Today is a momentous day in Western history, the beginning of what would be known as the Protestant Reformation. With Martin Luther’s pinning of the ninety-five thesis in Wittenberg, Germany, he would light a candle that would change theology, philosophy, and the political landscape of Europe and beyond. With a focus on the individual and his or her relation with the Almighty, Luther’s reforms reinvigorated the spiritual aspect a person’s daily work and striving. Luther and his idea of vocation, that one’s calling is not only a spiritual command for the priesthood, but a spiritual command to excellence in a person’s everyday duties would invigorate and create a thriving Western Europe.
You can visit Acton’s bookshop for many resources on the Protestant Reformation. In Working for Our Neighbor, Gene Edward Veith connects vocation to justification, good works, and Christian freedom—defining how the Lutheran contribution to economics can transfigure ordinary life, and work, with the powerful presence of God.
