Rethinking Vocation: A New Vision for Calling and Work in Light of Missio Dei

By Eric Robinson and Edward L. Smither

What does it mean to be called? How does one discern his or her calling? There has been much discussion about these topics within the church, and perhaps much confusion as well. What if we could root the nature of the believer's calling and vocation from a missional perspective? This book seeks to understand how a deeper understanding of God's mission can help believers discern the work to which they are called and equip them for missional witness in and through their work. Importantly, rooting our understanding of vocation and calling in God's mission gives space for new emphases within the conversations related to faith and work, including theologically and contextually grounded emphases on creativity, vocational freedom, and vocational discernment, along with innovative educational models which can support believers as they navigate their work as participants in God's mission. When believers connect their gifts, talents, and creativity with God's work in and for the world in a way that is contextually relevant, it opens up opportunities for transformative witness for both believers and for the organizations they serve.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Release date: Sep 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9781666757309

Eric Robinson

Eric Robinson holds a PhD in intercultural studies from Columbia International University and a master’s in Christian education from Union Presbyterian Seminary. He is the author of numerous journal articles related to mission theology, including its important connection to calling and vocation. Additionally, he is a career K-12 educator. Eric is married to his wonderful wife, Letarshia. He enjoys spending time with his family, running, photography, and playing the guitar.

Book preview

Introduction

The church has always found itself in the world, a world that God loves in Jesus Christ. While the church may be present in the world as a corporate body, it is the presence of believers scattered in and through the rhythms of their daily lives which offers a profound witness in the world to Jesus Christ. It is on the premise that this witness needs to be better understood, and further strengthened, that this book finds its purpose and life.

The term vocation (literally, calling) has helped to guide and shape the church’s understanding of this vital witness in the world. Throughout the history of Christian thought, various interpretations of vocation have been offered; one might look to Augustine, the monastic movement, Martin Luther, or to writers such as Miroslav Volf¹ or Tim Keller in the modern day. While interpretations have varied widely, they do share one common theme: the importance of one’s faithfulness to God in all of life. Luther emphasized the importance of everyday work being a high calling from God.² Some recent scholarship has moved towards a theological reorienting of vocation away from a direct correlation with work.³ There are many reasons for this shift, both contextual and theological, which will be discussed in this book.

Another theological term, missio Dei, has assisted the church in its self-understanding as it seeks to witness to Christ in the world. Rooted in God’s mission and trinitarian work in and for the world, missio Dei gives shape to the mission and work of the church gathered and scattered as it seeks to strengthen its witness to Christ. Various interpretations and applications of missio Dei have been offered, including a focus on God’s work of reconciliation in Jesus Christ as a central emerging theme.⁴

Further, the twenty-first century has brought about rapid changes in the way people in the United States understand and participate in their work. Workplace changes such as the gig economy and the rise in part time work have challenged people’s understanding of their vocational and career identities.⁵ In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant economic challenges. One might also look to the difficulties of workplace injustice faced by so many. For Christians who seek God for a calling to a particular job or career, our understanding and application of what vocation and calling mean must be adaptive to these challenges and changes.

It is a primary contention of this book that the missio Dei can help to transform our understanding of vocation and guide the people of God in discerning its implications for the work in which believers participate in the world. My aim is to explore the nature of vocation and calling rooted in missio Dei and consider its implications for how believers live out their calling as participants in God’s mission in and through their work. This study is an attempt to integrate vocation, mission, and work in such a way that it builds up the body of Christ and helps equip believers for ministry work (Eph 4:12). While an academic study, it is ultimately missional and practical in its purpose.

Rationale and Need for Study

Every day, the people of God find themselves in the world, whether at school, leisure, or in the context of this study’s focus, at work. This is a primary context for the church’s witness in the world. Lesslie Newbigin says this: But this privileged position [of being a witness] is not for their sake but for the sake of the world into which they are sent as the witnesses to Jesus in whom God’s purpose for his entire creation has been disclosed.⁶ It is the reality that this witness needs to be supported and strengthened which undergirds both the necessity and value of this study.

A study which aims to support believers in their witness in the world needs strong theological and missiological foundations. In this light, this book draws upon and expands missiological and theological reflection beginning with an important premise; that is, that theology itself is undergirded by mission. On this point, David Bosch notes that "theology ceases to be theology if it loses its missionary character. . . . Theology, rightly understood, has no reason to exist other than critically to accompany the missio Dei."⁷ In other words, theological reflection does not stand alone, but serves the purpose of critically assisting the church in its participation in God’s mission in the world.

