Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. Well, as David Bonson observes in his excellent book

full-time, most Americans work in order to stop working. According to a recent survey from

the Texas investment managers, which looked at retirement goals by demographic,

this is especially true of younger Americans. While baby boomers plan to work until age 68,

Gen Xers only want to work till 60. And Gen Yers, those age 25 to 40, want to be done with their careers before they turn 60. And when combined with other demographic realities, especially declining birth

rates, well, this complicated relationship that Americans have with work is a recipe for all kinds

of economic and social problems. At the root of this American work mood is a loss of meaning and

purpose, expressed through a disillusionment with work.

This is not the way God created us to live.

In his book, Full Time, Work in the Meaning of Life, David Bonson describes why

understanding God's design for work is so essential, both for our personal lives and our

culture.

In a recent interview, I asked Bonson about this. To get an indication of what

the culture's honest view of work is, one of the most popular expressions that people routinely use,

and I think most of the time believe it is benign, is they use that expression, work-life balance.

So how far are we from having a proper understanding of where work fits into the meaning of our lives?

We actually have pitted work against our lives, as if the two things are in need of some kind of equilibrium, balancing one another.

I think work is viewed as a necessary evil.

I mean, there aren't that many people that will say you don't need to work because most people will say you have to be able to provide for your family, make a living, make ends meet,

things like that.

But the underlying pretense and the mentality,

...