 |
           |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
Theological Exploration of Vocations: Recommended
Readings
An Annotated List of Protestant ReflectionsFebruary 2001 Michael G. Cartwright, Director Lantz Center for Christian Vocations Prefatory Remarks: One of the difficulties in fostering education for Christian Vocation at the dawn of the 21st century is that there are very few resources at present that have been written specifically for use in constructing curricula for use in church-related universities. On the other hand, there are quite a few resources that we have found that are adaptable or can be modified for specific uses in the context of classroom and co-curricular activities. Students, faculty and church leaders who are interested in reading more about these issues should consider the following resources. Items listed have been found to be useful in curricular programs and faculty discussion groups initiated by the Lantz Center for Christian Vocations at the University of Indianapolis, a United Methodist-related comprehensive university. Persons in other university or church-related contexts may find this list of materials more or less useful. I. Classic Protestant Works on Christian Vocations A. Lutheran Tradition: Martin Luther’s polemical Babylonian Captivity of the Church (1520) is widely regarded as the first text to offer a different paradigm of “vocation” than the division between the “religious life” priests, nuns, and monastics on the one hand and the ordinary lives of Christians on the other hand. While the polemics of this text are distracting to read in a context in which the World Lutheran Federation and the Roman Catholic Church have been reconciled over the issue of justification by grace through faith, this text is still worth using to think through the question about how God calls us in relation to the means of grace (sacraments) God provides through the church. This text remains in print in several editions. See Three Treatises (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960) pp. 123-260 and Luther’s Works Vol. 36 Word and Sacrament, II edited by Abdel Ross Wentz (Philadelphia, PA: Muhlenburg Press, 1959), 3-126. B. Calvinist/Reformed Tradition John Calvin’s theological reflections about vocation are found in two different sections of the Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559) ed. John T. McNeill (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960). For Calvin’s seminal reflections on “The Lord’s calling a basis of our way of life” see Book III “The Way We Receive the Grace of Christ,” Chapter 10, section 6 (Vol. I, 724-725). Calvin offered more extensive remarks about the “offices” of ministry in Book IV, “Means of Grace: Holy Catholic Church,” Chapter III (Vol. II, pp.1053-1068), see especially section 11 on “Outer and inner call” (pp. 1062-1063). These references are to the two-volume “Library of Christian Classics” edition. William Perkins’s Treatise of the Vocations or The Callings of Men, first published in 1603 (Berkshire, England: The Sutton Courtenay Press 1970), pages 441-476, is often mentioned as the first fully developed Protestant conception of Christian vocations. Calvinist in its theology, this English Puritan text conveys the notion of Christian “callings” to serve in the world. According to Perkins, “every calling must be fitted to the man and every man fitted to the calling...for when men are out of their callings in any society it is as much as if a joint were out of place in the body.” C. Wesleyan/Methodist Tradition: United Methodist readers may be curious about what John Wesley wrote in this area. Although Wesley did not write a single volume on the topic of Christian vocation, his scattered writings on this topic have been helpfully collated by Paul Wesley Chilcote in Wesley Speaks On Christian Vocation (Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources, 1986). This little volume collates generous quotations from the writings of John Wesley under the headings of “What to Teach? How to Teach? What to Do?” (the questions that were the focus of the earliest gatherings of Methodist Conference in England and America). Designed for both individual and group use, it is recommended for college-age and adult groups in United Methodist congregations that are interested in exploring the “Wesleyan rediscovery” of Christian Vocation. Although currently out of print, copies of this resource can be obtained from the Cokesbury bookstore at Methodist Theological School, Delaware, Ohio.
