Plough Quarterly No. 43 – Why We Work
James Rebanks; Benoit Gautier; Tish Harrison Warren; Adam Nicolson; Alister McGrath; Cristian Wiman; Shira Telushkin; Alastiar Roberts; Norann Voll; Bobbie Jamieson; Brian D. Miller; Ben Wray; William P. Hyland
PLOUGH PUBLISHING HOUSE
2025
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Is our work merely a way to put food on the table, or does it have inherent value? Should our work define us? Does it play too large a role in our lives? Does it make us feel more human, or less so? This issue explores the realities of work for people with various jobs, but also probes the reasons people work and what they hope to gain from their labor. From warehouse workers to poets, food delivery specialists to cloistered nuns, farmers to police officers, this issue considers personal, spiritual, and social aspects of one of the most basic human activities. On this theme: James Rebanks prepares to pass on the farm to his children. Benoit Gautier rides a shuttlebus with dislocated French warehouse workers. Shira Telushkin asks why young women today are becoming cloistered nuns. Ben Wray talks to food-delivery riders in three countries about their attempts to organize. John Clair, a police chief, wants policing to be about relationships, not statistics. Norann Voll tells how her father taught her to embrace her blue-collar roots. Maureen Swinger honors the unpaid and unheralded work of caring for an aging loved one. Alastair Roberts recommends the divine rhythm of work and Sabbath rest God established in Genesis. Also in this issue: Adam Nicolson finds a different sort of freedom sailing a sixteen-foot wooden boat. Alister McGrath explores the connection between detective fiction and the spiritual quest. Tish Harrison Warren introduces Stanley Hauerwas to new audiences. Christian Wiman shares a new poem about a glass-eyed monk. Plough Quarterly features stories, ideas, and culture for people eager to apply their faith to the challenges we face. Each issue includes in-depth articles, interviews, poetry, book reviews, and art.
