Douglas J. Schuurman

This is a serviceable introduction to the classical Protestant (Lutheran and Reformed) conception of vocation and an attempt to apply it in a late modern Western context. Readers already familiar with the theology can likely skip to chapter 5, "Vocation, Decisions, and the Moral Life," for Schuurman's keenest observations. As it turns out, these were ably summed up in a sermon by our interim pastor a year and a half ago. Basically, an "ascriptivist" position, focused on discovering one's calling within one's providentially ordered circumstances (context, relationships, need, personal gifting, etc.), with the accent on glorification of God and service of neighbor, not primarily self-fulfillment; calling is for the Church, not the self. I appreciate his comments on how constrained most of our choices in this area really are--both because of relative privileges and because of the limits of our given abilities. Mostly, it's a heavy dose of sanctified common sense, which is surprisingly difficult to receive and trust after growing up on less theologically grounded views of calling. For a more popular-level take, see DeYoung's [book: Just Do Something].… (mere)