D. Free Church Tradition: Focus on Ministry of the Laity
Although “mainstream Protestants” speak about the importance of “the priesthood of all believers,” it has been the churches of the “radical reformation” that have attempted to live it out in Christian community. One of the mostly widely read works reflecting this perspective is Eldon Trueblood’s collection of sermon-essays, Your Other Vocation (San Francisco, CA: Harper and Row, 1952). Written by the Quaker scholar who taught at Earlham College for most of his life, this little volume attempted to restore the power of the priesthood of all believers by “opening the ministry of the ordinary Christian.” This book does not employ an extensive vocabulary that derives from the Quaker tradition itself, but it does draw upon and develop the wider conception of the vocation of the laity for ministry. In addition to chapters on “The Ministry of Work” and “The Recovery of Family Life,” Trueblood even put forward a provisional model for theological education of lay people who would embrace their God-given vocation. Although now quite dated, Trueblood’s discussion is quite useful for the purpose of explaining some of the tensions surrounding the notion of “Christian vocation” in the mid-to-late 20th century. In many respects, this volume can be said to be a kind of programmatic statement for the “Yokefellows” initiative and related lay movements that Trueblood and others hoped would become a kind of “second Protestant reformation.” The best introduction to the theological significance of the “fullness of Christ” is in John Howard Yoder’s book, Body Politics: Five Practices of the Christian Community Before the Watching World (Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources, 1992), see especially chapter four, pp. 47-60. See also Yoder’s related book The Fullness of Christ: Paul’s Vision of Universal Ministry (Brethren Press, 1986). This study of New Testament practices and concepts of ministry from the perspective of the Believer’s Churches (Mennonite, Brethren, and Society of Friends) provides an excellent resource for clarifying the “radical reformation” perspective on Christian vocations. The second chapter provides a brief overview of concepts of ministry found in the New Testament writings. One feature of the book that is particularly useful for helping introductory level students to imagine the wider range of ministries in the apostolic era is the “Apostolic Vocabulary of Ministry” chart (pp.12-13) which lists all words referring to ministries in the New Testament. See also the pamphlet by Stanley Hauerwas and Michael L. Budde, “The Ekklesia Project: A School for Subversive Friendships” Ekklesia Project Pamphlet #1 (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2000). The Ekklesia Project Network is a company of pastors, scholars, and Christian activists from both Catholic and Protestant backgrounds. B. Theology of Vocation: Interpreting the Ministries of Laity and Ordained Much of the literature about the Protestant advocacy of the “priesthood of all believers” is unimaginative and even reactionary. A rare exception to this trend is Carlyle Marney’s book Priests to Each Other (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1974). This book by the Southern Baptist preacher-theologian explores what it can mean for laypeople and clergy alike to be “priests to each other” in richest of senses. As such, it aptly restates some of the senses in which the venture called “Interpreter’s House,” which he founded at Lake Junaluska, NC, envisioned a different kind of church en route to a “new humanity.” Marney had the right instinct that we need to be asking a different set of questions about what it means to be church, but his existentialist and liberal Protestant theological leanings prevented him from making the kinds of connections that are formative. If conversations about Christian vocations progress very far at all, it is important to provide resources for students to understand the difference between ordained ministry and the ministry of all Christians. Although currently out of print, Dennis Campbell’s book The Yoke of Obedience: The Meaning of Ordination in Methodism (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1988), remains the best study that has been produced to date for use with college students. In particular, I recommend chapter two, “Ministry of the Whole People of God” (pp. 19-46), which provides a good overview of historical developments in the Protestant and Catholic traditions with respect to the origins of particular conceptions of the “offices” of bishop, presbyter, and deacon. One of the best recent Protestant theologies of vocation is The Way of Life: A Theology of Vocation by Gary D. Badcock. The virtue of this study is that it engages classic Protestant conceptions of vocation such as those articulated by Martin Luther and John Calvin as well as proposals by contemporary Protestant and Catholic theologians such as Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Although well-written, this book is probably best suited for use in courses offered in the context of seminary programs and/or continuing education seminars for pastors and other church leaders. Alternatively, it can be very helpful to the instructor or pastor who wants to think through the theological issues that surround the concept of Christian vocation(s). Os Guinness’s book, The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing Co.,1998) is particularly valuable for its clarification of the “Catholic” and “Protestant” distortions of vocation, this resource is written by an evangelical Anglican. Although written to be used as series of daily reflections for individual readers, this book has proved to be very useful to students in the Christian vocations program. The first five chapters provide rich material for discussion. Thereafter, it is probably best used for individual reflection in the context of ongoing discernment about how God may be calling a person into a life of Christian service. III.
