Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 173:690 (Apr 2016)
Article: The Table Briefing: Vocation, Faith, And Cultural Engagement
Author: Darrell L. Bock

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BSac 173:690 (April-June 2016) p. 235

The Table Briefing:
Vocation, Faith, And Cultural Engagement

Darrell L. Bock

and

Mikel Del Rosario

Darrell L. Bock is Senior Research Professor in New Testament Studies and Executive Director of Cultural Engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Mikel Del Rosario is cultural engagement assistant.

Imagine what it takes for you to have a bowl of cereal in the morning. Imagine all the different vocations that go into making a box of cereal available for a reasonable price—from the farmer to those involved in the design and execution of the packaging process, the truck driver, and even the person who stocks the shelves at your local grocery store. Then imagine how many people are involved in providing easy access to the milk and sugar. While we rarely reflect on the multitudes of people and tasks involved in providing basic goods and services we use every day, considering these things can result in a profound appreciation for the wide array of vocations that support our culture and way of life.

On an episode of The Table called “The Relationship of Vocation, Faith, and Culture,” Steven Garber, founder and principal of the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture, sat down with Darrell Bock to discuss vocation and sharing common grace for the common good. In this Table Briefing, we define the terms “vocation,” “common grace,” and “common good” from a biblical perspective. How do the Scriptures show us God’s desire to use our vocations to bless our communities? What does it look like to approach work with a biblical view of vocation?

What Is Vocation?

While many in the church primarily view vocation as synonymous with one’s current employment context, vocation is a broader concept

BSac 173:690 (April-June 2016) p. 236

that encompasses more than our daily occupations. Vocation includes our call to love God with all of our hearts and minds in specific ways as we use our gifting and the opportunities he has given us. It is related to the imperative God nurtures within us to glorify him by the way we live. At bottom, it is a call to embrace a divine perspective on all of life—including the daily work that God has sovereignly directed us to do at our places of employment. Bock and Garber discuss this concept and make a distinction between the general and specific sense of vocation:

Garber: A vocation is a gift from God to us. Not surprisingly, the word has a history. It comes from a Latin root, vocare, a word for a call. So who’s calling? Is there a caller? That’s really the first of all the questions about vocation. Is there som...

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