edited by William C. Placher. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2005. ISBN 0802829279. Pb., 452 pp. $24.
Lilly Endowment Inc. has given another gift to the Church. Lilly’s “Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation,” which have prompted students and scholars at 88 colleges and universities to consider the concept of vocation, has likewise prompted Dr. Placher to edit Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation. This book will be a valuable resource in both academic and congregational settings for years to come.
William C. Placher is the Charles D. and Elizabeth S. LaFollette Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Wabash College. He has gathered fifty-seven readings from fifty different authors and has placed them chronologically in this reader. As the book title indicates, these readings span twenty centuries of the Christian tradition. Placher acknowledges in his introduction that his collection stops fifty years short of the present. His rationale is that to include the important diversity within the last five decades would have added significantly to this already substantive volume (452 pages). While some will miss these modern voices, Placher’s choices give plenty of food for thought for those considering the concept of calling.
Callings is organized into four sections representing different trends in the history of the Christian Church. Within each section, Placher has been careful to offer the reader both classic and familiar texts as well as works that are less well known. Likewise, the selections offer the wisdom of both women and men and reflect some racial and geographic diversity. Together, these readings give a clear picture of the evolution of the concept of vocation and as a by-product they also give a broad overview of major changes in Christian thought.
The first section, “Callings to a Christian Life: Vocation in the Early Church, 100-500,” demonstrates that Christianity in and of itself was and is a demanding calling. For some this meant affirming a minority religion while for others it meant a life of radical asceticism. While for many people of the time the Christian calling led to a life of simplicity, there were some diverse opinions regarding wealth. Clement of Alexandria encouraged maintaining wealth because it is “more beneficial … to give assistance” (p. 49), while Athanasius upholds Antony because he “gave the possessions of his forefathers to the villagers” (p. 60). Despite these differences, they both affirm that the call of faith demands a new relationship with the things of this world. This is a call that perhaps we need to hear again.
“Called to Religious Life: Vocations in the Middle Ages, 500-1500″ is the second section of the book, and as is implied, the focus is on the celibate life in monasteries and convents. Here, classic readings such as a section of Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae are paired with the words of Mechthild of Magdeburg, a medieval German mystic. As the latter writes, “earthly desires blot out in us the holy word of God” (p. 151). She reminds us of why some individuals felt called to set themselves apart as a monk, priest, nun or friar. She and others show us the importance of separating ourselves from our routines so that we may focus on God.
Some of the most familiar passages on vocation are found in the third section of the book, “Every Work a Calling: Vocations after the Reformation, 1500-1800.” Here we encounter the words of John Calvin that “no task will be so sordid and base, provided you obey your calling in it, that it will not shine and be reckoned very precious in God’s sight” (p. 207). The reformers claimed that it was not just those in religious leadership who were called, but instead all those engaged in honorable work were called. This longest of the three sections of the book offers readings from Martin Luther, John Calvin and William Perkins. It also offers the words of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a poor Mexican woman who vividly describes her passion to study theology.
The final section of the book, “Christian Callings in a Post-Christian World, 1800-Present,” demonstrates an expansion in the concept of vocation. Here the author clearly states that vocation should not be equated with employment, since some will find their calling in their career while others will find their calling in family life or volunteer service. The readings, which include familiar authors such as Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Barth, point to the importance of living faith deeply and well in all aspects of life. It is in a sermon of Howard Thurman’s, however, that the struggle to live out one’s calling is implicit in his statement: “I love Jesus for the shaft of light that he throws across the pathway of those who seek to answer the question, What shall I do with my life?”
Indeed, what shall we do with our lives? This question is not easily answered but with Callings we have a new resource to assist those who ponder the question.
Carol Gregg is director of the Discovering Vocation Project, Alma College, Alma, Mich.