As my literature review will show, there has been significant theological reflection on the concept of vocation and its implications for our understanding of work.⁸ However, there has been relatively little work done to understand vocation in light of missio Dei.⁹ This book is an attempt, as Bosch understood the role of theology, to draw out the missionary character of vocation, as the people of God participate with God’s mission in the world in and through their work.

Further, mission theology places a strong emphasis on contextual reality. In this light, my study will attempt to better understand the context and reality of work in the United States. This will include my collective case study, along with a focus on the latest research in business and work in the United States, juxtaposed alongside a theology of vocation and calling rooted in missio Dei, with the goal of better equipping believers for participation in God’s mission in and through their work.

Finally, while some curriculum has been developed and some churches and other Christian organizations are taking seriously the call to equip believers for ministry at work,¹⁰ this remains a critical need, as my case study research will bear out. There are significant applications to a theology of vocation rooted in missio Dei which will help shape opportunities for ministry related to work, calling, and vocation both inside and outside of the local church. This will be an important part of the research conclusions in this book.

Research Problem

This book’s research question is as follows: In light of a missiological understanding of vocation rooted in the missio Dei, how can believers live out their calling as participants in God’s mission in and through their work?

The theology of the missio Dei has been vital to developing the church’s self-understanding and to better understanding its identity rooted in God’s being and action in and for the world. In addition, theologians throughout the history of the church have offered important reflections on vocation. Luther, for example, placed a strong emphasis on vocation (calling) as encompassing the witness of the church scattered within the context of their daily work.¹¹ In this work, my aim is to explore the nature of vocational witness rooted in missio Dei, and consider its implications for how believers live out the calling to participate in God’s mission in and through their work. In this light, the following secondary research questions will help organize and shape this study:

1.What are some key historical and current developments in vocational theology?

2.What are some foundational principles and key current developments in missio Dei theology, and how do these shape a theology of vocation and calling?

3.What are some current economic realities of work in the United States which further inform our understanding of vocation and calling?

4.How can believers’ theological and contextual understandings of vocation, calling, and work shape the nature and practice of vocation as participation in the missio Dei?

5.How does a fuller understanding of vocation rooted in missio Dei give positive shape to the believer’s work and calling and the vocational discipleship which supports this witness?

Limitations

This book is driven by both theological and contextual development and considerations. There are important conclusions which will be drawn from this research. At the same time, any research which is contextual in nature is limited by the context to which it is able to speak. In other words, in the context of this study, it cannot fully encompass the broad experiences and challenges faced by believers in their work, nor can it encompass the full range of theological perspectives present.

My study focuses on the experience and realities of work and vocation in the United States. The reality of work in the United States carries its own unique challenges and opportunities, which will be explored in light of vocation rooted in missio Dei. While many contextual realities of work would be relevant for most people in the United States, regional and cultural differences could render certain work and economic realities as more relevant to some than others. The church in the United States is also widely diverse. The combination of bibliographic research and my collective case study encompasses some of this diversity but does not attempt to encompass the full scope of it. For example, many survey respondents had a higher degree of education. Therefore, further relevant application would require additional qualitative and contextualized study.¹²

There are also limitations to consider in my theological and missiological reflections. For example, while this book will provide an overview of theological reflection on vocation and missio Dei, it cannot fully encompass the scope nor the depth of this reflection. Choices will have to made about whose reflection to include or not to include. For those continuing reflection on vocation and mission within their own ecclesial or cultural context, they may wish to read and study other thinkers on these important ideas.

Defining of Terms

A large focus of this book will be developing and integrating the theological concepts below. The reality is that these words are difficult to define, and an attempt to do so carries the risk of limiting their scope. It is important to again emphasize the contextual nature of this study, that the definitions below are a starting point which will need to be further developed and contextualized, not a final or all-encompassing understanding of these concepts.

Vocation: There is a rich history of theological reflection on vocation.¹³ While any definition cannot capture this in its fullness, my starting point and working definition is as follows: Vocation is the calling of the believer to utilize his or her gifts as a person made in God’s image to follow Jesus and participate in God’s mission and work in the world. It is deeper than a calling to any specific type of work; it is a way of being and doing rooted in God’s mission which shapes the way the believer approaches the work in which they are engaged.

