Theology and Vocation

1
Theology and Vocation

• Whats God got to do with it?
• January 19, 2006

2
Ethics and Theology

• A few things we know
• Religious systems are almost always ethical
  systems give instructions to their followers
  about how to live in the world, answer questions
  about purpose of human life.
• But we also need a language that transcends the
  language of these systems, to talk to each other,
  and to make judgments about the precepts.

3
Not enough to claim God told Me

• Sept. 11 The picture of the person in the
  cockpit praying to God for victory and the
  person in the back of the plane praying for
  deliverance each sure that God is sustaining
  them in their action.

4
Possible critique

• Within the religion itself
• Precepts of Islam in what situations is killing
  justified?
• Precepts of Christianity in what ways can God
  be counted on to act?

5
Critique, cont.

• Also critique possible among religions
• Common language of ethics right and wrong,
  justice, good and bad
• Discernment about what are cultural, internal
  issues and what issues transcend culture and
  ought to be open for public discussion.

6
Three goals of this lecture

• Think about the relation between religion and
  ethics in general
• Think about theology particularly the Reformed
  Theological tradition, the tradition that
  Maryville College comes out of and its
  particular accent on Christian ethics
• Think about vocation - what faith or a commitment
  to a good life calls us to do in the world.

7
What does faith do for ethics?

• Answer the question of What is human life for?
• Give a system beyond cultural framework of
  understanding significance of life and how we are
  to live. Ground ethics in sacred reality, not
  just in human reason.
• Most religions give a framework for living, but
  within them, there is always dispute.

8
How do they do this?

• Through various ways (some more stressed than
  others)
• Sacred stories
• Sacred texts
• Sacred rituals
• Systems of authority and power
• Religious experience
• Systems of belief

9
What is the source of guidance?

•  Differ in sources people draw on to achieve
  their goals our own discipline, or savior(s),
  scripture, teachings or Spirit
• Usually is a community understanding, not just
  ones own interpretation, though often there is
  room for individual experience.

10
Part II

• Reformed Theology and Ethics

11
Some definitions

• Ottati is talking about theological ethics within
  the Reformed tradition of Christianity a
  particular movement that grew out of the
  reformation. Look to founder John Calvin, and in
  America included Presbyterians, Quakers,
  Separatists, Congregationalists, Baptists,
  Episcopalians, and which is seen world-wide.

12
Maryville College comes out of the Reformed
Tradition

• Founded by Presbyterian Church in 1819
• Statement of purpose full of Reformed themes
  In an atmosphere of freedom and sensitivity,
  Maryville College bears witness to God's
  revelation in Jesus Christ who challenges all
  human beings to search for truth, to work for
  justice, to develop wisdom, and to become loving
  persons. Continuing in this vital faith, the
  College believes that it must listen attentively
  and humbly to all human voices so that it may
  hear the call of God no matter how God may
  speak.

13
The main theme of Reformed Faith

• Everything belongs to God
• God is sovereign over all creation.
• We belong to God
• Jesus is the person-for-others (Bonhoeffer)
  whose life models radical devotion to God.
• Faithfulness is a life reordered and reformed by
  devotion to God and Gods all-inclusive reign.

14
Sources of Ethics in Reformed Tradition

• Priority of revelation in Scripture, rule of
  faith and practice.
• Use of tradition, confessions of the church
  which may contain errors but serve as a guide to
  the churchs wisdom in particular times and
  places.
• Philosophy/reason The law of God which we call
  moral law is nothing else than a testimony of
  natural law and of that conscience which God has
  engraved upon the hearts of humans. Calvin
• Openness to on-going revelation and
  understanding reformed and always reforming

15
Sin and Good

• Gods good creation is corrupted by sin, which
  affects our individual capacities and
  institutions.
• Sin sometimes described as pride thinking that
  we are in charge, and not God.
• Gustafson (follows Augustine, Edwards) sin
  described as contraction of our trusts and
  loyalties, loves and desires, rational construing
  of the world, and moral interest narrowing of
  the human spirit. Then grace is enlarging of
  the soul and of interests in a way that is
  neither inordinately nor deficiently assertive.

16
Living in Gods world

• Gods regenerating grace restores the possibility
  of doing good basic fruits of the Spirit are
  piety (devotion to God) and doing good to
  neighbor. (Calvin)
• Sin and grace exist side-by-side in human life
  conviction that grace will eventually win out
  (God is sovereign), but our work is to
  participate in Gods reign in current human life.
  

