Work & Vocation
On June 8, 1554, John Calvin labored, as usual, in haste. “I have no time to write at the moment,” he told Guillaume Farel, “because it is nearly time for my theology lecture, and I have not yet had the opportunity to reflect on what I will say.” […]
I am one of those tragic figures who is both a perfectionist and a procrastinator. I am such a perfectionist that the very idea of failure terrifies me to the core of my being. I am so afraid of doing things wrong that I am afraid to start, because I will probably not do it […]
Like the author Kevin DeYoung, I find that I take a sort of perverse pride in being "crazy busy," so I suppose a book like this is especially appropriate for people like me who need to be shaken out of such an unhealthy way of thinking. As I read through the book, however, two friends […]
Businesses must go beyond mere entertainment to truly engage participants in memorable and meaningful ways. To achieve this, they need to richly draw from the following four experiential realms: Educational (to learn via active absorption) Escapist (to transport from one sense of reality to another via active immersion) Esthetic (to hang out and "just be" […]
Gene Edward Veith Jr., provost and professor of literature at Patrick Henry College, is the author of several noted books on Christianity and culture, including God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. A lot of people are talking about the importance of a Christian vocation. Why is it always a relevant issue […]
The word calling, or in its Latinate form vocation, had long been used in reference to the sacred ministry and the religious orders. Martin Luther was the first to use vocation to refer also to secular offices and occupations. Today, the term has become commonplace, another synonym for a profession or job, as in vocational […]
When it comes to work, many Christians feel as though they have much in common with the mythological figure Sisyphus. Having angered the gods, he was condemned by them to the task of eternally pushing a boulder up a mountain. As soon as he reached the summit with his burden, the boulder rolled past him […]
Vocations are grounded in creation itself and are symbolized in Scripture with commands to fill the earth and subdue it’that is, family and work (Gen. 1:28). These creational gifts from our benevolent Father remain in effect even after the Fall, though in that sinful moment they were distorted and transformed, or more appropriately “malformed,” by […]
Recently spotted on a teenager: a Nike T-shirt sporting the slogan, "There is no finish line." The phrase comes from the headline off a poster seen in the background of one of Nike's earliest "Just Do It" commercials, circa 1991. The poster itself was very popular at the time, functioning as a marketing manifesto celebrating […]
In the 1980s, many evangelicals spoke about winning the world to Christ by the year 2000, and there were a number of conversations about the matter, all of which, in hindsight, appear to have been a tad ambitious. It was not uncommon in those days for a Gordon-Conwell Seminary student to raise a hand in […]
By God’s grace I am a member of the church of Jesus Christ. As such, I have a share in the church’s life, work, worship, and fellowship. I am blessed by them and contribute to them. Yet I cannot put an equal sign between the church and me. The church is and does far more […]
7. Parity Among all Professions:The Doctrine of Vocation Another of the culture-shaping aspects of Calvin's thought was his emphasis on the sacredness of ordinary vocations. Before Calvin and the Protestant Reformation, the doctrine of vocation or calling was thought to be exclusively for the clergy. However, his view of work as inherently dignified by our […]
In February 2004, American Airlines pilot Captain Roger Findiesen asked Christian passengers on his Los Angeles to New York flight to identify themselves to the non-Christian passengers so that everyone could use the time on the flight to discuss religion. He had just returned from a mission trip to Costa Rica and felt that the […]
Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned him, and to which God has called him.1 Corinthians 7:17 "Justification by faith alone" is surely the most important contribution of the Reformation. The second most important, arguably, is the "doctrine of vocation." Whereas the doctrine of justification has wide currency, the doctrine […]