Work: In its broadest sense, work can be defined as what creatures do with God’s creation.¹⁴ However, this is a study about work that moves and flows with God’s mission, and so in this way, our understanding of work runs much deeper. Timothy Keller says this: When we work, we are, as those in the Lutheran tradition often put it, the ‘fingers of God,’ the agents of his providential love for others. This understanding elevates the purpose of work from making a living to loving our neighbor.¹⁵ In the context of this study, my working definition of work is as follows: Work is what creatures do with God’s creation in participation with God’s mission.

Missio Dei: The concept of the missio Dei has a rich theological history, particularly beginning in the latter part of the twentieth century until today. Its explicit formulation using trinitarian language emerged from the Willingen Conference in 1952.¹⁶ My working definition and starting point for missio Dei encompasses this trinitarian language, as articulated by David Bosch: "Missio dei can be understood as ‘God the Father sending the Son, God the Father and Son sending the Spirit, and Father, Son and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world.’¹⁷ It is important to note that the language of sending" is crucial here. Missio Dei witnesses to a trinitarian God who is active and working in the world.

Reconciliation: Reconciliation is a key concept in formulating a theology of missio Dei and is an important biblical paradigm. For example, Rom 5:10 emphasizes reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. In exploring Newbigin’s theology, Michael Goheen offers a holistic understanding of reconciliation, tying it to the nature of salvation: In Scripture, salvation . . . is about knitting together the human race again in reconciliation with God, with each other, and with the nonhuman creation. It is a restoration of the harmony and shalom of the creation, of the way God made humanity and the world at the beginning.¹⁸ This will function as the starting point for understanding reconciliation in this research.

Missions: It is important to distinguish between the concept of mission and missions. David Bosch is helpful in this regard, and this book will adopt his working definition: "Missions refers to particular forms, related to specific times, places, or needs, of participation in the missio Dei."¹⁹

Mission: Mission and missio Dei are integrally related concepts. Bosch’s working definition will again function as the starting point for this book: "[Mission] primarily refers to the missio Dei, that is, God’s self-revelation as the One who loves the world, God’s involvement in and with the world, the nature and activity of God, which embraces both the church and the world, and in which the church is privileged to participate. Missio Dei enunciates the good news that God is a God-for-people."²⁰

Missional: This word is integrally related to mission and missio Dei and was first coined by Darrell Guder and others.²¹ The working definition for this book will be as follows: Missional is the process of shaping the course of theology, biblical studies, and Christian practice through the lens of missio Dei.

Literature Review

On Vocation and Work

In his article entitled Vocation and Mission: The Role of the Laity in the Mission of Christ, Dean Nadasdy discusses the importance of Martin Luther’s understanding of the priesthood of all believers as it relates to the missional vocation of all believers. The issue is also considered specifically from the perspective of a Lutheran ecclesiology.

Drawing from Luther, Nadasdy makes the point that both pastors and laity have unique callings from God as consecrated priests, with the only difference between them being that of office.²² This pushes back against the notion of a sharp sacred/secular divide. It is in these specific callings in the world that Christians demonstrate love, a winsome presence, and an authentic witness.²³

Nadasdy identifies some theological foundations for the priesthood of believers, including justifying grace in Christ which also gifts Christians in their callings, the equipping of saints for works for service (Eph 4:11–12), and the centrality of the cross in our own suffering service to the world.²⁴ He contends that the church must have a holistic understanding of service and mission, including the service of fellow believers in the local congregation, the congregation’s service to the world in its own building, and the service of the congregation in the community.²⁵

While the emphasis is often placed upon this service in the name of the congregation, there is a vocational witness of believers in their everyday lives which is often overlooked. It is the responsibility of the local congregation to prepare men and women for this service. Nadasdy envisions this happening through pastors living out their vocations, through preaching, Bible study, and understanding equipping as a core activity.²⁶

This book will, in part, focus on theological and biblical foundations for a missional understanding of vocation. In this respect, Nadasdy’s elaboration on the priesthood of believers as it relates to a missional understanding of vocation is helpful. Newbigin uses this same biblical concept in making a similar claim.²⁷ If all are priests, then Nadasdy raises the inevitable question of how one distinguishes between the clergy and the laity. Drawing from Luther, he suggests that the difference is found in the function of office.²⁸ I find this distinction helpful, but I also believe it needs more elaboration. For example, who (or which denomination, etc.) is defining the pastoral office, what are its distinguishing characteristics, and how does this differ from the understanding of office as it relates to other vocations?

