Surveys twentieth century theologies of work, contrasting differing approaches to consider the "problem of labor" from a theological perspective.

• Aimed at theologians concerned with how Christianity might engage in social criticism, as well those who are interested in the connection between Marxist and Christian traditions
• Explores debates about labor under capitalism and considers the relationship between divine and human work
• Through a thorough reading of Weber's Protestant Work Ethic, argues that the triumph of the "spirit of utility" is crucial to understanding modern notions of work
• Draws on the work of various twentieth century Catholic thinkers, including Josef Pieper, Jacques Maritain, Eric Gill, and David Jones
• Published in the new and prestigious Illuminations series.

John Hughes is Curate of St David's with St Michael's Exeter and holds a Cambridge PhD. He has published a number of articles in top journals such as Telos and Modern Theology.

Foreword.

Preface.

Introduction: Work in the Christian Tradition.

1. Twentieth-century Theologies of Work: Karl Barth, Marie-Dominique Chenu, John Paul II and Miroslav Volf.

2. Utility as the Spirit of Capitalism: Max Weber's Diagnosis of Modern Work.

3. Labour, Excess and Utility in Karl Marx: The Problem of Materialism and the Aesthetic.

4. John Ruskin and William Morris: An Alternative Tradition: Labor and the Theo-aesthetic in English Romantic Critiques of Capitalism.

5. The Frankfurt School: The Critique of Instrumental Reason and Hints of Return to the Theo-aesthetic within Marxism.

6. The end of Work: Rest, Beauty and Liturgy: The Catholic Metaphysical Critique of the Culture of Work and its Incorporation into the English Romantic Tradition: Josef Pieper, Jacques Maritain, Eric Gill and David Jones.

7. Concluding Remarks: Labor, Utility and Theology.

Bibliography.

Index