Vocation Vs. Narcissus -- By: Uwe Siemon-Netto

Journal: Global Journal of Classical Theology
Volume: GJCT 11:3 (Jun 2014)
Article: Vocation Vs. Narcissus
Author: Uwe Siemon-Netto


Vocation Vs. Narcissus

Uwe Siemon-Netto

Abstract: The mounting narcissist mindset is an acute threat to the survival of ordered society in North America and Western Europe, for it focuses man’s attention entirely on the “Me.” This chapter presents the specifically Lutheran doctrine of vocation as the most effective antidote against this destructive Zeitgeist because it directs the individual to the “You,” the other person, and therefore away from the “Me.” The doctrine of vocation stresses the priesthood of all believers in the temporal world, where all have a call from God to serve their neighbor in all their everyday endeavors. By doing this in a spirit of love Christians render the highest possible service to God. This concept differs starkly from Roman Catholicism’s sacramental view that vocation is limited to the ordained ministry or monastic life. It is also in variance with the pietistic and evangelical position that the Christian is to avoid the sinful world altogether or be “sanctified” by working as a missionary abroad. Luther, by contrast, has a much more down-to-earth message: He teaches that Christians, being assured of their salvation by grace through faith in Christ’s redemptive work for them on the cross, are to roll up their sleeves and get involved in the secular realm without succumbing to its ways. In their secular vocations they become God’s partners in the maintenance of the world and in the ongoing process of creation.

If the acerbic Max Weber were alive today how would he assess the manner in which narcissism as a new form of religion is shaping contemporary man? Over a century ago, Weber exposed the link between internalized religious doctrines and the behavior of individuals, communities, and nations. He famously discovered that the spirit of American capitalism was rooted in the post-Calvinist doctrine of double predestination, notably in Article Three of the Westminster Confession of 1647, which states, “By the degree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestined unto everlasting life, and other foreordained to everlasting death.” Weber rated this as a doctrine of “extreme inhumanity1 … [because] the Father in heaven of the New Testament, so human and understanding, who rejoices over the repentance of a sinner as a woman over the lost piece of silver she has found, is gone.”2

Weber reminded his readers of John Milton’s famous comment regarding the Westminster Confession, which is still part of the Presbyterian, Baptist, and many independent creeds in America: “Though I may be sent to Hell for it, such a God will never command my respect.” Weber found that this statement of faith resulted in the practice ...

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