Vocation Exploration Resources A. Resources for Clarification of Gifts/Talents and Discernment of Callings: Many have found Richard Bolles’s little book How to Find Your Mission in Life (Ten Speed Press, 1991) to be a helpful place to start. This little volume – by the author of the widely used What Color is Your Parachute? – is very useful in working with students who may be reflecting about their vocation for the first time. Bolles uses the definition of vocation that was articulated by Frederick Buechner in his book Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (San Francisco, CA: Harper Collins, 1973) to develop his own idea of mission as intersection: “The place God calls you is where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meets.” While there is a great deal of interest in discerning “spiritual gifts” it is also important for persons to understand their natural giftedness as well. One of the more promising approaches that we have used on a limited basis is the MOTIF personal assessment report provided by the DOMA Group. This process uses an in-depth personal interview – not standardized testing – to identify motivational abilities. Based on a model developed by Ralph Mattson, this narrative based leadership profile focuses on “functional gifts and strengths” (the definition of the Greek word “doma”). DOMA assessments make a clear distinction between “gifts” and “skills.” Another key assumption is that the combination of gifts and skills constitutes a person’s “talents.” Designed for comprehensive career planning, formation and building of teams, and development of key organizational leaders, the MOTIF report looks at some 65-70 variables. Another assessment, the Individual Operating Style (IOS) report is more focused, looking at some 20-25 variables. This report can be used for those persons (students, faculty, staff) who are facing immediate career choices, job search, and selection decisions. Although costly, these assessments do provide an excellent basis for working with students in the context of their vocational self-understanding. Currently, this form of narrative assessment for discernment of natural giftedness is being used in the Residency-in-Ministry program of the South Indiana Conference Board of Ministry. The Lantz Center for Christian Vocations has also experimented with using this approach for students enrolled in its pre-theology program. The DOMA model also informs Mattson’s book Visions of Grandeur: Leadership That Creates Positive Change (Chicago, IL: Praxis Books, 1994). Those interested in learning more about the narrative-based inventory of motivational abilities are encouraged to contact Jerry Moore, Ph.D. at the DOMA regional office located at 2801B Lincoln Avenue, Suite 2, Evansville, Indiana 47714 or call (812) 477-2144. Those interested in scholarly assessment of the MOTIF as a tool for vocational discernment are encouraged to review “MOTIF: A Psychologist’s Perspective,” an unpublished paper by Dr. George Bondra available from Jerry Moore at the address listed above. The recently published book by Arthur F. Miller and William Hendrix, You Can’t Be Anything You Want to Be (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Books, 1999) promises to be a very useful resource. This book, which draws upon the author’s lifetime of experience in vocational counseling, includes an appendix with a kind of “do-it-yourself” inventory that is designed to help someone to identify his or her own “Motivated Abilities Pattern.” This approach is similar to the MOTIF profile but is much less expensive. Miller’s book costs less than $20.00 whereas the cost of the MOTIF profile is $1000.00 per person and the IOS inventory costs $600 per person. A resource that is designed primarily for use in United Methodist congregations is God’s Call and Your Vocation: A Look At Christian Calls and Church Occupations by Bob Roth (United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, Nashville, TN: 1998). Published by the Section on Deacons and Diaconal Ministries (Division of Ordained Ministry), this resource can be quite helpful for those persons who are either members of the United Methodist Church or who are already comfortable working within professional networks of mainline Protestant denominations. “Appendix A” provides an annotated list of “who, what, where & why” information about Church-Related Careers that provides a helpful set of contacts for those interested in pursuing careers as church business administrators, Christian educators, Christian musicians, etc. Unfortunately, the way this kind of resource expands the menu of careers that persons might investigate as “church careers” at the price of (prematurely?) narrowing the focus of what Christian vocations might look like apart from the pursuit of a church career either as an ordained deacon or elder or some other form of church-accredited ministry. This weakness having been noted, there is material in this book that can be used as a platform for exploring Christian vocations beyond church careers. Indeed, the Leader’s Guide (integrated into the booklet) written by Suella C. Barton provides some very useful ways of leading discussions of Christian vocations based on the biblical stories of how God called, Abram, Moses, Isaiah, and Mary among others. The discussions surrounding baptism suggest particularly rich possibilities for ways to move the discussion into a wider conversation about Christian vocation. B.