Callings

Anantanand Rambachan’s career as a teacher, scholar, and activist has been grounded in a “thirst for the sacred.” Anant is a scholar of Hinduism and interreligious studies and is professor emeritus of religion, philosophy, and Asian studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. In this conversation, he discusses his experience as a Hindu scholar at a Lutheran institution, the importance of dialogue, wisdom for the different stages of life, and our obligations for justice and the common good. Through it all, Anant’s gifts as a teacher are on display through his cultivation of reverence for students and his understanding of the classroom as a sacred space.

 Rabbi Sarah Bassin works for the world’s oldest refugee agency, the nonprofit organization HIAS (originally the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society). In the episode, Sarah reflects on the paradoxes of leadership as part of the call to live for the sake of others. She speaks to the power of seeing and acknowledging others’ pain, even while acknowledging and drawing on one’s own pain. Through the lens of social justice, she explores what it means to be a “boundary crosser,” and addresses contemporary events while offering sources of hope in the midst of crisis.

As Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Miroslav Volf is one of the most influential Christian theologians of this generation. He is also someone who cares deeply about issues of vocation and human flourishing. In this episode, we talk with Miroslav about his latest book, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most (co-authored with Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz), and the “Life Worth Living” course that they teach at Yale University. In the process, Miroslav reflects on his own life as well as on important vocational themes such as “deep hunger,” the challenge of privilege, and pedagogies of exploration.

Shirley Hoogstra has been an elementary school teacher, a litigator, a vice president for student life at Calvin University and, since 2014, the president of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). In this conversation, she discusses vocational pivots, risk taking, effective leadership, the meaning of Christian higher education, and her passion for marginalized and underrepresented populations. She also emphasizes the deep courage and grace that beckon us in our callings and that are desperately needed in today’s world.

Katharine Hayhoe’s influence on conversations about climate change is known to many through her vibrant and engaging social media presence. As a distinguished professor at Texas Tech University and the author of the recently published Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World, she uses her platform to educate and to inform. Katharine speaks openly as a deeply committed Christian about how she is called to be a scientist, using her work to shed light on the ways climate change affects the most vulnerable. Even in the face of crisis, she invites everyone to see that hope is not the same as optimism or wishful thinking; it is a practice that can encourage individuals to act and address pressing issues, including this one. She suggests that we are being called to care for each other and our world.

Well before vocation and calling developed their current popularity, Parker Palmer was recognized as one of the foremost scholars, authors, and speakers on the topic. In this conversation, he shares profound and honest answers about paying attention to our mistakes—along with our achievements—when describing our callings. Parker’s commitment to the value of listening, to reflection in community, and to resisting easy answers emerges with humor and grace. His insights about what it means to be human offer listeners ways to think about life deeply and holistically. This conversation with the writer of Let Your Life Speak (and many other books on vocation and calling) emphasizes the importance of acknowledging both the shadow and light as we affirm our connectedness to each other. In his words, “we are all walking each other home.”

Norman Wirzba’s research, writing, and teaching explore the overlap between theology and ecology, working to address major environmental issues such as climate crisis and food insecurity. In this conversation, we discuss aspects of agrarian living, freedom and fidelity, and the importance of kinesthetic learning. His emphasis on our relationship to the land as a relationship with others—as an expression of love—reminds us of the communal callings in every aspect of our lives. Vocation is a reflection of our rootedness in place and commitment to others, calling us to be agents of repair in the world. 

This bonus episode features highlights from conversations that aired during the third season of Callings. In these clips, our guests offer advice for today's students and for anyone who teaches or mentors young adults. Listen to this compilation of insightful and interesting advice from Rowan Williams, Thema Bryant, Rainn Wilson, Richard Sévère, Meghan Sullivan, Deanna Thompson, Shaun Casey, and Kristin Kobes Du Mez.

Rainn Wilson—best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on the sitcom The Office—is an actor, comedian, and the author of the recently published Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. While sharing funny and wise insights about his career and experiences in life, Rainn reflects on the intertwining of one’s artistic and spiritual journeys. He also explores the nuances in words such as joy and happiness, and walks us through how failure can also prepare you for a breakthrough—even if you bomb on Broadway (as he claims he did). Rainn believes that education should be about learning widely and deeply, which speaks to his commitment to what he calls “otherishness”—replacing “selfishness” with care for others and curiosity about the world. 

Richard Sévère shares his approach to mentoring, friendship, and vocation in this episode, drawing in part from his work with first-generation students and students from the Black diaspora. As a professor of English and interim associate dean at Valparaiso University, Richard shares how purposefully connecting with colleagues and students to hear their stories can allow a sense of difference to inform vocational discernment. Such intentional conversations foster an exploration of life, identity, and diversity that can build students’ confidence and a willingness to explore all aspects of a college experience. In such moments, vocational discernment emerges as an “investment of time.”

