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The lightning rod of President Trump’s second term is undoubtedly the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Proponents celebrate the Trump administration’s labours to excise waste, fraud, and abuse from our debt-laden government, while critics fault DOGE for causing chaos and pursuing major changes without congressional action.

The controversy raises a more fundamental question: what should Christians think about efficiency? Not DOGE, not any particular actions of DOGE, but the notion of efficiency in general. In order to apply a biblical worldview to the concept of efficiency, we must examine what the Bible has to say about it.

To study this question, it is first necessary to define the term, due to its wide range of meaning. Most modern uses of the term come from the study of economics, where efficiency means producing the maximum output with the minimum possible wasted input.

Yet even people who agree on this definition can disagree about the desired output or the most precious input. Conservative economist Wilhelm Ropke related an anecdote when the libertarian economist Ludwig von Mises visited his home in Geneva, Switzerland, shortly after World War II. When Ropke showed von Mises the small garden plots where the Genevan working class grew their own vegetables, von Mises responded, “A very inefficient way of producing foodstuffs!” But Ropke replied, “Perhaps so. But perhaps a very efficient way of producing human happiness.”

Unfortunately, this definition does not provide much assistance in tracing the concept back to biblical times. The economic concept of efficiency is too modern; the ancients did not think in these categories. However, there may be significant overlap between what we mean by efficiency and concepts that do appear in the Scripture.

Skillfulness

For example, Scripture commonly describes people or work as skilful, connoting a measure of training and practice. All else being equal, we would expect a skilful person to perform a given task more adeptly than an unskilled person, working more productively with less waste. Thus, what we call efficiency is likely included in what the Bible calls skill.

Skill and efficiency are not perfect synonyms. Skill is a broader term that can also connote, for instance, natural (or supernatural) talent, which is beyond the meaning of “efficiency.” The category of skill also emphasises the individual’s deeds and responsibilities, whereas efficiency describes an economic quality. But there is some conceptual overlap.

There are other categories that the authors of Scripture apply to our work, such as diligence (Proverbs 12:24), faithfulness (2 Chronicles 34:12), and effectiveness (1 Corinthians 16:9), but none tracks so closely with efficiency as skilfulness.

The wise men of Proverbs make the general prediction, “Do you see a man skilful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men” (Proverbs 22:29). This communicates that skilful workers are valuable workers, and those with the power and means to attract and employ their services will likely do so.

This comes true for both David (1 Samuel 16:18) and Daniel (Daniel 1:4), who are employed by kings because of their skillfulness. Skillfulness also characterised the tabernacle craftsmen (Exodus 35:10), the temple musicians (Psalm 33:3), and Uzziah’s military inventors (2 Chronicles 26:15). Such skillfulness is given by God, both generally (James 1:17) and for the accomplishment of certain extraordinary works (Exodus 31:2-5).

In general, then, skillfulness can be used for great good, for the benefit of a particular regime or even an entire nation. And, to the extent that skill tracks along with our modern notion of efficiency, efficiency is a good thing, too.

Yet skillfulness is not always a positive quality; it depends on what skill a person has and how he uses it. For instance, some brutish men are skilled only in destruction (Ezekiel 21:31), and some skilled craftsmen can use their skill to set up a motionless idol (Isaiah 40:20). Likewise, efficiency can be used well, foolishly, or even wickedly. It is a good gift, a blessing from God, but one that can be used improperly.

Thus, while the concept of efficiency is of modern origin, we get some hints about how to approach it from a biblical worldview from the Bible’s treatment of skill. Neither is a moral quality like love or patience. But they are useful qualities given by God, which can be used either for great benefit or for great harm. So, we should approach efficiency with cautious optimism, hoping that it will be used well for the benefit of God’s people.