Linked Together: Vocation, Vocation, Vocation

A thoughtful theology of work (or vocation) gives purpose to our lives, whatever our circumstances. What’s more, it provides both motivation to act and peace to rest in. 

It’s been a neglected area of study and teaching, although recently I’ve seen more written about it. Here are three recommendations—two links and one book: 

• I’m just a …(fill in the gap): “Your work is from God, it is His calling. He gave you the work, He designed you for it, and He’s called you to do it today”—David Murray.

  Can I add that this applies even to those of us who are not actually employed? What work we find to do and what service our circumstances demand of us, as long as it’s legal and not sinful, is God’s calling for us.

• Is There a Distinctively “Christian” Way to Be a Bus Driver?: “The Bible teaches that as Christians we should function within our God-ordained vocations (i.e., legitimate callings) (1) from biblical foundations, (2) with biblical motives, (3) according to biblical standards, and (4) aiming at biblical goals. These are the necessary and sufficient conditions for Christian virtue”—Justin Taylor. 

• My son recently read Tim Keller’s book on work, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, and recommends it, although he wishes it had more in it that applies directly to small business owners. (Do you have any books you’d recommend for those who, like him, run their own business?)

  (Here’s a bonus link to Keller’s sermon, Our Work and Our Character.)

Thankful Thursday

Another Thursday; another list of things for which I am thankful.

• an answered prayer, and just in time.
• progress on the kitchen renovation.
• I wasn’t hurt (except for a few minor bruises) when I went flying head first in the dark over the baby gate I forgot was there.
• Grandbaby 1 is recovering from her latest illness and the eye infection that came with it.
• Grandbaby 3 is growing—and fast!
• Grandbaby 2 has two top teeth—finally!—and is learning to stand and walk around the furniture.
• my winter tires. Yes, it’s late April, but I still need them.
• grocery store tulips to brighten snowy April days.
• all God’s provisions, big and small, too many to list, and many unknown to me. 

What are you thankful for?

A Canon Based on Probability

Do all Christian young people have questions about the canon of the New Testament? I know I did, especially, “How do we know that the books that we have in our New Testament are the ones that should be there?”

The answer I got used what Michael Kruger (Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books) calls the Criteria of Canonicity model for establishing the authority of the canon. We can trust the canon, I was told, because the books included were written either by apostles or someone close to an apostle.

The argument was, I think, some variation of this one, as explained by Michael Kruger, 

(1) the New Testament can be proved to be generally reliable history … ; (2) the New Testament testifies to the miracle of the resurrection; (3) the resurrection authenticates Jesus as the Son of God; (4) Jesus appointed twelve apostles to be his authoritative witnesses; (5) therefore, books by apostles should be received as authoritative.

I wasn’t satisfied. I never really doubted that the New Testament was as it ought to be, but I wanted solid justification for my belief, and this argument didn’t give me that. I’m not sure I could have explained why, except to say that it wasn’t enough.

Michael Kruger explains the biggest problem with this argument like this:

The … fundamental challenge for this kind of argument is whether it provides a sufficiently sturdy foundation upon which to place our convictions about the validity of the canon. This is a multilayered argument that is open to challenge at numerous stages, [and] presupposes numerous antecedent beliefs (existence of God, miracles, etc.) … . Thus, at best, it provides an argument for canon based only on probability. If the Christian is left with only this probabilistic argument as a reason to believe these books are from God, then some may legitimately question whether it can provide the necessary basis for the conviction of true religious faith. After all, Christians are asked to totally commit their lives to God on the basis of these books.

Thankfully, we have other warrant to believe that the canon of the New Testament is as it should be—the self-authentication of scripture. (That statement begs for an explanation, doesn’t it? Maybe you should buy the book.)

I want to quote more of Canon Revisited as I read, although the argument is complicated, and much of the text isn’t suitable for short quotes. We’ll see what other quotable bits I find.