“Spiritual Gifts” Literature: Much of the literature about discerning “spiritual gifts” is misleading, precisely because it tends to rely on techniques that are antithetical to the kind of discernment that takes place over time in the context of Christian friendship, community, and spiritual direction. One notable exception worth using is Lloyd Edwards, Discerning Your Spiritual Gifts (Boston, MA: Cowley Press, 1988). Coming out of the Episcopal tradition, this pastoral gem includes directions for a “spiritual gifts” workshop or retreat, the first half-day of which is focused on clarifying Christian vocation as the proper context for discerning spiritual gifts in the context of Christian community. Another book that we know to be useful is Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community by Farnham, Gill, McLean and Ward (Morehouse Publishing Company). This volume has been found to be very useful in the Episcopal Church for those who are discerning whether they have been called to the priesthood. Our colleague Ione Boodt, Associate Professor of Mathematics, has used this book in congregational settings where she has served as an Episcopal priest. A manual is also available for leaders. IV. Spiritual Formation Resources While not all Theological Exploration of Vocations programs aspire to reintegrate spiritual formation into the curriculum of church-related higher education, that is one of the distinctives of the particular initiative that has been launched at the University of Indianapolis. The following materials have been useful for that purpose. A. Spiritual Formation and Christian Scripture: In conjunction with the Christian Formation sequence of courses (CVOC 101 & 102) that we offer in the Christian Vocations curriculum, we have found it useful to provide our Christian Vocations students with copies of The Spiritual Formation Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999). Produced in cooperation with the staff of Upper Room Ministries (a division of the UMC’s General Board of Discipleship), this resource is available in hardback and paperback editions. Readers may choose from the New Revised Standard Version or the New International Version. This resource offers valuable resources for the practices of Lectio Divina – “Praying the Scriptures” – and Contemplative Prayer as well as for interpreting what “spiritual formation” (as distinguished from intellectual formation and moral formation) is and is not about. Robert Mulholland’s book Shaped By the Word (Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books, 1992) provides an excellent introduction to reading Scripture for “formation” as opposed to reading for “information.” In this regard, Thomas Merton’s book Opening the Bible (Liturgical Press, 2000) is also a helpful resource to use with students. B. Sacraments and the Means of Grace: Precisely because most Protestant reflection about vocations today bypasses discussion of the sacraments, it is all the more important to provide students with formative opportunities to reflect upon the classic disciplines of the Christian faith as a way of orienting them to the means of grace that will sustain their vocational journeys. We have found William Willimon’s book Remember Who You Are: Baptism as a Model for the Christian Life (Nashville, TN: Discipleship Resources, 1980) very useful for helping career-focused students to begin to look at their lives through the lens of the sacrament of baptism, and to think about their lives as most adequately accounted for in terms of this model of the Christian life. Marjorie Thompson’s book Soul Feast: An Introduction to Christian Spiritual Life (Westminster John Knox Press, 1995) is the best introductory text that I know of for introducing students to the practices of lectio divina, contemplative prayer, fasting, hospitality, spiritual direction, and developing a rule of life. For advanced groups of students, David F. Ford’s book The Shape of Living: Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997) is an excellent resource, particularly for helping students to think through how they might frame their “rule of life” in order to be focused in terms of what really is their “everyday life.” Ford’s reflections on the poetry of Michael O’Saidhail is simply one of several delightful and profound features of this book. Jean Vanier’s book The Scandal of Service: Jesus Washes Our Feet (New York, NY: Continuum Books, 1998) directs readers attentions to the profoundly humbling practice of foot washing, one of the most ecumenical of Christian practices. Vanier explicates this practice in