Rust Belt Evangelicals in the Shadow of Bethlehem Steel

New Covenant Christian Community Church of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is set in the rust belt of Lehigh Valley and the church building is located just two miles from the site of Bethlehem Steel. Bethlehem’s evolution from the thriving industrial quarter of its original Moravian settlement to the production of iron and steel to Sands Bethlehem (the casino and hotel complex built on the site of Bethlehem Steel) shapes the perspectives of congregants and clergy on the nature of work and labor unions. New Covenant’s worship style, theological commitments, and leadership structure demonstrate the energy, diversity, and evolving character of American evangelicalism. Parishioners who belong to private sector unions recall an era when labor unions had an assured place across a range of industrial and manufacturing settings. These private sector union members emphasize obedience to God’s authority which includes earthly authorities such as management. But God-ordained earthly authority also encompasses unions and labor contracts. An evangelical labor ethic emerges in the middle of tensions that occur between the demands of management and the requirements of a union.