Sunday 21 July 2019

Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 22, 4 (2018) on Vocation


The current issue of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology is devoted to ‘Reflections on Vocation’, with the below contributions.

In the Editorial, Stephen J. Wellum writes:

‘A crucial area in which we can demonstrate a practical difference between a Christian and our society’s view of humans is in the areas of vocation and work. It should not surprise us that how we view our vocation and the dignity of work is directly tied to our theology, especially what we think of God and ourselves as his image-bearers. From a biblical view, work is tied to the purpose of our creation and it is intrinsic to who we are as creatures and image-bearers created to rule over the world as God’s vice-regents. No doubt, our work has been affected by sin (Gen 3; Rom 8:18-25), but in Christ, God the Son has assumed our human nature to reverse the effects of sin and death for us by his cross and resurrection, and to restore us to what God created us to be in the first place. As we await the consummation of Christ’s glorious new covenant work, believers are to be about the task of growing in grace, knowing and enjoying God and one another, and living out what God created us to be as his redeemed creatures and image-bearers.’

Individual essays are available from here, and the whole issue can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Stephen J. Wellum
Editorial: Reflections on Vocation

Gregory E. Lamb
Living is Christ and Dying is Gain: Paul’s Reimagining of Human Flourishing in Philippians

Daniel S. Diffey
The Diligence, Justice, and Generosity of the Wise: The Ethic of Work in the Book of Proverbs

Nathanael J. Brooks
The Sluggard and Covenant Faithfulness: Understanding the Nature of True Virtue and the Call to Industry in Proverbs

Richard C. McDonald
“They were not Brought up in Idleness”: Matthew Henry, the Old Testament, and Work

Jacob J. Prahlow
Rules and Roles for Women: Vocation and Order in the Apostolic Fathers

Chris H. Smith, Jr.
Celibacy as Discipleship or Vocation? A Protestant Reading of Gregory of Nyssa and Thomas Aquinas

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