In this regard, I found that the author brought a distinctly Lutheran ecclesiology to the discussion, with a strong emphasis on proclamation and the sacramental nature of communion and baptism. In a discussion on gifting grace, Nadasdy, while acknowledging grace and justification in Christ, places a strong emphasis upon the sustaining of grace through the church (preaching and sacraments).²⁹ While the local congregation is important for growth in faith, I am a bit uneasy with what can come across as a narrow ecclesiocentric approach. In this book, I hope to consider an ecclesiology which encompasses the broad and diverse nature of the church, especially its witness as it scatters in the world.

I did find Nadasdy’s use of the word mask to be interesting: Each Christian’s priesthood is the ‘mask’ behind which God is at work caring for us and accomplishing His mission. . . . Just as God was hidden in the cross of Jesus Christ, so God is masked in our ordinary vocations.³⁰ This motif implies a level of hiddenness to the believer’s missionary witness in and through their vocation. I am honestly both intrigued and troubled by this idea, and it is one I think is worth exploring in more detail.

Finally, I see Nadasdy’s article as a useful starting point, but also short on any details of how the church can prepare men and women for vocational priesthood. What might a sermon on vocation actually look like, for example? While the author makes an indirect reference to Christian education, this book places a much higher emphasis in this area. In addition (something the author does not reference), education related to vocation and calling must utilize current research in business and vocation more broadly and must give opportunities for people to discuss specific challenges within their vocational areas (what Newbigin termed frontier groups.)³¹ Overall, Nadasdy’s work provided much to consider.

In his article, Labor in Today’s Vineyard, Jonathan Malesic suggests that the church in the twenty-first century needs a new theology of work, and, in fact, a new way to talk about work all together.³² For example, in interacting with John Paul II’s work On Human Work, Malesic notes that Paul uses the phrase co-creativity, or the continuation of God’s work through people, an idea which is hard to square with the abstract nature of work in today’s economy. On the Protestant side, Malesic notes that Luther and Calvin imagined the person’s vocation [as a] stable position, an idea which hardly squares with the prevalence of on-demand labor, while standing generally against social mobility.³³

These and other terms appear inadequate to address today’s economy, and to answer the many difficult questions workers raise (for example, should you remain in a job even if you are burned out because you need the salary?).³⁴ The church needs a theology of work which is portable and subjective rather than objective and tied to a single state.³⁵ He goes on to suggest that the Rule of St. Benedict could be helpful for the church’s understanding, particularly the idea of selective disengagement from labor and the caution against unchecked specialization.³⁶ Finally, referencing the work of Josef Pieper, Malesic suggests that to believe that all must be earned, or to be anxiously obsessed over work, denies the gift of creation.³⁷

I found Malesic’s basic premise, the notion that the church needs a new way to talk about work theologically in a way that is relevant to the twenty-first century, to be in line with this book’s conclusions. Just as Luther’s theology of work spoke contextually to the nature of work in his time, so our theology of work in the twenty-first century must hold relevance. In particular, Malesic’s observation that work is no longer stable, but vocation is often in constant flux, is relevant to today’s work environment in the United States. As such, a contextual theology of work is needed.

I also found some of Malesic’s theological reflections to be helpful, particularly tying work to the gift of creation. The creation theme, as noted by other authors such as Timothy Keller, will be important in developing a theology of vocation.³⁸ However, Malesic’s theological reflections on vocation seemed a bit disconnected from his notion of the changing nature of work earlier in the article. In my work, an emphasis will be placed on the current realities of work and vocation, and how we might understand these theologically and missiologically. On that note, Malesic made no specific reference to a missional understanding of work. This book will consider vocation specifically in light of missio Dei theology.

In his article, Vocation in Theology and Psychology: Conflicting Approaches? Marco Rotman seeks to better understand the relationship between vocation and work, both from the perspective of sociology and psychology, and principally from a theological perspective. The author notes that the idea of work as a calling, while marginalized due to secularism and a concern for relevancy, has made a resurgence, as psychologists have rediscovered the concept of calling.³⁹ Psychologists have noted that this sense of calling increases satisfaction, unrelated to the source of vocation.⁴⁰

Turning to a theology of vocation, Rotman explains the importance of the reformed understanding, which put forward the idea that all professions are a high calling and that it is the Christian’s duty to stay in one’s life situation.⁴¹ Further, the doctrine of creation, which roots work as a divine calling, has dominated Protestant thinking on the matter.⁴²

