Calling and Vocation: From Martin Luther to the Modern World of Work

Interest in the concept of vocation is booming. Guidebooks promise to tell us how to find the perfect job. Work is becoming suffused with spiritual significance. Not just a source of meaning in one’s life and a place of self-discovery and self-realisation, it now also offers us a chance to make the world a better place and to help fulfil God’s Plan. What lies behind the new-found interest in vocation? How does it relate to Martin Luther’s understanding of the role of work in our lives? How does the rediscovery of vocation fit into the contemporary world of work in western societies? These are some of the issues addressed by the contributions to this volume. It focuses on the historical influence of Luther’s concept of work and vocation in Germany and on today’s Workplace Spirituality movement, which is particularly widespread in the USA. The volume concludes with a series of interviews with people about their work and vocation. With Contributions by Gerhard Wegner, Anika Fuser and Gunther Schendel.