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What Is My Calling?: A Biblical and Theological Exploration of Christian Identity
Many people are confused about God's call on their lives. What does it mean to have a calling? Is everyone called to something? This book clears up the confusion and articulates a whole-life vision for calling. Our calling is not a mystery waiting to be discovered but applies to a range of experiences and we are called to faithfulness in Christ in every dimension of our lives. The authors defend a thoroughly biblical and theological understanding of calling, empowering Christians to live faithfully as God's people in whatever circumstances they find themselves.
- GenresChristian
208 pages, Hardcover
Published April 12, 2022
About the author
William W. Klein
15 books18 followersDr. William W. Klein is professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary and serves as Chair of the Division of Biblical Studies. He earned the Ph.D. degree from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, the M.Div. degree from Denver Seminary, and a B.S. degree from Wheaton College.
Dr. Klein has written articles for several biblical dictionaries and encyclopedias and has published chapters or essays in several books and Festschrifts. His articles and reviews can be found in major journals as well as popular magazines.
He edited and was the major contributor to An Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, wrote the commentary on Ephesians in the revised Expositor's Bible Commentary, and has consulted on several recent Bible versions, serving as chief exegetical consultant for the New Testament portion of The Message.
Dr. Klein has written articles for several biblical dictionaries and encyclopedias and has published chapters or essays in several books and Festschrifts. His articles and reviews can be found in major journals as well as popular magazines.
He edited and was the major contributor to An Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, wrote the commentary on Ephesians in the revised Expositor's Bible Commentary, and has consulted on several recent Bible versions, serving as chief exegetical consultant for the New Testament portion of The Message.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 16, 2023
This book frames the concept of “calling” in a biblically grounded way, making the once “hidden” aspect of calling seem almost immediately attainable. The book does well to answer who we are supposed to be, and why we are supposed to be this way, but I felt that it lacked in the “what we are supposed to do” department. However, the answer to that question may be found better in a book focused on vocation. There were many points where I felt this book was repititive and/or danced around the topic at hand.
Overall, 3.5/5, very useful for people to understand who they are called to be.
Overall, 3.5/5, very useful for people to understand who they are called to be.
April 20, 2022
This is an excellent exploration of the concept of calling - biblically, theologically, and historically. It is written in a very personal and engaging style and is academically thorough without being tedious. I am a pastor and read this book as part of my preparation for teaching a series on calling at our church and found it extremely helpful. So I would highly recommend it for pastors and other ministry leaders but also for anyone who has felt frustrated or confused by the myriad of ways we think about this important concept in our society today - within the church and in broader society as well.
January 9, 2025
Read for work. Incredibly enlightening and readable!
June 8, 2022
Who am I? What is my "calling" in life? Is it ministry? Teaching? Writing? How would answer the question? On what basis do you answer the question? We use the term calling in many different contexts. Those of us in "profession" 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 when the call comes, we receive a letter of call, which is essentially our contract. When it comes to such language, are we using the term call incorrectly? Is call something that is religious in orientation or not? Luther suggested that we all have a calling and we should stay in that calling. His belief was that "secular" vocations are as valid and meaningful as "sacred" ones. His view has influenced our view of vocation ever since, such that call equals 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 that Christians need to address, however, the term is used outside the Christian context. William Klein and Daniel Steiner, professors at Denver Theological Seminary, want 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, especially if they believed they had been called by God to vocational ministry but no job showed up. Did they hear God wrong or did they have an imprecise view of call? From experience 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 is, they believe, in 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 the ways in which the term is used in popular usage. 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 as multiple, such that one might have a number of callings in life. There is a primary calling to follow Jesus, while one's job is the secondary calling. Fourth, they note that some speak of hidden callings, which we need to discover. It is our life purpose---which is often connected with a job. They raise a good question here when it comes to jobs, noting that many jobs are mundane and difficult, and perhaps demeaning. Are these callings? The final use is the one they will want to explore in-depth and that is being called to Christ.
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 2nd 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 to ministry but one might also be called to be 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 5, 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 calling is to be in Christ (not just follow the way of Jesus but to participate in Christ) and this is a corporate calling, how might we embrace that calling? One way to do this is to be more precise in our use of the term. So, they invite us to use the term biblically but understand that we are called to salvation in Christ. We are called to be members of the church, the body of Christ. We find our calling in Christ by doing certain tasks that reflect being in Christ. We are called to live godly lives reflective of our life in Christ. When it comes to offices, these are functions of the church but not callings. They address here the question of the pastoral work to which some take up, noting that because one can't narrate a divine call doesn't prevent one from taking up that task. That can be freeing. I know, because I ended up serving as a pastor for almost twenty-five years, even though I was pursuing an academic career, believing that this was my calling. Did I mishear or did I make an inappropriate use of the term? Probably the latter!