The author summarizes three related theological critiques of the Protestant understanding by Karl Barth, Miroslav Volf, and Darrell Cosden. All three agree that human work is not grounded in ‘calling’ or vocation.⁴³ Barth emphasized that rather than being called to stay in one’s situation, God invites every human being to freedom.⁴⁴ Rather than focusing on work/life balance, the Christian’s calling is to find joy in work as a response to the sabbath celebration of creation. Volf offers three critiques of Luther’s view of vocation: concern that the gospel will become absorbed into the call to work, concern that it could lead to indifference to alienating and dehumanizing kinds of work, and that it doesn’t meet the needs of modern society.⁴⁵ Volf suggests that we root our theology of vocation in the eschatological coming of God’s kingdom and the work of the Holy Spirit, pushing us to work actively against dehumanizing work. Cosden expands on these ideas in saying that human work is an essential dimension of the new creation . . . a result of reaching full humanness.⁴⁶

In this light, the author notes that there is a dilemma in how we approach vocation. Do we affirm the reformed position in light of current approaches in psychology or accept the theological critiques of the reformed position offered? The author believes there is another way and offers his own constructive approach. The author explains that the concept of calling in the New Testament relates to salvation, ethics, and eschatology.⁴⁷ He concludes that a New Testament perspective on calling reflects that there is no firm basis for identifying calling with a specific profession or job and that Luther’s equating of work with calling and his belief that one should remain in one’s profession is not supported by the New Testament. He notes that while Scripture details individuals (such as Moses) called to a specific task, this does not evidence calling to a lifelong profession, and this is secondary to God’s call into fellowship with Christ under His reign.⁴⁸

Rotman draws these ideas together in emphasizing the ethical and eschatological dimensions to vocation. The ethical dimension extends beyond simply how one performs in his or her job, but reaches its climax in the command to love God and one’s neighbor, both within and beyond the Christian community. In describing the eschatological dimension, Rotman identifies a key point of theological divergence—will the future be transformed in eschatological renewal or will the world be annihilated? An eschatological vision of vocation is rooted in hope, embodied in an active commitment to justice, renewal, and restoration of human society and all of creation.⁴⁹ The author concludes that the divine call does not in itself consist of the call for a job or profession [but is a] call into fellowship with Christ . . . in hope of a new creation.⁵⁰

Rotman’s approach to vocation is important for this book as he challenges many of the dominant approaches to vocation within Protestantism, and in particular Luther. While acknowledging the positives of Luther’s approach, Rotman’s critiques offer an important path forward. Rooting vocation christologically in ethics, eschatology, and the new creation allows for a more dynamic understanding of vocation, or calling, that doesn’t have to be tied to a specific job. The sociological critique is crucial here. If our approach to vocation is static in the sense of the search for one lifelong profession, it can leave the Christian vulnerable to accept inhumane working conditions, and also frustrated by the current realities of work in the United States. Theologically, his approach creates a much more dynamic understanding of vocation that while not equated with work, offers a crucial framework in which one’s Christian vocation influences and shapes one’s work.

This article, in particular, helped to reshape my own understanding of vocation and work. This book will build from and incorporate elements of Rotman’s constructive reorientation of vocation. While offering a reorientation of our understanding of vocation, the author does not tie vocation and mission (or missio Dei) together directly. One of the primary goals of this study is to build a constructive understanding of vocation (and its implications for work) rooted in missio Dei. The author also does not offer much in the way of detail. For example, how specifically might Rotman’s understanding of vocation shape the way one approaches work? Through the qualitative and educational dimensions to my study, I plan to consider these practical implications.

In his book The Monkhood of All Believers, Greg Peters explores the important theological tradition of monasticism, and considers its application for believers today. In chapter 7, the chapter in which this review will focus, Peters offers a rich theological and historical reflection on vocation through the lens of the monastic tradition. He opens with a reflection on liturgical prayers that link vocation with the call to love God and neighbor in every area of life, drawing the conclusion that ministry is not limited to those ordained. The author considers two understandings of calling, first to membership in the people of God understood as membership in the church, and second, to particular callings by God to a special work, office, or position of responsibility within his covenant community, including work in various vocational spheres in the world.⁵¹ This raises the question of how our liturgy, and more broadly, worship practices, can support this calling.

The author continues with a historical reflection on vocation, including the writings of Anthony of Egypt and John Cassian.⁵² For these Christians, monasticism was essential for those desiring holiness and salvation.⁵³ Another medieval theologian, Thomas Aquinas, suggests a pragmatic understanding of calling; that is, entering the monastery just makes sense for those concerned about their soul.⁵⁴ The monastic tradition offers a unique perspective on vocation. In emphasizing the primacy of the call to follow and serve Jesus Christ, whether in the monastery or the world, it reminds us of the central place the spiritual life holds in our understanding of vocation.

