Hello Friends,
Sadly, adolescents, particularly Christian youths, are struggling to find their purpose and calling in life. The lack of theology of work instruction is a primary cause. Just recently, I learned of an unfortunate situation where a guest youth speaker asked high school students who had been called to church or Christian education ministry to come forward so that they could be prayed over at the altar, leaving those called differently in their seats. Having no prayers or acknowledgement offered to them, these students were left disillusioned with feelings of guilt and shame. Unfortunately, the spiritual emphasis they received that day was the understanding that what they had once believed to be their calling was less important and not considered Kingdom work. Christian education and the Church must recognize that this mindset only serves to propagate the secular sacred divide. Instead, all Christian ministries should be intent on clarifying the Dominion Mandate.
Future historians, engineers, doctors, nurses, math teachers, mechanics, construction workers, etc., whose heart is to truly glorify God through every facet of their chosen career, should be recognized and spiritually equipped for battle as cultural transformation soldiers. If we in Christian education and the church world truly believe in the criticality of imparting Biblical Worldview education, we must reform the skewed philosophies that continually discourage and hamper a multitude of young people who desire to bend back God’s Creation to its original design in their area of interest.
We have a formidable generation of Kingdom-minded change agents poised to lead the next great awakening. May we not neglect this opportunity.
Please read the following article first published in 2017 by our friend, Dr. Christian Overman, to learn more.
Martin Luther spent portions of his life in seclusion. The establishment did not appreciate his efforts to drain the swamp of anti-biblical practices. This is a 1521 painting of Martin Luther disguised as "Jonker Jörg," an identity he took on while secluded at the Wartburg castle. This man looks haggard and stressed to me. He paid a high price for his passion. (Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo by nevsepic.com.ua.)
When the television series Biography addressed the question of the most important figure of the past millennium, they placed Johann Gutenberg first, Isaac Newton second, and Martin Luther third.
When members of the Religion Newswriters Association were asked to vote for the most significant religious story of the past 1000 years, the event that came out on top took place in 1517, when Martin Luther went public with 95 propositions supporting his contention that the Church's practice of selling "indulgences" (whereby people paid money to cut down their time in purgatory) was wrong and abusive, which, the newswriters said, “sparked a Protestant Reformation whose results are still being felt."
We have a lot to celebrate with respect to Luther's courage and the Reformation that ensued. Luther is often acknowledged for his role in restoring great truths such as "Scripture alone," the "priesthood of all believers," and "saved by grace, not by works." But what is not often mentioned in Evangelical circles is Luther's radical teaching on the sacredness of all vocations.
His teaching on this forgotten truth elevated the work of the milkmaid and the farmer to that of the pastor in the pulpit, and the monk in the monastery. Yes, this was radical teaching!
A few years ago, I had the privilege of video recording a conversation with Os Guinness, one of the most respected voices in the Evangelical world today, about the effects of the Reformation on Western culture, and specifically the effects of Martin Luther's radical teaching on work.
The Doctrine of Vocation was a powerful driver in the early Reformation, but it has been largely forgotten today. It begs to be recovered, and, by God's grace, this is something Worldview Matters (and RenewaNation) and others are laboring to do. Our particular focus is on restoring theology of work to the standard curriculum of elementary and secondary schools, and to the hearts and minds of adults in the church.
An excellent book that deals specifically with Luther's Doctrine of Vocation is Gene Edward Veith, Jr's, God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life. I highly recommend it.
I invite you to view an edited version of my conversation with Os Guinness here.