At points, I felt they were being too precise in their attempt to define the term, and I might find narrative more helpful than do they, their discussion of the shadow side of the usage makes sense. Thus, finding other terms like gift or passion might be better than call. While in my denominational context call is usually understood in terms of a congregational call, not a divine one the idea is still present in that usage. So, this might be helpful to many who struggle with their own sense of call, as they make it clear that call is corporate and to Christ, not to 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 that Christians need to address, however, the term is used outside the Christian context. William Klein and Daniel Steiner, professors at Denver Theological Seminary, want 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, especially if they believed they had been called by God to vocational ministry but no job showed up. Did they hear God wrong or did they have an imprecise view of call? From experience 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 is, they believe, in 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 the ways in which the term is used in popular usage. 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 as multiple, such that one might have a number of callings in life. There is a primary calling to follow Jesus, while one's job is the secondary calling. Fourth, they note that some speak of hidden callings, which we need to discover. It is our life purpose---which is often connected with a job. They raise a good question here when it comes to jobs, noting that many jobs are mundane and difficult, and perhaps demeaning. Are these callings? The final use is the one they will want to explore in-depth and that is being called to Christ.
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 2nd 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 to ministry but one might also be called to be 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 5, 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 calling is to be in Christ (not just follow the way of Jesus but to participate in Christ) and this is a corporate calling, how might we embrace that calling? One way to do this is to be more precise in our use of the term. So, they invite us to use the term biblically but understand that we are called to salvation in Christ. We are called to be members of the church, the body of Christ. We find our calling in Christ by doing certain tasks that reflect being in Christ. We are called to live godly lives reflective of our life in Christ. When it comes to offices, these are functions of the church but not callings. They address here the question of the pastoral work to which some take up, noting that because one can't narrate a divine call doesn't prevent one from taking up that task. That can be freeing. I know, because I ended up serving as a pastor for almost twenty-five years, even though I was pursuing an academic career, believing that this was my calling. Did I mishear or did I make an inappropriate use of the term? Probably the latter!
At points, I felt they were being too precise in their attempt to define the term, and I might find narrative more helpful than do they, their discussion of the shadow side of the usage makes sense. Thus, finding other terms like gift or passion might be better than call. While in my denominational context call is usually understood in terms of a congregational call, not a divine one the idea is still present in that usage. So, this might be helpful to many who struggle with their own sense of call, as they make it clear that call is corporate and to Christ, not to a job.
February 12, 2023
What Is My Calling? explored the biblical and theological implications of calling. The authors discussed the differences between how laypeople discuss calling and how the Bible discusses calling. It could be a little confusing since it was difficult to distinguish between the different definitions of calling. The authors also tended to be a bit redundant. The topics discussed, however, were fascinating. It was an interesting exploration of calling and how this understanding should overflow into our conversations and daily lives.
December 28, 2022
I think this is the Biblical way to look at calling.
We are called to Christ
We are called to Christ
March 26, 2022
[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
4 stars = Great! Might re-read.
As a textbook, I found this to be convincing, and with just the right amount of material. Outside of classroom use this might be a bit heavy. The authors do a great job of including just the right amount of evidence or research to make their point without overloading the reader, but it is a text book. It doesn't ready like something you would usually pick up in a bookstore.
That said, I think this could be used in a non-academic setting. The writing is engaging, and I thought the authors made their case well for a re-evaluation of how we use the term "calling" in the Church as well as in academic settings.
I work at a university in their undergrad and graduate ministry studies, and I couldn't help thinking about the sorts of conversations our students and our faculty might have around the content here. If asked, I would recommend this as a text for a course.
While I believe the authors made their case well, and I agree with them on the need to alter the use of the term "calling," I think it will take a lot - maybe too much - to actually shift the usage as the authors suggest. But I believe the effort is worthwhile.
4 stars = Great! Might re-read.
As a textbook, I found this to be convincing, and with just the right amount of material. Outside of classroom use this might be a bit heavy. The authors do a great job of including just the right amount of evidence or research to make their point without overloading the reader, but it is a text book. It doesn't ready like something you would usually pick up in a bookstore.
That said, I think this could be used in a non-academic setting. The writing is engaging, and I thought the authors made their case well for a re-evaluation of how we use the term "calling" in the Church as well as in academic settings.
I work at a university in their undergrad and graduate ministry studies, and I couldn't help thinking about the sorts of conversations our students and our faculty might have around the content here. If asked, I would recommend this as a text for a course.
While I believe the authors made their case well, and I agree with them on the need to alter the use of the term "calling," I think it will take a lot - maybe too much - to actually shift the usage as the authors suggest. But I believe the effort is worthwhile.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews