
This Book Challenges Superficial Ways People Use The Word Calling, Providing A Revolutionary Way To Approach It, Not As Some Glorified Word But As A Complicated, Ambiguous, And Even Painful Reality. Shallow Renderings Of Calling In Trendy Self-help Literature And Religious Circles (follow Your Bliss; God Has A Plan For Your Life) Greatly Diminish The Power Of The Word And Are Not Only Inadequate But Sorely Misleading, Especially Given The Complexity Of Life And The Reality That Our Callings Always Demand A Great Deal From Us. Lofty Expectations That We Can (or Must) Find The Perfectly Fitting Job, The One-and-only Special Life Partner, The Ideally Balanced Life, Or The One-time Summons From God Are Deceptive And Destructive. Calling Means So Much More Than Seeking Gladness, Job Success, Or God's Will. To Truly Grapple With Calling, We Must Consider How It Evolves Amid The Constraints Of Life. Drawing On Stories From Memoirs, Novels, Cultural Figures, And Everyday People, The Book Looks At Six Difficulties In Early, Middle, And Late Adulthood, From Leaving Paths Untrodden (missed Callings) And Running Into Impediments (blocked Callings) To Having Competing Callings (conflicted Callings) And Failing In One Or More Area (fractured Callings) To Managing Unwanted Demands (unexpected Callings) And Giving Up What We've Done And Loved (relinquished Callings). By Insisting That Callings Have Benefits And Burdens Across Adult Life, The Book Hopes To Make The Idea Of Calling More Useful And Real For All Those Who Aspire To Live Meaningful, Purposeful Lives. (246 Words)-- Provided By Publisher.
This book investigates the limitations of contemporary, superficial interpretations of 'calling' by reframing the concept as a complex, often difficult, and evolving reality of adult life. Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, a professor of religion, psychology, and culture, utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to dismantle the 'follow your bliss' narrative. She argues that true calling is not a singular, idealized path but a multifaceted experience that involves both benefits and significant burdens across the lifespan.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts in practical theology and vocational studies recognize this work as a necessary corrective to the overly simplistic self-help literature surrounding personal purpose. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and depth of the prose, which challenges them to move beyond comfortable cliches toward a more nuanced understanding of their own life trajectories.
Page Count:
224
Publication Date:
2024-07-30
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190084049
ISBN-13:
9780190084042
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