different towns and were no longer bound to find an occupation within the church or through family history. Secular reasons like city growth and profit began to impact Europeans decisions on which occupation to pursue. Europeans began to experiment religiously with the concept that a person could live “dedicated to their faith while holding a secular job or getting married” (Placher 7). During this era, many Christians came to the conclusion that they could live religiously without working as a nun or a monk. This was the beginning of the belief that a person could have more than one vocation or calling. Religious and secular values began to align for many Christians after the Reformation, which led to all vocations having the capability of being influenced by Christian conduct. A person could be a Christian merchant or a Christian soldier as long as they served their vocation in a way that glorified God and worked with fair terms.
Martin Luther and his Protestant followers initiated the radical transformation that society followed during this period. Luther was a German friar that rejected some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church and eventually led the Protestant Reformation. While reading Paul one day, Luther came to understand that “thanks to God, our salvation is secure” meaning that salvation doesn’t depend on our occupation (Placher 205). Luther taught his followers that they should serve each other as Christians without worrying about salvation to the point that it inhibits their ability to live happily. He was the center of the vocational movement that believed a person could serve well with any occupation. Not only could occupations be used to serve God, but also being a parent or a spouse could be a person’s vocation. Luther claimed that a person had both a “spiritual and external calling” (Placher 206). A part of a person was meant to be part of God, while the other part was meant to serve as a member of a certain line of work.
Some Christians that chose jobs as merchants and salesmen had to decide whether or not these jobs were truly their vocation based on their ability to work under Christian business ethics.
In “Trade and Usury”, Luther explained how to pursue a calling in business without allowing the temptations of money to cloud a person’s judgment. Luther advocated for a system of selling items that fairly rewarded the seller while at the same time being fair to the consumer. Selling at a cost that fairly factored in time and labor put in by the worker was a Christian way of being a business person, while selling at a price based on competition with others was wrong. The reading emphasizes Luther’s main idea that all occupations have the potential to serve in the way God
intended.
Luther reiterates the point that all occupations can have Christian ethics in “Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved” when he claims that “the man who does the occupation can do either good or bad” and that no office is universally bad (Placher 219, 220). Luther repeatedly quotes Scripture to show that God doesn’t find the military profession wrong, because if he did then almost all of the prominent people in the Bible would not be saved. The praise in Scripture for Abraham, Moses, David, and many others proves that soldiers can serve God while being successful in their occupation. This assertion helps support Luther’s main claim that all occupations can be a part of God’s plan for a person’s vocation.
Richard Baxter, an English Puritan Church leader in the seventeenth century, advocated for less corruption in government and influenced others to join the parliamentary army that was fighting against the established Church of England during the mid 1600’s. In Baxter’s “Directions about Our Labor and Callings” he expresses some ideas and directions about pursuing a vocation that is very similar to those presented by Luther and the Protestants during the Reformation (Placher 278). Baxter claims that labor is a necessary part of life for all that are able because God has blessed people with certain physical traits in order to work. He agrees with Luther that every person is meant for some type of vocation and that through the vocation they can serve God. Both men claim that obeying God’s wish for a person’s vocation is vital and through that Christians can serve and honor him. God is not concerned with how good a person is in their occupation, but rather how much effort and commitment a person puts in serving by means of their occupation.
Although Baxter agrees with most of Luther’s approach to vocation, he takes it a step further by challenging all aspects of life that vocation impacts. Baxter’s directions consider how vocation affects the public good and a healthy soul. His claim “that calling which most conduceth to the public good is to be preferred” insinuates that choosing a vocation that helps others is more important than picking a vocation that is self-satisfying. Luther focuses more on improving the public good through the occupation that a person wants, while Baxter doesn’t place as much important on an individual’s vocational identity. Baxter believes that the key to a healthy soul is to find an occupation that serves others instead of an occupation that the person is passionate about. This concept of vocation is different from the type of vocational identity that became popular after the Reformation, because it doesn’t promote the idea of a true calling.
In the book Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer affirms many of the ideals of vocation during the era immediately after the Reformation, while providing a modern day experience on discovering vocation. Palmer aids Luther’s assertion that a vocation is meant to serve others and not for indulgences when he says that an occupation is “a path more purposeful than accumulating wealth” (Palmer 2). Also, Palmer emphasizes the importance of listening for your own calling instead of conforming to the pressures that society puts on people to work in certain occupations. This is similar to the time period after the Reformation, because people were no longer required to work in the same field as their parents and were given the opportunity to explore a vocation that they were passionate about. Palmer and Luther both accept that vocation can encompass many things and is best savored by living passionately while serving in the name of God.
During this era, the main ideal of vocation is to find something that glorifies God while embracing a person’s identity. Prior to this era many people used the name of God to claim that certain vocations were not worthy enough, because they didn’t meet the needs of others. Frederick Buechner counters this claim when he states that vocation is “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need” (Palmer 16). Buechner affirms the post-Reformation understanding of vocation by claiming that people should pick a vocation that makes them happy and in return it will make the world a better place. Palmer references Buechner’s words because they instruct the reader to choose a vocation that is true to one’s soul. Palmer’s personal journey to find his vocation is a lesson for everyone that picking a vocation for the sole purpose of pleasing others is unhealthy and will lead to failure. This aligns with the post-Reformation belief that vocation is a part of an individual’s identity, which should be nourished and celebrated. I resonate with the idea of vocation after the Reformation, because it embraces individuality and claims that every occupation has the potential to be a Christian occupation. This era’s interpretation of vocation aligns with my interpretation because it says that we should find our calling without worrying about salvation or any type of punishment for possibly choosing the wrong vocation. If we truly listen to our souls and to God, then we will be making the right decision. The concept that I struggle with most is the idea that we are advised to not allow worldly object like money impact our vocational decisions. Though I am still on my journey to determine my vocation, I am not sure if I would be willing to suffer or live with a lower income in order to find my true calling. Throughout the readings about this era, the idea that intrigues me most is that through our vocations we will have the opportunity to glorify and serve God. Before this class I often thought about what vocation, I could pick that would bring me closest to God and ensure my spot in heaven. I have learned from both Luther and Palmer that I shouldn’t pick a vocation for the sole purpose of serving God, but instead allow my passions to bring me to a vocation that will help me better connect with God. As I continue to analyze different vocational opportunities at Baylor I hope to find something that incorporates my passions for art and teaching. Similar to many Christians after the Reformation I plan on exploring as many opportunities as possible in faith that I will discover what God intended for me to be.