Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

What should a vocation mean to a Christian, and how do we pass that meaning along to our children? Join us this week on Home School Heartbeat as Mike Smith talks about the Christian idea of vocation.

Mike Smith:
Like so many other Christian ideas, the term vocation has lost much of its original meaning. Vocation has sadly become just another word for job, though the word really reflects a rich body of biblical teaching about work, family, and society.


The term vocation comes from the Latin word for "calling." The Scripture is full of passages that describe how Christians have been called to the faith through the Gospel, and how God calls us to a particular office or way of life.


In medieval times, having a vocation or a "calling" referred to full-time church work. With the Reformation came the idea that not only priests and pastors have a calling from God, but laypeople as well.


The Christian doctrine of vocation lies behind many influences on culture, writes Gene Edward Veith in his new book, God at Work. This doctrine encourages attention to an individual's uniqueness, talents, and personality. The doctrine of vocation recognizes the unique value of every person, but sets these individuals into a community with others, where their diverse talents and abilities can be used to serve the body of Jesus Christ and the entire world. And until next time, I'm Mike Smith.