The author continues with a discussion of Martin Luther’s understanding of vocation. While much of Peters’s understanding of Luther echoes that of other authors considered in this review, he also brings to light a unique perspective on Luther. The first is the understanding of vocation as participation in Christ’s life and vocation,⁵⁵ that is to embrace the world on the cross so that it might come to be what it is in the will of God.⁵⁶ Later, Peters extends this language of participation in noting that God’s calling is . . . a trinitarian one since we are invited to participation in the life of the trinity. . . . Our vocation to be Christian believers comes [first].⁵⁷ In missio Dei theology, the language of participation in the life of the Trinity is of central importance.⁵⁸ This suggests a theological connection point between missio Dei and vocation; that is, the Christian’s vocation as participation in Christ’s vocation and, one might even say, in the vocation of the Trinity. This book will seek to extend and develop this understanding.

Further, Peters discusses the transformational nature of baptism as it relates to the Christian’s vocation.⁵⁹ Using the term Stand as one’s role(s) in life, Peters describes the transformational nature of baptism: "Baptized Christians and nonbaptized individuals no longer understand their Stand in the same way. The Christian’s Stand is now put into the greater context of salvation and gains an eschatological perspective.⁶⁰ Further, insofar as baptism ever transforms me, it transforms my Stand to become my Beruf, or vocation.⁶¹ Luther suggests the same in more Christocentric terms: And if I thus remain in Christ, then it is certain that for His sake my vocation, my life, and my works are also acceptable to God."⁶² The most important point of connection to this book is the transformative nature of being in Christ—to be in Christ takes one’s ordinary work and transforms it for God’s purposes. This also suggests a starting point for further consideration of the relationship between baptism and vocation. My own theological understanding would consider baptism primarily as a sign and witness to the transformative power of Jesus Christ and the Spirit, which might differ with Peters’s close correlation between baptism, salvation, and the church. That being said, there is rich missiological reflection on baptism, which when considered in light of vocation, suggests the possibility of a transformative understanding of baptism as it relates to the Christian’s participation with Christ’s vocation in the world.

In his book, Created and Creating: A Biblical Theology of Culture, William Edgar offers an integrated and in-depth understanding of culture from Scripture, emphasizing the importance of culture when he writes that culture represents a guide for living that takes into account the deepest and broadest components of human experience.⁶³ While there is much to consider in Edgar’s work, chapter 8, entitled The First Vocation, holds important connections to the theological foundations of this book. This review will consider a few of these connections, as well as ways where this book stands unique.

Edgar begins with an important observation, that both evangelizing and pursuing culture and social action are important components to the church’s call.⁶⁴ He quotes Klaas Schilder who writes that "we do not have to choose one or the other; either pursue the cultural mandate or proclaim the gospel. Suitable work in and with the world is service to Christ, who exercises dominion over the world. . . . There is no difference in principle between the work of a minister or missionary and that of a baker.⁶⁵ Many writers, including Edgar, root their understanding of vocation, culture and work in the doctrine of creation.⁶⁶ Edgar makes an important connection between the culture mandate (Gen 1:26–30) and the Great Commission, quoting Bruce Waltke who notes that these complement each other . . . God’s irrupting kingdom in a world that needs taming entails a people who purpose to develop a culture that pleases him."⁶⁷ The first point of connection for this book is the importance of both evangelism and social action in the ministry of God’s people, rooted biblically in the close tie between the Great Commission and the cultural mandate. Further, if the creation of culture and work are closely connected, then culture making becomes an important component of Christian witness at work, wherever that may be.

Continuing with a discussion of the imago dei and the cultural mandate, Edgar sees Gen 1:29–30 as a call to spread the blessings of Eden to all the earth. . . . Embedded in this human activity is the development of agriculture, the arts, economics, family dynamics, and everything that contributes to human flourishing, to the glory of God.⁶⁸ Again, he is noting a specific connection between God’s call to humanity to fill and rule the earth, and the creation and development of culture.

This chapter in Edgar’s work offers important biblical foundations for work in the doctrine of creation, and the corresponding connections between work and the creation of culture. In developing a theology of vocation, relating it to culture and work in light of Genesis is an important starting point. This book will also seek to extend the biblical understanding of vocation to include the doctrine of new creation. It will also integrate missio Dei theology in pursuit of an integrated theology of vocation, considered alongside current research in business and work.

In their book, Every Waking