Bait and Switch (16 page)

satisfied buzz, enhanced by Mac, who calls out, "Whup 'em, as we The next way God worked in Wise's life had to do with his say in the South!" to hearty applause.

wife, Laurie. One day she called him at work and told him she What would Jesus do?—rise up and denounce the folksy was frightened because there were four gypsies in the backyard, sadism advocated in his name? I settle for a stony-faced si-so he got in his car and raced home. "Look," she said, pointing lence, not that I have much choice without making a scene.

out the window toward the edge of the woods, and she directed Anyway, now that we are all presumably feeling cozy and his attention to a gypsy wearing a red hat and another one, a little bonded, it's time for the speaker, John D. Wise, whom Larry girl, in a yellow dress. Now he has everyone's breathless attention.

introduces as a real estate broker and "recovering attorney."

"But you know what?" Wise asks. "There
was no one there."

Wise is a tall, strikingly handsome, white-haired guy in a visibly It turns out that Laurie was suffering from delirium tremens, expensive suit, leading me to anticipate a polished delivery on the consequent on a brief drying out required for some minor surgery.

subject of real estate opportunities. He begins by asking God to We have already learned that Laurie had been "saved" herself, give him the words he will need, but sadly this prayer goes but she was, our speaker confides, always something of a "free spirit," which gives me a tiny feeling of identification with her.

me, for example—as gateways to successful employment, the Anyway, Wise underwent a great deal of "tribulation," as one enterprise takes on a sinister cast. Two people approach me might expect, forcing him to pray for God to "enlarge [his]

for cards, but I don't stay to chat. All I can think of is escaping heart and let [him] love the unlovable"—Laurie, that is, who from this place where the ghost of freedom haunts the back-has since been reclaimed by the Lord.

yards in the form of colorfully dressed, dark-skinned strangers.

Finally, God took an interest in real estate. There is a long Where "Finkelstein" is a laugh line.

story about a chance encounter that led Wise to a S131-million sale, which was what propelled him to his present wealth. The THIS WAS NOT my first venture into the extensive territory opportunity appeared in the form of a distinctly unpromising where Christianity, so called, overlaps with the business culture.

e-mail from a Hotmail address—which elicits a few snickers As it happens, that area of overlap has been expanding rapidly in from the audience, I suppose because it doesn't involve a cor-recent years, to include workplace-based ministries; employee porate domain. And even worse, the guy's name was Finkel-prayer groups, some at major companies like Coca-Cola and stein. Wise pauses to let the guffaws die down.

Intel; networks of Christian businesspeople and other After Larry comes forward to deliver the final blessing, I community leaders; and a growing number of overtly Christian leap up and gather my stuff. If self-proclaimed Christian businesses, some of which identify themselves with a tiny fish businessmen want to gather for prayer and the exchange of symbol on the product label. According to the
New York Times,
business cards, I have no problem with that. If they want to there were fifty coalitions of workplace ministries in 1990; today use such gatherings as occasions to mock people of different there are thousands.
40
Job seekers are likely to encounter the religions and sexual or political proclivities—well, that is probably within their rights. But when the gatherings are advertised to job seekers of unknown religion or sexuality—like 40 Russell Shorto, "Faith at Work,"
New York Times Magazine,
October 31, 2004.

Christian business culture at events like the Norcross ministry, the religious aspects were fairly low-key and devoid of Fellowship Lunches—ostensible business meetings that turn out sectarian hostility. The meeting was chaired by Mike, whom I to be worship services. Or they might be drawn to a church-had first mistaken for the pastor. He looked amazed at this based meeting, advertised as a networking event for the error, as if I had gone up to a random Manhattanite on the unemployed, that is in fact an occasion for proselytizing. Two street and inquired as to whether he or she was the mayor—months earlier, I had traveled to one of the weekly meetings of because the MSC is enormous, almost the size of a small city.

