What Is My Calling (William Klein & Daniel Steiner) - A Review
WHAT IS MY CALLING? A Biblical and Theological Exploration of Christian Identity. By William W. Klein and Daniel J. Steiner. Grand Rapids, MI: BakerAcademic, 2022. Xiv + 194 pages.
Who am I? What is my
"calling" in life? Is it ministry? Teaching? Writing? How would you answer
the question of calling? On what basis do you answer the question? We use the
term “calling” in many different contexts. Those of us in "professional"
ministry often speak of being called by God to ministry. We might even narrate the moment we felt the
call. My denomination has an office of "Search and Call" through
which clergy place themselves in a position to be considered by a congregation
or other denominational entity so that we who search might receive a call. Then
after the pastor and congregation agree to join together, the congregation
provides a letter of call, which is essentially our contract. Is that what we
mean when we speak of call? A contract? Probably not!
When it comes to such language, are
we using the term call correctly? Is it little more than a contract and how do
we determine with God is in the call? So, is a call something religious in
orientation or not? Luther suggested that we all have a calling and we should
stay in that calling. He believed that "secular" vocations are as
valid and meaningful as "sacred" ones. So, if you are called to be a
blacksmith, stay a blacksmith. His view has influenced our view of vocation
ever since, such that a call equals a job.
While we use the term in many
different ways, is this correct usage? Or, should we define our terms better?
This is a question posed by William Klein and Daniel Steiner, professors at
Denver Theological Seminary in their book What Is My Calling? They wish to call us back to a more biblical usage
so that it speaks more clearly about our identity in Christ and keeps us from
falling into problematic uses. The book we have before us emerged from a course
team-taught at the seminary for students in their final semester as they
pondered their future. With the term calling in regular use, they wanted to
help students wrestle with their future employment. Their big concern dealt
with what happens when a student believes they have been called by God to
vocational ministry and then after graduation, no job shows up. That can be a
devastating experience. Did they hear God incorrectly or did they have an
imprecise view of call? From their experiences with students, they encountered
some who had a clear sense of call, some who didn't, and some who struggled
with what this meant. So, they ask the question: "Should the absence of a
conviction of God's calling disqualify people from pursuing Christian
ministries?" (p. 1-2). Their answer, as they lay out their premise in the
course of the book, is no. The problem, they believe, lies in an inappropriate
use of the term call.
They begin the conversation with a
chapter in which they explore the ways contemporary writers and others use
terms such as call and vocation, showing the shadow side of the use. They take
note of how the term is used in popular conversation. First of all, it is used
to refer to jobs, tasks, or roles. Secondly, the term is used in individualized
and specific ways, such that it might refer to one's passions or giftedness.
Thus, I might say that I'm called to be a writer based on my passion (and
hopefully gifts), but is that a call? Some speak of callings being multiple,
such that one might have several callings in life. In this view, we have a
primary calling to follow Jesus, while our job is a secondary calling. Fourth,
they note that some speak of hidden callings, which we need to discover. This
might be understood in terms of our life purpose—which is often connected with
a job. When it comes to jobs, they helpfully remind us that many jobs are
mundane and difficult, and perhaps demeaning. So, are these callings? Since the
above uses are problematic, is there a sense of call that the authors might
embrace? There is, it’s our call to Christ, a calling they explore with some
depth.
Having laid out the various ways
the term is used, you might expect them to jump back to Scripture to discover
the appropriate view of calling, but they postpone that move and first take us
on a historical journey from the post-biblical world to the present. They
invite us to consider how Christians have understood calling/vocation from the second
century onward. They show us how the idea of a sacred, usually monastic, vision
of vocation emerged, especially after Constantine, such that calling was
something reserved for ecclesial jobs. That was more fully developed as the
church traversed the Middle Ages. This view held strong until Luther came along
and turned things upside down, suggesting that we all have vocations/callings.
Some might be called to ministry but one might also be called to being a
blacksmith. Both are equivalent, so stay where you are! As they enter the
modern world, they bring into the conversation Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl
Barth who challenge Luther's view of vocation and take us back to a more
biblical view, such that call has to do with one's participation in Christ.
They take note here that while ministry callings have predominated the conversation,
this might be a misuse of the term.
Having looked back through time,
they take a step further back to the Bible. They make a rather thorough look at
the way the term is used and to whom it applies. While there are a few people
who appear to be called by God, the term is rarely used individualistically.
They make use of two principles of interpretation in this chapter. First, they
"believe that the goal of interpretation is to discover the meaning the
biblical authors intended at the time of writing." Secondly, they want to
distinguish between descriptive and normative language. Here they are concerned
about the use of narrative, such that the description of Paul's call by Jesus
becomes normative. I won't give a complete analysis here, but their focus is on
developing a fairly narrow definition of call so that it can be used
appropriately in the present. They want to use the term with greater precision
than what we usually use.
Having laid out the current
landscape of usage, the historical development of the concept, and the biblical
perspectives, they turn to their core purpose, and that is to help us
understand what call means and to form our lives accordingly to that
definition. Chapter four serves as a review of sorts, helping us bring together
what we've encountered to that point. Then in chapter five, they invite us to
construct a "theological map for calling." After briefly
deconstructing popular usage, they begin to reconstruct a theology of calling
focused on being in Christ. They make it clear that in the New Testament, the
idea of call is generally understood in a corporate rather than individual way.
It is the church as the body of Christ that is called together, and as such
called upon to live in a way worthy of that calling. This is, of course, a challenge
to our modern individualistic sensibility, but it is the way the term is
generally used, and they want us to use it in that way.
If we define calling in terms of
being in Christ (not just following the way of Jesus but participating in
Christ) and this calling is understood corporately and not individualistically,
how might we embrace that calling? One way to do this is to be more precise in
our use of the term. In their view, we should use the term as it is understood
biblically, and as such understand it in terms of being called to salvation in
Christ. In that regard, they write that this means being called to be members
of the church, the body of Christ. As such, we discover the nature of our calling
in Christ by doing certain tasks that reflect being in Christ. That includes
living godly lives reflective of our life in Christ. As for offices, these are
functions of the church but not callings. Here they address the question of how
one discerns choosing to take up pastoral work if one can’t narrate a divine
call. That can be freeing. There is truth in this since I ended up serving as a
pastor for almost twenty-five years, even though I believed I was called to an
academic career. I saw that as a call to ministry, just not to the pastorate
(though I did pursue ordination). So, did
I mishear God, or did I use the term inappropriately? I imagine they would say
that I used the term inappropriately.
There is much to like about the
book, though at points I felt they were being too precise in their attempt to
define the term. The warnings are appropriate, but as we’re discovering
narrative is an important way of conveying thoughts and beliefs. Nevertheless, their
discussion of the shadow side of call language makes sense. So, finding other
terms such as gift or passion might be better than using the word call, though
it’s difficult to break habits. I should note that at least in my denominational
context call is usually understood in terms of a congregational call. Though it’s
difficult not to think of call even in this context as having a divine component.
The book’s message can be helpful if it helps those who are struggling to make
sense of their desire or inner compulsion to pursue vocational ministry. Their
point is simple calling does not equal a job. Rather, a call has to do with participating
in Christ through the body of Christ. That is what we are being called to.
While all that is true, I still like call language when it comes to pastoral
ministry. It’s hard to let go of such language! However, we can thank William
Klein and Daniel Steiner for writing What Is My Calling? as it can help
us better understand our place in the body of Christ.
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