Working for Our Neighbor. A Lutheran Primer on Vocation, Economics, and Ordinary Life by Gene Edward Veith (review)

Gene Veith, now retired as provost at Patrick Henry College, has written widely on Lutheran theology and the doctrine of vocation in particular. His most impressive work, The Spirituality of the Cross, is a fine introduction to Luther's theology and one that I have used with my own college students. His more recent work might be viewed as Veith's attempt to drill down in the particular area of economics and point out how God uses humans in the world of work to serve their neighbors. The book is clear and easy to follow. But his analysis also limps in the sense that it seems to turn a blind eye to some of the problems that shadow a modern economy.

Veith's intent is to "unpack Luther's doctrine of vocation" (xxiv) and to demonstrate the interconnectedness of faith, work and economics. After inveighing (rightly) against Max Weber's selective reading of the Protestant Reformation, Veith then makes the case against the "two-sphere" thinking that has plagued interpretations of Luther's theology. Faith was never a private matter for Luther but rather lived out in the estates or orders of church, home and civil life. Veith correctly underlines how Luther interweaves creation and redemption and that there is no secular sphere somehow independent of God.

Veith also recognizes that Luther's views have limited applicability to modern economies. His world was a relatively static one and social mobility between classes was rare. But Luther did have an edge in his preaching and teaching when it came to the neglect of the poor. Veith does not even cite the pioneering work of a major Lutheran historian, Carter Lindberg. Lindberg demonstrated Luther's concern for the poor and the establishment of a primitive social welfare system through the creation of the community chest. Save for a few brief references, the poor do not make much of an appearance in a book on the economy. This is a glaring contrast with Luther's sermons and his recommendations in letters and treatises about how "orphans and widows" must not be forgotten by communities where the Lutheran reform is taking hold.

Furthermore, when Veith does talk about the modern economy he has an overly benign view of contemporary capitalism. Curiously, there is no mention of the growing problems of inequality and the political stresses this is causing in Western democracies. One does not have to embrace socialism to recognize some of the troubling cracks in the capitalist structure. Veith seems to suggest our task is to think about how our callings allow us to fit into the present system. But isn't there also a call to step back from a neo-liberal economic model and ask some hard questions? Otherwise we might be guilty of a quietism that has shadowed some versions of Lutheranism—and that would be ironic in a book about vocation. Overall, this is a book laypeople and undergraduates will find useful as long as the limitations noted above are kept in mind.