the "career ministry" of the McLean Bible Church in northern You drive into a parking lot large enough to serve a medium-Virginia, which I had learned about on the web, along with an sized airport, and enter through an atrium that could easily impressive "success story."

grace an Omni hotel or a very grand bank, where a man at an information booth directs you to your destination in the three-As long as I believed that jobs were in short supply, that my skills were story maze
.41

rusty and therefore not as good as they could be, I wouldn't find a job. So I put together an affirmation, describing the perfect job, the Mike opened the meeting by explaining that the "mission of environment I wanted to work in, financial security and the type of this church is to have an impact on secular D.C. for the Lord people I wanted to work for. I then turned the whole thing over to God. Each day I said this affirmation, thanking God for giving Jesus Christ." But it looked as if secular D.C. had already had me what I had asked for. I asked that it be made known by the end of quite an impact on the church, because I did not, in my July and manifest by September. Within 2 weeks, I received an email with a recruiter's name and phone number from a friend. The rest is a wanderings through the building, which includes a "sanctuary"

wonderful story of faith and believing. I called this person, went to an (the basic pew-filled auditorium and pulpit), a cafeteria, a sports open house on July 29 and was hired immediately.

area, and much more, see the least item of religious symbolism—

Join us, was the message, and you will soon be on good enough terms with God to give him a firm deadline.

41 David Cho, "A Pastor with a Drive to Convert: McLean Sanctuary Opens On the evening I attended the McLean Bible Church career with Grander Plans,"
Washington Post,
June 27,2004.

no crosses, no Jesus, no angels, nothing. We began with a full business dress. Her profile in the handout we were given prayer: "We know you have a plan for our lives . . . Thank you, reads in part:

Father, for being a great provider." An odd reason for gratitude, under the circumstances. During the break, I believe that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. My journey to this place of peace and joy was brought about through trials and tribulation. I found myself at when we were free for informal networking, two of my fellow the door of the Career Ministry as a seeker and often wondered what job seekers, both middle-aged women with computer-related I was seeking for—I came looking for a job and found life! . . . I am a Human Resources professional with 11+ years of experience in the ser-skills, confessed to having had to move back in with their par-vice, retail and hospitality industries.

ents after several months of futile searching.

During our half-hour networking time, I had approached a It didn't look like a place of peace and joy. All through the recruiter from Prudential who was cruising the meeting, look-proceedings, which consisted mostly of going around the room and ing for salespeople, though not, alas, for anyone in PR: "Why announcing our names and occupations, I had been thoroughly distracted by Lisa, who stood near the front, although she was aren't you home poring over Monster.com?" I asked, some-hardly the designated center of attention, trying on one facial what teasingly, because it had occurred to me that if the job expression after another—cocking her head to one side with a boards really worked, there'd be no need for all this network-droll little moue, for example, then suddenly turning back to ing. "Well," he said, "you'd be taking a risk to hire someone from the paper on which our names and aspirations were being one of the boards; you wouldn't know them." I had persisted, recorded with a studied frown, which could just as quickly give way asking him how well he could know someone from a quick to a joyless grin. You might have thought she was an alien, sent to face-to-face meeting here. Besides, you're going to interview them Earth with a repertory of facial expressions but no instructions as anyway, right? But no clear answer was offered.

to when to apply them. She was, I suppose, just looking for the right The pitch, at the MBC career ministry, was delivered by an-corporate mask.

other church volunteer, a thin, tense woman named Lisa, in At the end of the evening, she bustled to center stage, if It works, more or less, this realm of perfect instrumentality; it someone so thin can bustle, and essayed a deeply serious look, makes things happen: deadlines are met; reservations are lips pursed, which was soon replaced by one of embarrassed made; orders delivered on time; carpets kept reliably speck-humility. The idea was that we should buy CDs containing free. But something has also been lost. Weber described the the pastor's sermons on getting through hard times, including modern condition as one of "disenchantment," meaning his well-known sermon on the war in Iraq. It had helped Lisa

