Kuyper on Calvinism

Thus it is shown that Calvinism has a sharply defined starting point of its own...for our relation to the world: the recognition that in the whole world the curse is restrained by grace, that the life of the world is to be honored in its independence, and that we must, in every domain, discover the treasures and develop the potencies hidden by God in nature and in human life.

-Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism

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I've been doing some haphazard on-line research on vocation recently. I'm especially interested in what the reformers (Luther & Calvin) had to say about this topic, and so one of the sources I've been dipping into is Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism.

In the quote above, Kuyper is talking about our relation to the world. He puts a strong emphasis on common grace - we engage with the world, knowing that God is active in it, although his activity may be concealed. And so we are treasure seekers - working to discover and develop the good work that God has begun.

Three applications to my own vocation: (1) I am an actuary (a pricer of insurance). I observe patterns in data, and interpret and present those patterns to other people in a way that helps them make business decisions. What does Kuyper's quote have to do with pricing insurance? Well. Why does data behave predictably? Why do my statistical tools work? Because I live in an ordered universe. Even though the effects of the Fall are widespread - after all, there wasn't much of a demand for insurance in Eden - the world still operates in a predictable, orderly way. That is common grace. And I am literally a pattern seeker (a treasure seeker) in my day to day work.

(2) I am also a youth group leader. And this is a different type of treasure seeking. I work with youth from 7th grade to 12th grade, which means I get to see them grow up A LOT. And it is amazing to watch. Amazing to look at a 7th grader, and think THIS person will be one of my best friends in six years.

(3) Thirdly, and just a whim - not quite vocation or even avocation - I am also a collector of beach stones. I usually visit beaches that have more rocks than shells, and I am fascinated by the shapes, patterns, sizes, the feel of a stone in my hand. I always bring home a few, and my favorite rocks are pretty liberally scattered around my apartment. I love discovering an unusual stone, knowing that other people may have passed by without noting it, and that in a few hours or minutes it might be buried in a sandbar or washed back out to sea. Treasure seeking again, and a nice metaphor for what I am up to when I sift through data or plan a youth retreat.

Common Grace

When Francie bought a pound of coffee or an ounce of pepper she watched while a polished silver block with the weight mark was placed in one scale and the fragrant purchase was conveyed gently by means of a silverlike scoop into the other. Francie, watching, held her breath while the scoop dropped in a few more grains or gently eased some out. It was a beautiful peaceful second when both golden plates were stilled and stood there in perfect balance. It was as if nothing wrong could happen in a world where things balanced so stilly.

-Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, 137.

Calvin on Vocation

Every individual's line of life, therefore, is, as it were, a post assigned him by the Lord, that he may not wander about in uncertainty all his days.

-John Calvin

Review: Inkspell by Cornelia Funke

Really, really long. Grade: B