Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation

What am I going to do with my life? is a question that young people commonly face, while many not-so-young people continue to wonder about finding direction and purpose in their lives. Whether such purpose has to do with what job to take, whether to get married, or how to incorporate religious faith into the texture of their lives, Christians down the centuries have believed that God has plans for them. This unprecedented anthology gathers select passages on work and vocation from the greatest writers in Christian history. William Placher has written insightful introductions to accompany the selections - an introduction to each of the four main historical sections and a brief introduction to each reading. While the vocational questions faced by Christians have changed through the centuries, this book demonstrates how the distilled wisdom of these saints, preachers, theologians, and teachers remains relevant to Christians today. This rich resource is to be followed by a companion volume, edited by Mark R. Schwehn and Dorothy C. Bass, featuring texts drawn mainly from fiction, memoir, poetry, and other forms of literature.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Preface Introduction Prologue: Some Biblical Texts on Calling Callings to a Christian Life: Vocations in the Early Church, 100-500 Introduction Ignatius of Antioch Letter to the Romans Justin Martyr Dialogue with Trypho The Martyrdom of Perpetua Clement of Alexandria Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? Tertullian Apology Athanasius The Life of Antony Gregory of Nyssa The Life of Macrina Palladius The Lausiac History Sayings of the Desert Fathers Augustine Confessions Called to Religious Life: Vocations in the Middle Ages, 500-1500 Introduction John Cassian Institutes Sulpicius Severus Life of St. Martin Benedict of Nursia The Rule of St. Benedict Bernard of Clairvaux Letters John de Joinville Chronicle of the Crusade of St. Louis Bonaventure The Life of St. Francis Mechthild of Magdeburg The Flowing Light of the Godhead Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae Christine de Pisan The Treasure of the City of Ladies The Mission of Joan of Arc Thomas a Kempis The Imitation of Christ Every Work a Calling: Vocations after the Reformation, 1500-1800 Introduction Martin Luther To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Martin Luther Gospel for the Early Christmas Service Martin Luther Trade and Usury Martin Luther Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved Martin Luther A Sermon on Keeping Children in School Ulrich Stadler Cherished Instructions on Sin, Excommunication, and the Community of Goods John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion Ignatius Loyola The Spiritual Exercises Teresa of Avila The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila by Herself Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Reply to Sor Philothea William Perkins A Treatise of the Vocations George Herbert The Temple, or The Country Parson George Herbert The Collar Richard Baxter Directions about Our Labor and Callings John Bunyan The Pilgrim's Progress George Fox Journal Gerrard Winstanley A Declaration from the Poor Oppressed People of England William Law A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life Jonathan Edwards Personal Narrative John Wesley Journal John Wesley "Sermon 28: Sermon on the Mount-8" John Wesley "Sermon 51: The Good Steward" Christian Callings in a Post-Christian World, 1800-Present Introduction Soren Kierkegaard Fear and Trembling John Henry Newman Divine Calls Feodor Dostoevsky The Brothers Karamazov Horace Bushnell Every Man's Life a Plan of God Pope Leo XIII Rerum Novarum Max Weber The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Walter Rauschenbusch Christianity and the Social Crisis Howard Thurman What Shall I Do With My Life? Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Cost of Discipleship Simone Weil Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God Dorothy L. Sayers "Vocation in Work" Dorothy Day Selected Writings Thomas Merton No Man Is an Island Karl Barth Church Dogmatics Index

About the Author :
William C. Placher is Charles D. and Elizabeth S. LaFollette Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, and the author or editor of eleven books.

Review :
James E. Carter For those interested in understanding and appreciating the call of God to Christian service, this book is an essential collection of materials covering the full range of Christian history. The introductions to both the sections and the selections are concise but complete. The historical introductions to the four sections are also clear, interesting, and informative.