Uncovering Our Calling: Luther's Reformation Re-emphasis on Christian Vocation

Abstract

In the 2006 WELS Symposium on the Doctrine of Vocation, Professor Ken Cherney offered this paper, explaining the importance of the this doctrine in the life and teachings of Martin Luther. In his battles with monasticism and the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, Luther stressed that all Christians have a calling in life, that no one calling of a Christian is more pleasing to God than another, and finally that in any vocation, Christians can serve as living examples of their faith. This paper also reflects how the doctrines of vocation and the universal priesthood are related, but that they are not synonymous terms.