the context of the L’Arche Community in Toronto, but his reflections can be applied in contexts ranging from the practice of foot washing in Free Will Baptist Churches to the Roman Catholic Practice of washing feet in commemoration of Jesus’s ministry of service to his disciples on Maundy Thursday. At the University of Indianapolis, students in the CVOC 204 course read this book during the three weeks prior to the Christian Vocations Commissioning Service. Foot washing is enacted as part of the Commissioning Service. Please note: Because most students are not familiar with this ministry with mentally and physically disabled adults, students find it especially helpful to view a segment of one of the videotapes about L’Arche in order to bring into focus this aspect of its ministry. C. Christian Heroes and Heroines: Saintly Exemplars of Christian Integrity College students at the dawn of the 21st century yearn to know that there really are people who have lived – and are living – holy lives. Unfortunately, most of our students are not well-versed in the Christian tradition, either their own or the wider ecumenical tradition of Christian witness. In the Christian Vocations curriculum taught at the University of Indianapolis, we have found it important to help students overcome their ignorance of the “communion of the saints” by intentionally giving them readings and assignments that invite them to reflect on the power of Christian witness from across the centuries of Christian history. We have found resources produced by the Renovare movement to be particularly useful for this purpose. For example, we use the collection of Devotional Classics edited by Richard Foster and James Bryan Smith (New York: HarperCollins, 1993) in our first-level exploratory course to help students begin to be aware of the various forms that Christian witness has taken in human history. Students typically find the fivefold typology of traditions (Contemplative, Holiness, Charismatic, Social Justice, Evangelical) of the Christian life to be helpful as they discover both the breadth and depth of Christian witness. Foster’s most recent book Streams of Living Water : Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith (Harper Collins, 1999) deploys an expanded version of this typology – adding the “Incarnational” tradition. What is particularly helpful about this book is the way the lives of Christian men and women are presented as illustrations of these types of Christian living. Further, Foster’s way of using the image of the “rivers of living water” from John 7:38 is to call attention to the confluence of the streams without attempting to ignore the distinctives of each of these ways of embodying the Christian life. In our formation courses, we have found Elliott Wright’s Holy Company: Christian Heroes and Heroines (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1980) to be a very helpful resource for helping students envision the rich diversity of Christian witness. Because Wright’s book uses the eight Beatitudes as the lens through which to look at these lives, students also have the opportunity to reflect about the ways Christians have embodied one of the central texts of the New Testament writings. At the request of the Lantz Center for Christian Vocations, this volume was recently reprinted by Wipf & Stock Publishing Company in Eugene, Oregon. We have also used Douglas Strong’s book They Walked in the Spirit: Personal Faith and Social Action (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1997) in our formation courses. Study of Strong’s book is particularly helpful for the purpose of enabling students to see beyond what Strong calls the “two party system” in American Protestantism. It is very significant for students to have the opportunity to read about how the lives of William J. Seymour, Vida Scudder, Clarence Jordan and Orlando Costas do not fit the preconceived mold of “liberals who are committed to social justice” and “conservatives who are evangelical in disposition and concerned with private faith, individual morality, and personal evangelism.” The eight chapters in Strong’s study all display the integrity of Christian witness that is possible and has been practiced by some in this culture, but which in the context of the “culture wars” of the 20th century have often been overlooked. For a very helpful and clarifying discussion of the tension between conceptions of the “hero” and the Christian life, see Brian S. Hook and R. R. Reno, Heroism and the Christian Life: Reclaiming Christian Excellence (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000). In his recent essay, Gilbert Meilaender offers a Lutheran angle of vision on this same questions as he engages the arguments of Hook and Reno with the erudition of a scholar and the wisdom of a lifelong disciple of Jesus Christ. V. Other Resources Useful
for Theological Exploration of Vocation Curricula
