Gary Badcock on Vocation

The following quotes are from the teaching of Gary D. Badcock a lecturer of theology at University of Edinburgh in Scotland and come from in The Way of Life: A Theology of Christian Vocation. (2002, Wipf & Stock Publishers. Originally published in 1998 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)

‘What will I do with my life?’ is vocation’s question. God does not act out the details of my living for me, or even in me; instead, my existence is one of created freedom. Even though my entire being is dependent on God, I nevertheless choose and act, and I build my own life story through the decisions and projects that I undertake.” (Page 53)

My argument has been that the question ‘What ought I to do?’ really leads to another: ‘What kind of person ought I to be?’ … I ought to be a person for whom love, service, and obedience to God are the major priorities. The Christian ethic is flexible insofar as it allows a multitude of possibilities by which one can fulfill such goals, but there is nevertheless an irreducible core concern within it, which can never be relinquished.” (Page 136)

For additional considerations of the ethical implications of Christian behavior based on an integrated understanding of career, calling and profession consider examining Professionals: Men and Women Partnering with the Trinity in Everyday Life.