17
Love is necessary but not sufficient as ethical
principle

• Grace transforms our lesser loves into wider
  frame of love for God and to all things under God
• Reinhold Neibuhr Realistic ethic must make
  decisions in the real world justice must
  supplement love in the public realm

18
Neibuhrs belief about individuals and groups

• Individuals Have capacity to be moral
  morality expressed as agape, love, self-giving.
  Not that we attain that often, but in individual
  relationships, it is possible.
• But groups, morality based on love is impossible.
  The will to live becomes a will to power. Thus
  need to act on an ethic of justice, equality
  toward others.

19
God and the World Main Themes

• Lutheranism Justification is key theme grace
  of God as a free gift.
• Radical Protestantism (Baptist, free churches)
  Discipleship is the key. Make disciples of all
  people, live as disciples of Jesus.
• Reformed tradition Gods sovereign reign

20
All of life is subject to the activity of God

• Leads to exploration of all areas of knowledge
  and wisdom
• Leads to action in all areas of life Every
  dimension of living, both inward and outward,
  should be reordered and redirected toward God and
  Gods glory faithful participation that never
  merely endorses people and things as they are.

21
But always a tension

• We live out our faith in the world life of
  world as the arena of Gods action and presence
• BUT never equate the reign of God with our
  projects or vision always OTHER. Requires
  humility about our own convictions. Neibuhr
  act boldly, speak clearly, but always know that
  our actions and institutions are flawed.

22
Task of Ethics/ethical action

• Discernment and action
• To act boldly and with humility to embody Gods
  love and grace in the world.
• To attend to scripture, knowledge and the world
  around us to discern (often through wrestling)
  Gods intention for human life
• To serve others, after the model of Jesus Christ

23
Part III Vocation

• Does it matter what you do with your life?

24
A bit of history

• From the Latin, vocare,to call
• Bible call of Abraham, prophets
• Then in Reformation, broadened to include the
  work we do, as a response of faithfulness to God.

25
Several Uses of the term

• Vocational education
• Religious vocation
• In Saints and Villains, Fred says a call is a
  terrible thing.

26
Which brings us to the final essay

• Do you have an obligation to use your life for
  the benefit of the world?
• You can say no.
• For example, if you believe that you have an
  obligation not to harm others, but no positive
  obligation for their betterment
• Or you can say yes

27
Vocation and Naturalist Ethics

• Belief that certain traits or character are
  embedded in human life, and that part of the
  purpose of human life is to find and live out
  that character.

28
Aristotle

• Aristotle Spoke of the telos or end (purpose)
  of life in general to reason and live
  virtuously. Fairly close to the concept of each
  individual life having a purpose. Highest virtue
  was to contemplate the good.

29
Christian thinkers and Aristotle

• Identify the telos with God
• Augustine Love for God is the inclusive,
  unifying, virtue that brings life into proper
  balance and harmony. The other virtues are
  functions of love.
• So highest purpose of human life was to love God.

30
But more than just loving God, according to
Aquinas

• But as this divine Master inculcates two
  precepts - the love of God and the love of our
  neighbor - and as in these precepts a man finds
  three things he has to love - God, himself, and
  his neighbor - and that he who loves God loves
  himself thereby, it follows that he must endeavor
  to get his neighbor to love God, since he is
  ordered to love his neighbor as himself.
• So humans, to fulfill their calling, were to
  love God, self and neighbor.

31
The Reformation

• Work in the world as also a calling.
• Emphasis on love of neighbor, especially.
• Luther Work we do is to express gratitude to
  God relationships in the world are for showing
  love.

32
Which can be wonderful, or problematic.

• Led to productivity, Protestant work ethic.
• Can lead to stern emphasis on work, striving
  after salvation through work.
• Can lead to keeping people in their place.
• Can also lead to sense of the holiness of all of
  life.

33
Some current voices about vocation

• Parker Palmer
• Vocation is discovered by listening to your life.
  Vocation is uncovered, not decided.

34
Frederick Buechner

• The kind of work God usually calls you to is the
  kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b)
  that the world most needs to have done. The
  place God calls you to is the place where your
  deep gladness and the worlds deep hunger meet.

35
The balance between private and public life

• Aristotle taught that human excellence
  and happiness require a contemplative/theoretical
  private life, as well as a public life through
  which one transcends selfish desires and promotes
  the overall good. Miriam Cameron

36
Its all in the relationshipsand in the life,
well lived the life of reason and virtue,
caring and justice.