A. Contemporary Literature: The best single volume of essays (that I am aware of) for use in evoking “the vocational imagination” in students is the collection of readings edited by Paula J. Carlson and Peter S. Hawkins, Listening for God: Contemporary Literature and the Life of Faith (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 1994). This collection includes stories, memoirs and essays by such writers as Flannery O’Connor, Frederick Buechner, Patricia Hampl, Raymond Carver, Annie Dillard, Alice Walker, Garrison Keillor, and Richard Rodriguez. While not all of these resources focus on vocation as such, they do register the problem of identity formation (an issue with which college students struggle) in relation to such issues as race, regional background, ethnicity, and gender. Other writers to consider using include Will Campbell, Wendell Berry, Kathleen Norris, and Patricia Hampl. B. Classic Protestant Spirituality: Although not all contexts lend themselves to using an allegorical work of literature like John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, it is worth reminding ourselves that spiritual writings such as this Puritan classic still remain useful for the purpose of stimulating the imagination of students. Several inexpensive editions are available. The Penguin Classics edition edited by Roger Sharrock (London: Penguin Books, 1987) is very readable, and there are still illustrated editions circulating that were published in the 19th century and use images and illustrations that are now regarded as public domain. See for example the edition published by Cincinnati, Ohio: Jennings and Graham. For those of us who teach in the American context, reading Bunyan’s book is important for a second reason. As Robert Bellah has observed: “John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress provided one of the most influential patterns of the Christian life in American history. The book was already a best seller in 17th century New England and continued to hold a place second only to the Bible in pious American famlies for many decades. It was widely read down through the 19th and even into the 20th centuries.” Given this pervasive influence, David E. Smith’s book John Bunyan in America (Bloomington, IN: University of Indiana Press, 1966), is useful for tracking the ways in which the imagery of The Pilgrim’s Progress has been appropriated in American culture over the past three centuries. See also Robert T. Handy’s insightful article “The Pilgrim’s Progress: From Minor Colony to Major Saga” in Reflections [Yale Divinity School Bulletin], (Spring 1991): 13-20. Please Note: C. S. Lewis’s own allegory The Pilgrim’s Regress (London: Geoffrey Bles Ltd, 1933; reprinted by Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1992) is not so much useful for vocational reflection as it is intended to be a Christian apologia as the subtitle makes clear. In that respect, the “road map” provided in Lewis’s allegory engages intellectual issues that Lewis and his generation faced as obstacles to Christian faith. It is not about clarifying Christian vocation as such. VI. Resources for Engaging Faculty as Mentors A. Mentoring and Generational Studies: One of the best studies for thinking through the issues that young adults face and the kinds of experiences that are most likely to make a difference is Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World edited by Laurent A. Parks Daloz, Cheryl H. Keen, James P. Keen, and Sharon Daloz Parks (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1996). There is also a videotape of “Common Fire,” which is useful in some settings for discussing the problems and possibilities of mentoring students with faculty and church leaders. See related study by Sharon Parks, The Critical Years: Young Adults and the Search for Meaning, Faith and Commitment (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1996). The research in this book informed the study in Common Fire. Much of the literature of “Generation X” (people born from 1965 to 1980) is known for overgeneralizing the generational profile of the group of “consumers” that were until recently the focus of intense marketing initiatives by the global culture industries. Nevertheless, there is some value in looking at aggregates of people in relation to the social characteristics of a given time. One of the most helpful of these studies with respect to the question of mentoring is “God and Gen-X: Faith and the New Generation” by James R. Zullo, F.S. C. Listening: Journal of Religion and Culture (Fall 1999). This resource is available from Lewis University, a Christian Brothers University in Romeo, Illinois.
Zullo’s study draws upon the work of Tom Beaudoin, who has done more
than anyone else to popularize the notion that there is a distinctive
spirituality associated with so-called Generation X.
Beaudoin’s book Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of
Generation X is filled with a variety of statistics, anecdotes, and
sociological patterns. For example, Beaudoin argues that the song “I Still
Haven’t Found What I’m Searching For” by the band U-2 is the
“anthem” of Generation X.
