Reversing the Reformation: A Present Problem

As we remember the Reformation of the church that began in the sixteenth century, it is worth considering, not just nostalgically, whether the state of the church today is in need of Reformation (hint: it does). We could go through a number of the different types of issues that arose during the preceding centuries and were addressed in the Reformation. We could address any of the “Five Solas,” or Scripture’s authority for ordering our worship and our organization or the importance of the Lord’s Supper. As tempting as it would be to address many of those topics, my goal is to speak to one very particular item that I think Luther was helpful in recovering and that we (evangelical Protestants today) have real need for reformation: vocation.

In the preceding centuries (i.e., what has been called the “Middle Ages”), the idea of “vocation” had been associated with some sort of calling to ecclesiastical office. In the Reformation and the writings of Luther in particular, the value of every calling was highlighted as obedience to God. The godly baker and barber was no less able to serve God in his work than anyone else. In fact, Luther would sometimes point to the fact that some of those who imagined themselves to be particularly special were in fact operating on presumption. The Lord never ordained the office of “monk,” yet those who were monks thought quite highly of themselves. God did, on the other hand, give the work of being a wife and mother. This meant, according to Luther, that the wife and mother could be more confident that she was working according to the calling of God than the monk could.

Consider the situation today. Think of your own church and ask yourself, “Who are the people that are doing ‘the Lord’s work’?” Sure, you might immediately think of the elders and deacons. That one is easy and there is a Word of God for those offices. But think beyond that. Then ask yourself, “Is that a position ordained by God? Is that person working according to the Word of God?” You might then extend the question out to ‘the’ church, that is, to Christianity more broadly. Maybe you can think of particular “positions” in evangelicalism. We have had a proliferation of titles and positions, as though God’s Word is insufficient. Is the women’s ministry director doing the work of the Lord more than the wife who loves her husband and children, works at home, and gives the devil no opportunity for slander? Is the director of “ABC” Parachurch organization greater than the husband who provides for his family, honors those over him and under him in the workplace, and meditates on the Word of God morning and evening?

It is difficult for me not to see the correspondences between the current proliferation of “titles” in evangelicalism, both in local churches and in the broader “evangelical world,” and think, “this greatly undermines one of the great insights of Martin Luther.” There is great joy, freedom, and peace that comes with recognizing the value and dignity for those who simply seek to serve the Lord in the station in which they were called, to love God and neighbor in thankfulness for the salvation received in Christ. Monks, directors, and consultants are no better in the eyes of God than wives, workers, and school teachers.