The Sacred and Secular Divide Reflection Assignment
Andrea L. Jackson
School of Education, Liberty University
504: Educational Philosophy and Theories of Learning
Dr. Griffin
August 30, 2025
Abstract
Many people today find themselves choosing a division between a sacred private realm
of family and church, where they can express their religion freely, and the secular public world,
where their spiritual beliefs are powerfully frowned upon. People often believe that attending
church is reserved for Sundays and should not be expressed at the workplace. Those with deep
compassion about their work believe in something more than earning a paycheck. However,
instead of following their beliefs at work, they follow a secular work life. I have worked for many
years as a substitute teacher, and I have had to choose to keep my beliefs about God to myself,
because in some school’s religion is not allowed, so therefore, I could find myself in trouble
discussing religion in the classroom. However, I have worked in some schools where you are
allowed to express your religion freely but are not allowed to encourage students about your
certain beliefs. The separation between religious beliefs and everyday life has evolved, and
understanding this history can help us find ways to reunite them.
The Division between the Sacred and the secular
The division between the sacred and the secular began during the post-Enlightenment
philosophy of observation and human reason. However, the secular viewpoint in life is the belief that
God exists before anything else, and he created everything. That by our faith we understand that the
things of the universe were formed by God. Furthermore, if we believe that God sent his son into this
world, we will be saved and have a life in heaven. According to John verse 17 and 18, “God sent his Son
into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him, and there is no judgment
against anyone who believes in him.” The secular part of the Christian worldview disregards their beliefs
in the workplace because people believe that faith is very personal and has no business at work.
Therefore, the secular part was not created by chasing a sophisticated life that would satisfy their
materialistic or human wishes. For example, climbing the corporate ladder just to earn more income.
“Our worldview has a profound impact on how we decide what is real versus unreal, what is right versus
wrong, and what is important versus unimportant” (Kim, D., McCalman, D., & Fisher, D). It forms the
world we live in and articulates itself in all walks of life, including art, religion, education, media, and
business.
How We arrived at the division
Modernization is the leading worldview of our culture today. “Modernists believed the growth of newly
discovered facts based on human reasoning and the scientific method would yield a unified answer for
all knowledge and life” (Kim, D., McCalman, D., & Fisher, D). These things altered the views and purpose
of everyday life. Human reason fundamentally replaced God in determining moral laws. For example,
stealing was not considered wrong because it was against the scriptures of the bible, but because of its
effects on the financial system. For Christians, it gives us direction to the sacred or secular network and
helps us to mix faith with work. In Colossians Chapter 3, verse 23, it states, “Work willingly at whatever
you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” There are several ways we can
do this, by showing up on time for work, respecting others, and having a strong work ethic.
How can the division be resolved
For Christian employees, we need to realize that a job is more than running a business or job; it
is about doing things with a purpose in life. “This can also mean that the believer will stand up for what
is right against injustice and make decisions that limits career success like recognition, advancement, and
pay” (Kim, D., McCalman, D., & Fisher, D). We also need to realize that tolerance is the key to accepting
what other people do. According to Ephesians, Chapter 2 and verse 4, “Always be humble and gentle, be
patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.”
Therefore, if we apply this scripture to our lives at work or every day, this helps us to understand that
we all make mistakes, and we should be kind to others. Our purpose in life should be to follow our own
beliefs and not allow others to take those beliefs away from us. In the workplace, we can still apply our
beliefs by being a good example to others and trying our hardest at doing what is required for our job.
References
Kim, D., McCalman, D., & Fisher, D. (2012). The Sacred/Secular Divide and the Christian Worldview:
JBE. Journal of Business Ethics, 109(2), 203-208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-1119-z
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