The idea of a vocation or "calling" has played a significant role within
Christianity. Since the early days of the Christian faith, the term has applied to candidates for the
clergy. It soon began to be applied to those who felt drawn to a more rigorous observance of their faith through the
contemplative lifestyle of the
hermits and
monks and
nuns. Use of the word "vocation" before the sixteenth century referred firstly to the "call" from God to an individual, or
calling of all humankind to salvation, particularly in the
Vulgate, and more specifically to the "vocation" to the
priesthood, or to the
religious life, which is still the usual sense in
Roman Catholicism, although
Pope John Paul II refers to marriage as "a true vocation and mission" alongside religious life and ordained ministry.
Martin Luther, followed by
John Calvin, placed a particular emphasis on vocations, or divine callings, as potentially including most secular occupations, though this idea was by no means new. Later, Martin Luther taught that each individual was expected to fulfill their God-appointed task in everyday life. Although the Lutheran concept of the calling emphasized vocation, there was no particular emphasis on labor beyond what was required for one's daily bread.
Reformed Christianity transformed the idea of the calling by emphasizing relentless, disciplined labor. Calvin defined the role of "the Christian in his vocation", noting that God has prescribed appointed duties to men and styled such spheres of life vocations or callings. Calvinists distinguished two callings: a general calling to serve
God and a particular calling to engage in some employment by which one's usefulness is determined.
Hyper-Calvinism rejects the idea of a "universal call", a vocation, to repent and believe, held by virtually all other Christian groups. The
Puritan minister
Cotton Mather discussed the obligations of the personal calling, writing of "some special business, and some settled business, wherein a Christian should for the most part spend the most of his time; so he may glorify God by doing good for himself". Mather admonished that it was not lawful ordinarily to live without some calling: "for men will fall into "horrible snares and infinite sins"". The legacy of this religious ethic continues to exert its influence in
secular Western society. Modern occupations which are seen as vocations often include those where a combination of skill and community help are implied, such as medical, care-giving, and veterinary occupations. Occupations where rewards are seen more in spiritual or other non-financial terms, such as
religious occupations, are also seen as vocations. Borderline occupations, where
community service and more personal reward are more evenly balanced, such as
politics, may often be regarded as vocations. ==Senses==