A Bibliography of Books on Christian Vocation and Calling
Quentin J. Schultze

(Note: This is part of the bibliography that I used to write the new book shown on the right of this page. Included below are my comments about most of the books, along with links to Amazon pages which often include reader reviews, tables of contents, and book excerpts.)

Anders, Isabel. The Faces of Friendship. Cowley, 1992. In the New Testament Jesus calls disciples to become "friends" with him and with each other; such friends are willing to lay down their lives for one another.

Ashcroft, Mary Ellen. Balancing Act: How Women Can Lost Their Roles and Find Their Callings. InterVarsity: 1996. North American women, in particular, face the problem of distinguishing between culturally rigid social roles and open callings that will better equip them to flourish personally and serve others more fully.

Banks, Robert, and Kimberly Powell (eds.). Faith in Leadership: How Leaders Live out Their Faith in Their World and Why it Matters. Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Beckett, John D. Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business without Selling Your Soul. InterVarsity, 1998. This book is available in audio, too.

Read early reviews of the book here.

Read more about this book or check price at Amazon.

Berry, Wendell. Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community. Pantheon: 1992.

Blamires, Harry. The Christian Mind. S.P.C.K.: 1963. Also see his follow-up book, The Post Christian Mind.

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship. Macmillan: 1963. This is one of the most profound, engaging, and inspiring books on calling — very highly recommended.

_____. Letters and Papers from Prison. Macmillan: 1953. Similarly remarkable in its scope and wisdom.

Buechner, Frederick. The Alphabet of Grace. HarperSanFrancisco: 1970.

_____. Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized. Harper & Row: 1988.

_____. Wishful Thinking: A Seeker's ABC. Revised and Expanded. HarperSanFrancisco 1993. This book is the source of Buechner's famous line, "The place God calls you to is where your deep gladness and the word's deep hunger meet."

Carter, Stephen L. Civility: Manners, Morals, and the Etiquette of Democracy. Harper: 1998.

_____. Integrity. Harper: 1996.

Chittister, Joan D. The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman's Life. Eerdmans: 2000.

Clapp, Rodney (ed.). The Consuming Passion: Christianity & the Consumer Culture. InterVarsity: 1998. This provocative collection of essays assesses how consumerism distorts persons' sense of the value and purpose of life.

_____. A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society. InterVarsity: 1996.

Dawn, Marva. Keeping the Sabbath Wholly: Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, Feasting. Eerdmans, 1989. Stressed, anxious, and fearful persons everywhere should read this wonderful book on the importance of real rest — rest that helps us to grow in the knowledge that we cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we labor (and that we do not have to). Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., also sells an excellent CD and tape series based on Dawn's teaching about sabbath-keeping.

DePree, Max. Leadership is an Art. Doubleday: 1989. This is one of the finest, most readable, least fashionable books on leadership. Leadership begins, says DePress, by defining reality, and ends by saying thanks. Also consider his Leadership Jazz.

Dykstra, Craig. Growing in the Life of Faith: Education and Christian Practices. Geneva: 1999.

Dyson, Michael Eric. I May Not Get There with You: The True Martin Luther King Jr. The Free Press: 2000. The Civil Rights Movement in the United States took root among those whose faith led them to risk their lives for social justice. Dyson shows that King was not a perfect person, as no one is. Faith, not perfection, is critical for a Christian view of calling. The role of African American women of faith in the Civil Rights Movement is discussed in Rosetta E. Ross's fine book Witnessing and Testifying.

Elshtain, Jean Bethke. Who Are We? Critical Reflections and Hopeful Possibilities. Eerdmans: 2000. Understanding who we are, and whose we are, are important places to begin our callings.

DeWall, Esther. A Life-Giving Way : A Commentary on the Rule of St. Benedict. The Liturgical Press: 1995. The Rule of St. Benedict is one of the most remarkable statements, practical as well as theoretical-theological, about living in Christian community. But understanding the age-old rule requires a discerning guide such as Ms. DeWall.

Ford, David F. The Shape of Living: Spiritual Directions for Everyday Life. Baker: 1997.

Garber, Steven. The Fabric of Faithfulness: Weaving Together Belief and Behavior During the University Years. InterVarsity: 1996.

Greenleaf, Robert K. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. Paulist Press: 1977. This is one of those books so packed with wisdom that a reader will want to stop, reflect, and share the gems with others.

Houston, James. In Pursuit of Happiness: Finding Genuine Fulfillment in Life. NavPress: 1996. Reprinted by Regent College Publishing in 2001. What is happiness? How can we pursue it? Houston's answers are practical as well as profound.

_____. The Heart's Desire: Satisfying the Hunger of the Soul. NavPress: 1996. Although out of print, this fine book continues to sell online via used bookstores. Highly recommended especially for those who find themselves desiring things that are not good for themselves or that have no enduring value.

Issler, Klaus. Wasting Time with God: A Christian Spirituality of Friendship with God. InterVarsity 2001.

Kenneson, Philip D. Life on the Vine: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit in Christian Community. InterVarsity: 1999. This book is especially good for small-group discussion.

Kierkegaard. Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard. Compiled and edited by Charles E. Moore. Plough: 1999. I long wanted a collection of the great Danish church gadfly's most incredible sayings. This is that collection. I read it about twice a year. Here are a few quotes: "Many have gone astray through not understanding how to continue a good beginning." "In a certain sense all of us are running. We are running after money, status, pleasure. We run with gossip, rumors, foul talk with lies, fiction, and trivialities. We run now to the east and the now to the west, panting on our activistic errands. But we are not running on the racetrack." "It is absolutely unethical when one is so busy communicating that he forgets to be what he teaches." This book is a wonderful gift, too.

