David Bahnsen | Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life

What does it mean to see work not as a curse but as part of God’s original design? In this episode of Christ the Center, Camden Bucey is joined by board member Mark Van Drunen to welcome David L. Bahnsen for a rich conversation about his new book, Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life.

Bahnsen is the founder, Managing Partner, and Chief Investment Officer of The Bahnsen Group, a private wealth management firm managing more than $4.5 billion in client assets. David is the author of Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It, The Case for Dividend Growth: Investing in a Post-Crisis World, and There’s No Free Lunch, 250 Economic Truths.

Mark Van Drunen works in finance and is a ruling elder at Redeemer PCA in Hudson, Ohio. He serves on the Reformed Forum Board of Directors.

Together, they explore how a robustly Reformed view of vocation challenges the sacred–secular divide, recovers the dignity of labor, and reorients our understanding of productivity and flourishing. Drawing from Genesis 1, Reformed anthropology, and the legacy of Kuyper, Bahnsen argues that work is not a mere means to consumption or status, but an essential expression of our identity as image-bearers of God.

The discussion also addresses pressing contemporary questions—from the pitfalls of “work–life balance” and “follow your passion” mantras, to the theological problems with universal basic income and the cultural obsession with consumption. Listeners will be encouraged to see their daily labor as an act of worship, anticipating the greater work of the new creation secured in Christ.

This is a conversation at the intersection of theology, economics, and discipleship—aimed at helping Christians recover a biblically grounded vision for work that fosters maturity in Christ and glorifies God in every sphere of life.

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Chapters

• 00:00 Reformed Forum Conference Early Bird Rate
• 01:53 Introduction
• 08:18 Work Is Not a Curse
• 11:22 Working in Heaven?
• 17:10 The Meaning of the Title, Full-Time
• 21:57 Making Money and Gaining
• 24:49 Glorifying God at Work
• 28:10 The Bible and Economics
• 36:55 Universal Basic Income
• 41:11 Following Your Passion
• 47:39 Work and the Pulpit
• 51:03 Don’t Waste Your Life
• 55:12 If You Don’t Find Joy at Work
• 58:34 Conclusion