Vocation: The Mask of God

My chapel address at LeTourneau University last month on "Vocation: The Mask of God" is up on the LETU website.

(Sorry for only a link, but the embed code was not working for some reason)

Two New Books on Vocation

I had planned on posting reviews of these books as soon as I read them later this month, but there are some good reviews out there already, and I want to make sure you have these on your radar, even though I haven't started reading either of them.

Amy L. Sherman, Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good (IVP 2011).

Perhaps the best tip I can give is to send you to Steve Bishop's always excellent blog for his multi-part summary and review. He posted Part 2 today (this is what made me give up waiting and send you over to him . . . .). Part 1 was posted Tuesday, and his introduction and overview will help you decide if you need to get the book yourself.

If that isn't enough, here's Tom Grosh's encouragement to embrace Vocational Stewardship for the New Year.

Next in the stocking:

Tom Nelson, Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work (Crossway 2011).

Again start with Steve Bishop's helpful review, then move on to his practical suggestions inspired by Nelson. Wonderful!

You might also enjoy the interview with Nelson about the book over at the Gospel Coalition and the short review from the Washington Institue for Faith, Vocation & Culture (do you know the Washington Institute, founded by Dr. Steven Garber? If not, you need to. Stop and go here.)

(Isn't the church a kick? You're getting encouraged in your vocation by a brother (Nelson) and sister (Sherman) who took the effort to write down their thoughts, through a guy who hasn't lifted a finger (yet) to read the books, who is encouraged to do so by another brother in the UK, whose reviews you are now reading . . . anyway, I enjoy being part of this mutual encouragement to use our gifts and resources to the glory of the kingdom).

I hope to add to the conversation as we move forward, and please let me know what you think of these books, and I'll post your thoughts (or you can, in the comments).

If you are looking for something on vocation that has a focus on and suggestions for lawyers, specifically, have a look at my Redeeming Law: Christian Calling and the Legal Profession (IVP 2007). While I cite many of the same sources that Sherman and Nelson do, I think their practical suggestions-- and Sherman's stories of workers doing real kindgom work-- will be helpful in building on the theoretical framework I try to set for walking out the lawyer's calling in the study or practice of law. (To my delight, Steve Bishop included Redeeming Law on his Top Books of 2011 (!) list, and my friend Byron Borger at the important Hearts and Minds Books included it in one of his recommended gift lists! It's great to have friends).

The Holy Innocents

Today is the feast day on which the Church remembers the slaughter of innocent children by Herod in his maniacal search for the King revealed to him by the visiting Magi.

Bobby Gross puts it this way in Living the Christian Year: Time to Inhabit the Story of God (IVP 2009):

"To remember Herod’s atrocity is to strip sentimentality from the birth of Christ. On this day we confront the evil in our world, the violence of the powerful against the weak, the sorrow of those who suffer injustice, and the very real darkness into which the light shines." (69)

At this time of remembering the light, we often forget our darkness-- the darkness that made it necessary for a Redeemer to come as one of us.

The Coventry Carol, which we hear often at Christmas but rarely listen to, is about the Innocents:

Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Lullay, thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.

That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ever mourn and sigh,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

Here is a beautiful rendition by the lovely soprano-lute duo, Valeria Mignaco and Aflonso Marin.

I'll close with the Collect for today from the Book of Common Prayer, so that we may join the collected voices of the people of God in praying for justice:

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Exemplars of Good Legal Writing - The Green Bag

The board of advisers of The Green Bag has selected "exemplars of good legal writing from the year just passed." They honor exemplars in seven categories, Opinions of the Court, Dissents/Concurrences, Books, Long Articles, Short Articles, News & Editorial, and Miscellany.

Congratulations to Professor Michael McConnell, recognized for a wonderful short piece about Professor Larry Tribe's scholarly integrity in this summer's debt ceiling discussions. McConnell's simple eloquence (and his typical grace to a colleague with whom he often disagrees) is obvious even in six short paragraphs.

In Books, the board recognized The Collapse of American Criminal Justice (Harvard 2011) by William Stuntz, the beloved Harvard Law Professor who passed away in March. I haven't read it yet, but Justice Stevens has. His conclusion, in his New York Review of Books essay:

Professor Stuntz’s account of the “collapse” of an overgrown system of criminal law enforcement is well worth reading. It is full of interesting historical discussion. It accurately describes the magnitude of the twin injustices in the administration of our criminal law. It should motivate voters and legislators to take action to minimize those injustices.

I imagine they are all well worth reading (hey, The Green Bag knows its stuff), but I was also particularly drawn to Adam White's interesting profile of Justice Alito in the Weekly Standard, The Burkean Justice, recognized as exemplary writing in the Short Articles category.

HT: Thanks to my colleague Kim Colby for bringing this list to my attention.

Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011

I have written about the talent and genius-- and half-cocked contrarian-ness-- of Christopher Hitchens, here and here, and about his battle with cancer. He died last night, having lost that battle.

May the Lord have mercy on him, and may he-- somehow by the grace of God-- rest in peace.

A friend put it this way to me last night as we lamented: "When I heard, I cried for him, and for his soul." Me, too.

The obituaries and tributes in Vanity Fair and NPR, among others, are worth reading, but my favorite is the Christianity Today obituary by Doug Wilson. Wilson traveled with Hitchens as part of Hitchens's plan to promote his (absolute worst) book, God is Not Great. Their debates became a series of interesting articles in CT, another book (Is Christianity Good for the World?), and eventually the compelling documentary, Collision.

Read the whole obituary, but here is Wilson's close:

Christopher Hitchens was baptized in his infancy, and his name means "Christ-bearer." This created an enormous burden that he tried to shake off his entire life. No creature can ever succeed in doing this. But sometimes, in the kindness of God, such failures can have a gracious twist at the end. We therefore commend Christopher to the Judge of the whole earth, who will certainly do right. Christopher Eric Hitchens (1949-2011). R.I.P.

We do indeed.