GRACE CENTRE FOR FAITH & WORK

READING LIST

GENERAL VOCATION

The following resources are recommended by Grace Toronto staff.

The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life by Os Guinness–One of the first contemporary voices on this subject by someone who always has much to say, and says it so well.

Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good by Steven Garber – A book we know well! Winner of many awards, it addressed the question, “Can we know the world, and still love the world?” setting forth vocation as the way in which we answer that question.

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work by Tim Keller– One that will have the widest reading from a most trusted source.

Kingdom Calling: Vocational Stewardship for the Common Good by Amy Sherman–Excellent in every way, and a very practical book by a wise and good friend.

Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work by Tom Nelson–Written from a pastor’s perspective, it’s very accessible and solid, with a solid treatment of work viewed through the lens of Creation-Fall-Redemption-Consummation.

Work: A Kingdom Perspective on Labor by Ben Witherington–Another excellent, if not a touch more professorial, treatment of work, with a good view towards the cultural mandate.

Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Work, ed. by William Placher–The concept of vocation is enjoying new attention in the 21st century, but there is two millennia of Christian thought behind it, most of which is compiled here.

Vocation: Discerning Our Callings In Life by Douglas Schurrman–A touch academic, but still helpful, especially considering one’s own vocation.

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation by Parker Palmer–A profound and practical, and challenging take on answering the question, “What is my vocation?”

Culture Making: Recovering our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch–From a creative and thoughtful communicator, looking at the context behind every calling.

SPECIFICALLY FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

The following resources are recommended by Redeemer Presbyterian Church - Center for Faith & Work staff.

The Gift of Pain by Philip Yancey & Dr. Paul Brand - The renowned hand surgeon and the popular evangelical journalist reflect together on the role of pain in a fallen world, observing that it maybe a gift from God, alerting us to illness and more. They call it “the gift nobody wants.”  Very useful for anyoe, but essential for those called to ministry to the ill or hurting.

Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing by Judith Allen Shelly & Arlene B. Miller - Although this is obviously written for nurses, nearly anyone in any field of health care could benefit from these foundational teachings on the nature of the body, a vision of health, the role of medicine, the meaning of caregiving, the characteristics of healing and the ethics of prayer and spiritual conversations between patients and health care providers. This is a splendid, foundational work for nearly anyone who works in health care, making it a must-read.

Transforming Care: A Christian Vision of Nursing Practice by Mary Molewky, Ruth Groenhout, Kendra G. Hotz - A profound and
mature study for nurses, but, as with the previous listing, this is so, richly conceived and finely written, it will certainly prove useful for nearly anyone serving in any capacity in health care professions. With worldviewish reflection on our understanding of the human person and the meaning of health, the authors then explore the contexts of health care delivery, looking at : acute care settings, mental health facilities, and community care contexts. The authors teach at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI and include a professor of nursing, a theologian and an ethicist. Very impressive.

Reclaiming the Body: Christians and the Faithful Use of Modern Medicine by Joel Shuman & Brian Volck, MD - What an extraordinary book, co-written by a practicing pediatrician and a poet, each who have thought deeply about the role of medicine in our culture and the task of health care providers.  This perhaps was written for anyone who wants to think about medicine in our time or who wants to work for health care reforms, but it is essential for doctors or others who work in health care.

The Scalpel and the Cross: A Theology of Surgery by Gene L. Green- Although this is a very small book, it is a powerful and poignant reflection by Christian leader who is both a surgeon and who underwent heart surgery.  Here, he offers a practical theology about this important aspect of contemporary life, in a new series called “Ordinary Theology”.

Helping and Healing: Religious Commitment in Health Care by Edmund Pelligrino & David Thomasma -Two of the leading medical ethicists, devout Roman Catholics, here offers great insight about the proper role of faith and spirituality in contemporary medical practice. By reflecting on how professionals can embody religious commitments, effecting the relationships between patient and practitioner they show how that can help in recovery and healing, this points to a profoundly spiritual philosophy of medicine.

Health-Care Ethics: A Comprehensive Christian Resource by James Thobaben - A major contribution to the field, lively and interesting, broad and multi-disciplinary, this work starts with a mature theological anthropology and leads eventually to good reflections on bioethics. Some reviewers have called it “incarnational” and “missional” as well as “masterful and pertinent.”

Contact Joe Choi to learn more about Faith & Work.