Please note: Beaudoin also led a study of “Who is Generation X” for the Benedictine Vocations Directors Conference, hosted by Our Lady of Grace Benedictine Monastery in Beech Grove, Indiana, July 15-19, 1999. Although the focus of these lectures was not about how to counsel with Protestant students, nevertheless much can be learned from Beaudoin’s reflections about thinking through these questions by clarifying the practice of hospitality – the charism of Benedictine communities – in the context of the communities of faith and learning of which we are a part. Interested persons may contact Sr. Joan Marie Massura, Vocations Director at Our Lady of Grace Monastery (317) 787-3281. I do not know of any useful studies that focus on issues specific to the question of how to mentor students in the “Millennial Generation” (1981-1998) but no doubt there will be! B. College Teaching and Vocation: Over the past 25 years, Parker Palmer has articulated the importance of teaching as a vocation and called for the cultivation of the kinds of spiritual practices that can sustain those whose task it is to education children, youth and adults. His recent book, The Courage to Teach: A Guide for Reflection and Renewal. (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1999), draws together the best of his insights in relation to practices of discernment from the tradition of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). This book is an excellent way to begin a conversation with faculty at a church-related college or university. Palmer’s brief book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (San Francisco, CA:Jossey-Bass, 2000) rehearses some of the same themes as the earlier book, but at a level that is more accessible and very evocative. Although the book is written from the perspective of one who is a mature adult, this book “speaks” to a variety of readers. This may have something to do with the fact that the author is open about his brokenness. Chapter three of the book provides a poignant discussion of Palmer’s struggle with depression at one particular season of his life. C. Professionalism and the Pathos of Higher Education In the midst of the rediscovery of the vocation of teaching, some writers have called into question the ways universities foster a culture of professionalism for faculty while ignoring the neglect of students and the failure of faculty to be persons of wisdom. Wendell Berry’s book Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition (Counterpoint, 2000) includes an incisive critique of the problematic ways that “professionalism” in higher education has undermined the sense of vocation that properly speaking should inform the self-understanding of college and university faculty. The author’s critique of “consilience” proposal put forward by socio-biologist E. O. Wilson converges with his call for a renewed awareness of the value of the local communities. This controversial book offers a very creative way to engage questions of vocation by talking about the importance of the communities and places that constitute our personal identity. From Berry’s angle of vision, such questions necessarily converge with issues of environmentalism and the relationship of scientific inquiry to teaching the arts and humanities. In The Abandoned Generation: Rethinking Higher Education (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995), the authors, William H. Willimon and Thomas H. Naylor, contend that many university faculty and curricula do not take seriously the problems that the current generation of students are facing and therefore are ignoring the “crisis in higher education.” The three “most visible symptoms of this crisis” are 1) substance abuse, 2) indolence, and 3) excessive careerism. Underlying these symptoms are three fundamental problems: 1) meaninglessness; 2) fragmentation of a student’s life into unrelated, incoherent components; and 3) the absence of community. The authors argue that in order to confront the problems of the abandoned generation of college students, four strategies should be considered: 1) restructuring the academy, 2) teachers who teach, 3) curriculum reform, and 4) the rediscovery of colleges and universities as learning communities. Although some of their examples are specifically oriented to research universities, this book is controversial enough that it could spark discussion with a variety of college faculty about what their roles are and should be in mentoring students. D. Teaching Religion and Teaching in Religious Contexts: Faculty at church-related colleges and universities who are interested in discussing the social significance of their particular roles and more generally the “vocation” of church-related higher education can now choose from a increasingly rich menu of readings. One such book is Mark Schwehn’s, Exiles from Eden: Religion and the Academic Vocation (New York, Oxford University Press, 1993). This book arises out of the author’s awareness that all too often the vocation of university faculty is vested in one’s research agenda rather than in teaching as such. When Prof. Schwehn realized that he was first and foremost a teacher, this vocational rediscovery led him to move from tenured professor at the University of Chicago to Lutheran-related Valparaiso University. His wise and probing reflections about the role of religion in shaping the academic vocation of college faculty will generate conversation and provoke thought.
Stephen H. Webb’s book Taking Religion to School: Christian Theology
and Secular Education (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2000) argues the
controversial thesis that given the social context of the lives of students in
American colleges and universities, whether they realize it or not, “everyone
who teaches religious studies is now a theologian.” While this book is not
focused on church-related colleges and universities per se, faculties at such
institutions should find this book to be thought-provoking with respect to the
purpose of teaching (religion) from various disciplinary perspectives. |
