Lack of good jobs in Memphis is more than an economic problem, says Dr. Chris Scruggs of Advent Presbyterian Church. “It’s also a spiritual problem. If we do not create an environment in which people can find good jobs, we deprive our children of the opportunity to use their unique God-given talents, gifts and abilities. We impoverish ourselves and our society.”

Do you agree? What can the faith community do about this? What is your congregation doing specifically – mentoring, job training, etc. – to help?

As a young person, when I heard the statement, “We are made in the image and likeness of God,” I presumed it meant that we could reason and love. More recently, as I read Genesis, I see that the first image of God is as a worker. God is at work creating the earth and creatures and human beings. Working makes us like God. When work is taken from us – by an illness or an injury or an inability to obtain it – we quickly lose our sense of dignity. Catholic Social Teaching sees work as one of the rights essential for a human being. And not just any work, but a job that pays a living wage. Work is essential to human flourishing, thus an important area for the faith community’s concern and advocacy.