber’s work to define is a common element in the social fabric of the United the PWE, and then outline the influence of the PWE in States (Ward, 1996; Welsh, 2005). For example, a recent the larger United States society generally, and in the aca- Google search found more than 250,000 references to the demic business literature specifically. PWE from websites as diverse as the United States govern- ment and sermons by John Piper on YouTube.
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