_____. Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing.

L'Engle, Madeleine. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Harold Shaw: 1980. Reprinted 2001. This is a classic book for those testing their Christian calling to any fields of artistry.

Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity. Macmillan 1952. Many people consider this one of the three finest Christian books of the 20th century — a tour-de-force defense of the faith. For a similarly argued but more contemporary, see Debra Rienstra, So Much More: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality.

_____. The Problem of Pain: The Intellectual Problem Raised by Human Suffering, Examined with Sympathy and Realism. Macmillan: 1962. Are human beings called to suffer? This is a very thoughtful reflection on the problem.

Morris, Thomas V. Making Sense of it All: Pascal and the Meaning of Life. Eerdmans: 1992. Morris splendidly reviews the major ideas of the Christian philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal.

Norris, Kathleen. Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith. Riverhead: 1998.

_____. The Cloister Walk. Riverhead: 1996.

Nouwen, Henri. Seeds of Hope: A Henri Nouwen Reader. Edited by Robert Durback. Image: 1989. Nouwen was a remarkably sensitive and prolific Christian writer whose work has inspired many people to faithful living. This is a terrific collection of some of his work.

Palmer, Parker J. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation. Jossey-Bass: 2000. Palmer addresses the ways that God speaks to us personally through the normal events of our lives. This book is particularly fitting for teachers.

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées: Thoughts on Religion and other Subjects. Pascal's "thoughts" are remarkably insightful even though they were penned hundreds of years ago. This is a Christian classic with enduring attention to calling.

Peterson, Eugene H. Subversive Spirituality. Eerdmans: 1997. The first time I read this book I couldn't put it down. Now I reread it at least annually. If you are interested in how God communicates, and how human beings should communicate, this is one of the best books to read and contemplate. We tend to think of spirituality as what we humans do, whereas Peterson demonstrates that authentic spirituality is radically subversive: spiritual people attend to what God has done, is doing, and has promised to do.

_____. Traveling Light: Modern Meditations on St. Paul 's Letter of Freedom. Helmers & Howard: 1988. This is Peterson's warm and engaging reminder that we are called to live by grace, not by law, by freedom rather than legalism. This is an excellent book for group discussion.

Pieper, Josef. Leisure: The Basis of Culture. St. Augustine 's Press: 1998. Those of us who think or act like workaholics need this book to regain a sense of balance and focus in life. Leisure is a human-wide calling, not just an add-on to faithful living.

Pohl, Christine D. Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition. Eerdmans: 1999. Hospitality is one of the Christian callings, namely, to make room in our hearts, minds, and homes for the stranger among us. This is a far cry from merely inviting church friends for Sunday dinner.

Plantinga, Cornelius, Jr. Engaging God's World: A Reformed Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living. Eerdmans: 2002.

Rohr, Richard. Simplicity: The Art of Living. Crossroad: 2000.

Romero, Oscar. The Violence of Love. Plough 1998. Romero was a Latin American bishop who fought for the oppressed with love rather than violence. This collection of his poetry is filled with love-saturated wisdom about faith-inspired personal change and social transformation.

Schultze, Quentin J. Here I Am: Now What on Earth Should I Be Doing? Baker: 2005.

Sine, Christine & Tom. Living on Purpose: Finding God's Best for Your Life. Baker: 2002.

Sire, James W. Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling. InterVarsity: 2000.

Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog, Third Edition. InterVarsity: 1997.

Smith, Gordon T. Beginning Well: Christian Conversion & Authentic Transformation. InterVarsity: 2001.

_____. Courage and Calling: Embracing Your God-Given Potential. InterVarsity: 1999.

Stevens, R. Paul. The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work, and Ministry in Biblical Perspective. Eerdmans: 1999. Stevens addresses the importance of being faithful in all areas of life, not just in church work or Sunday observance.

Wallace, Catherine M. Selling Ourselves Short: Why We Struggle to Earn a Living and Have a Life. (Brazos: 2003). An excessive or one-dimensional drive to "get ahead" reduces the spiritual quality of our lives. Wallace's insightful book explains why and how this happens, and offers an alternative vision of faithful living.

Waltke, Bruce K. Finding the Will of God: A Pagan Notion? Eerdmans: 1995. The answer, more or less, is "yes." The idea that we can concoct schemes to know God's highly specific will for all aspects of our lives is foolishness. There is a much better way of understanding God's will, as Waltke explains.

Willard, Dallas. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. HarperSanFrancisco 1998. This is a remarkable summary of the basic beliefs and practices of the Christian faith, including some outstanding material on vocation.

_____. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. HarperSanFrancisco, 1990.

Williams, Clifford. The Life of the Mind: A Christian Perspective. Baker: 2002.

Willimon, William H. Calling & Character: Virtues of the Ordained Life. Abingdon: 2000.

Wolterstorff, Nicholas P. Educating for Life: Reflections on Christian Teaching and Learning. Edited by Gloria Stronks and Clarence W. Joldersma. Baker Academic: 2002.

_____. Until Justice & Peace Embrace. Eerdmans: 1983. Justice and peace together are a state of "shalom" in which people live in harmony with each other, God, the physical world, and themselves. Wolterstorff has done a masterful job of explaining the aim of Christian living, which is to please God by promoting shalom in society, not just to live a personally holy or church-focused life.

Wright, N.T. For All God's Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church. Eerdmans: 1997.

Yaconelli, Michael. Messy Spirituality: God's Annoying Love for Imperfect People. Zondervan: 2002. Yaconelli has written a splendid book for those of us who know that we are imperfect followers of God. This book is drenched in God's grace, and filled with Mike's humorous and often moving stories of his own spiritual journey. Reading this book is like discovering treasures.

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