“Getting a Life:” Vocational Discernment in the Post-Christian World

Abstract

In post-Christian American culture, emerging adult vocational discernment has become a more protracted and complex process. If ministers are going to utilize this discernment process for emerging adult spiritual formation, they must address two significant domains. First, this culture tends to produce a dualistic and compartmentalized vision of vocation, constricting the fullness of the Christian story. Second, the culture has deified choice, threatening vocational commitment while blinding emerging adults to the already-present action of God. This article addresses these challenges and discusses the theological and practical means by which the Church can foster a renewed vision of vocational faithfulness. While the cultural scripts for vocational living emphasize a narrowed vocational sphere and the expansion of options, the Christian narrative points to a different posture: vocation rooted in purpose and providence.