Gene Edward Veith, God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. Crossway Books, 2011.
Referenced in: Missional Spirituality, Discipleship – Missional Spirituality of Work
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This excellent theology of work is a good companion to Witherington, Work: A Kingdom Perspective. Veith is a very down-to-earth, practical theology.
By his own admission, Veith sets forth a popular restatement of Luther’s theology of vocation, which emphasizes not only what we do through our vocations, but what God does in and through our vocations. He demonstrates that all life work is indeed a vocation, going back to its original meaning, “calling.”
“The doctrine of vocation is a theology of the Christian life, having to do with sanctification and good works. It is also a theology of ordinary life. Christians do not have to be called to the mission field or the ministry or the work of evangelism to serve God, though many are; nor does the Christian life necessarily involve some kind of constant mystical experience. Rather, the Christian life is to be lived in vocation, in the seemingly ordinary walks of life that take up nearly all of the hours of our day. The Christian life is to be lived out in our family, our work, our community, and our church. Such things seem mundane, but this is because of our blindness. Actually, God is present in them — and in us — in a mighty, hidden, way.” (157-158)
Veith provides a good historical overview of the usage of the term. He then explores the nature of vocation, its purpose, how one finds it, how God calls us to certain tasks, and how he is present with what we do with our everyday lives. He then addresses specific vocations – worker, family, citizen – and the problems common to them all. He also addresses what do to in cases where work becomes unbearable, what the Reformationists called “bearing the cross” in vocation.
From the Publisher
Work can be a daily grind—a hard, monotonous set of thankless tasks. In the midst of the ongoing toil, many are plagued by a lack of purpose, confused as to what to do and who to become. And while some of our vocations may seem more overtly meaningful than others’, the truth is that most of us work because we have to. It is a means to an end—survival.
Given the enormous amount of time each of us spends working, we would do well to understand our callings and how God works through them.
Here culture expert Gene Veith gives us more than a simple understanding of work—more than a catchy slogan to “do all things for the glory of God.” He outlines a spiritual framework for answering questions such as:
- What does it mean to be a Christian businessperson or a Christian artist or a Christian lawyer, scientist, construction worker or whatever?
- How can I know what I am supposed to do with my life?
- What does it mean to raise a Christian family? And what if I don’t have kids?
Unpacking the Bible’s teaching on work, Veith helps us to see the meaning in our vocations, the force behind our ethics, and the transformative
About the Author
GENE EDWARD VEITH JR. is provost and professor of literature at Patrick Henry College and the author of several noted books on Christianity and culture, including Postmodern Times and Christianity and the Arts. He is a frequent conference speaker and a contributor to a wide range of periodicals.
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