"robbed of the gods," or lacking any dimension of strangeness and pray, and two weeks later she had two job offers. There were mystery. As Jackson Lears once put it, premodern people looked up no takers, as far as I could see, for the CDs.

and saw heaven; modern, rational people see only the sky. To Back at the Homestead Suites that night, a stripped-down, which we might add that the minions of today's grimly focused generic sort of place near Dulles Airport, I was struck by how business culture tend not to look up at all. But then what to much my motel room resembled the church. Not literally, but make of the growing Christianization of business? Will it lead in the sense of some underlying aesthetic—the same economy to a kinder, gentler, more reflective business culture? Or is it of line, neutral colors, cheap indestructible furniture, religion that will have to change, becoming more like the extremely short-haired carpet for easy cleaning. The room was thoroughly utilitarian McLean Bible Church—a realm drained of actually cheerier than the church, thanks to the vaguely all transcendence and beauty?

impressionist print on the wall. In my exhausted state, it seemed to me that this aesthetic permeates all aspects of the NOTHING HAD COME OF the McLean Bible Church venture—world I have entered: narrative-free resumes dominated by not a single tip for a "seasoned PR professional," willing to relocate bullets; motel-like, side-ofthe-highway churches; calculated anywhere. At the end of the event, I had gone up to our leader, smiles; sensuality-suppressing wardrobes; precise instruction Mike, and asked for his advice. He gave me the name of another sheets; numerous slides.

church volunteer who would be able to help me, but this guy at the front, decorated with geranium-filled window boxes, and failed to respond to my calls or e-mails. The Norcross Fellowship surrounded by fake potted trees—a permanent stage set, in Lunch had been equally useless. Still, I can't write off the fact. At the door, a table is laid out with plates of sugar faith-based approach to job searching on the basis of two cookies, bottles of soda pop, and a stack of notebooks, which a bad experiences, and, besides, here in Atlanta, the church volunteer invites me to help myself to.

churches seem to be where the serious networking goes on.

I'm a few minutes late, due to my wanderings in the church After the Norcross lunch, my next destination is the Cross-complex, and a woman identified by her name tag as Anna is roads Jobseekers' meeting at the Mt. Paran Church of God, already speaking from the podium. Other than the church vol-another offering from the Godel web site. Like the McLean unteers, only ten people are present, all of whom seem too Bible Church, this one is a vast multiservice center, but on a wrapped up in the presentation to acknowledge my entry, even slightly smaller scale. No information booth awaits me at the with a nod. But listening is unnecessary since Anna is going entrance, only a series of dimly lit corridors. I am wandering in through the notebook we've already been given, on the theme of search of a human guide when three medium-sized, possibly helpful web sites for job seekers. 'While she speaks, two feral children rush shrieking out of the darkness. No, they monitors on the sides of the stage display the web sites under have no idea of where the Crossroads meeting might be taking consideration, so that we are getting the same information place, and continue on their chase. I walk by rooms labeled for from three sources: Anna, the notebook, and the monitors. I ESL meetings, child care, and support groups for mothers, concentrate on Anna, noting the carefully put-together earth-marveling at all the faith-based social services that are evi-toned outfit—could it be that all women of a certain age are as-dently filling in for public and secular ones. Finally, I en-signed to earth tones?

counter a black man pushing a broom, who is able to direct One of the web sites mentioned catches my attention: me. It's an odd space that I end up at, with a fake house facade something called Jobfiler, which organizes your job search for you—your contacts, interviews, et cetera. What I have learned so valuable tip? Anna winds up with an exhortation to always remember far is that job searching is almost a profession, or at least a full-what we're worth: "The most important person who ever lived died time occupation, and now comes the information that this for you." The image on the monitors changes from that of a perky profession, too, is facing technological obsolescence. In my ex-home page to a deep blue pattern bearing the message "Giving the perience, and you may take this as an excuse if you want, any-World Hope in Christ."

thing that promises to "organize" your life is going to take My own hope is that we will move on speedily to the networking more time than simply continuing to wade through the mess.