Part of our call as educators is to prepare students for a dynamic and complicated world. Paul Hanstedt helps us understand how vocation and pedagogy intersect. He is author of Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World and directs the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington and Lee University. Our conversation explores reflective practices, questioning, and listening in the classroom. He offers ways to disrupt patterns and discover fresh approaches for collaborative learning and exploration. Paul’s emphasis on preparing students for the difficulties of life—and engaging in big questions from the first semester through the last—ultimately challenges us to ask students, “what matters?” 

Ever since the publication of her New York Times bestselling book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation (2020), Kristin Kobes Du Mez has been in the middle of intense public debates about faith, nationalism, and gender in American Evangelicalism. In our conversation, Kristin shares some of the story behind that story, reflecting on the role that historical research plays in public life — as well as the choices, controversies, and hopes that continue to shape her vocational journey. She also reflects on her calling as professor of history and gender studies at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

How does experience with trauma inform, and transform, our vocations? Our guest, Deanna Thompson, helps us understand how suffering shapes us and how our vocational frameworks might integrate sadness. Deanna’s journey with incurable cancer informs her role not only as a scholar and writer, but as a professor of religion at St. Olaf College, where she explores with students how vocation can be framed by unresolved questions and the paradoxes of despair and hope. Throughout this conversation, Deanna expands our views of the world—via digital platforms, interfaith friendships, and the communal experience of sadness alongside joy. Deanna poignantly captures what it means to be called to “this” rather than “that,” and how to accept the callings we didn’t expect or choose. The conversation evokes the experience of sharing sacred ground.

Meghan Sullivan teaches philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, where she also directs a program on God and the Good Life. Meghan’s newest book, co-authored with Paul Blaschko, is titled The Good Life Method: Reasoning through the Big Questions of Happiness, Faith, and Meaning. In our conversation, Meghan talks about the philosopher in all of us. She describes how philosophy bridges the active and reflective life, noting how strongly students yearn to explore life’s significant questions such as the meaning of work, love, and suffering. She draws on her extensive experience teaching about the good life and reminds all of us how our work can contribute to helping students “care for the soul.”

Rowan Williams is a professor, public theologian, author, poet, and one of the most recognized Christian leaders of our era. Most notably, from 2002 to 2012, he served as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury which is the senior leadership position in the Church of England and the ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion worldwide. In this conversation, Rowan reflects on his vocational development and shares insight and wisdom about public leadership, contemplative practice, dialog, and “common ground.” His insights into teaching and learning, from his years both in the parish and in the academy, emphasize what he sees as the core of education: joy.

Shaun Casey’s work explores the overlapping concerns among religion, diplomacy, and public life. Trained as a theologian with an interest in public policy, Shaun held many academic positions before he was called to set up the Office of Religion and Global Affairs at the U.S. State Department by Secretary of State John Kerry. In this conversation, Shaun offers us ways to think about vocations that have a public face and to consider how we might contribute to the major issues of contemporary life. He reflects on the importance of sitting down and talking together to find common ground. He also shares stories from his time at the State Department, some of which he chronicles in his new book, Chasing the Devil at Foggy Bottom: The Future of Religion in American Diplomacy. A common theme emerges as Shaun discusses his career in higher education, government, and public affairs: hope. 

Thema Bryant is the president-elect of the American Psychological Association, as well as a clinical psychologist, professor, and an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She describes a deep sense of calling in her life in terms of an “overarching theme of healing.” In our conversation, Thema discusses liberation psychology, the relationship between faith and therapy, the healing power of poetry and dance, and the opportunities and limitations of social media in vocational discernment. In all this, she explores what it might mean to find one’s home, to heal, and to be a healer.

Meghan Slining, an epidemiologist and public health professor, shares how we might model compassion and love as we address burnout and support vocations that serve the public good. After five semesters marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, colleges and universities are still assessing the impact of the many losses and changes that we have experienced, both individually and collectively. In our conversation with Meghan, we explore how vocations develop at the intersections of diverse disciplines and experiences, as well as how we can help prepare young people for sustainable vocations—what Meghan calls “vocations for the long haul.” She reminds us about the power of pausing, which can allow us to recognize when our heart is hurting for others, even as we keep our hearts wide open in our vocational journey.   

This bonus episode features highlights from conversations that aired during the second season of Callings. Our guests offer advice for students today, but the advice is also helpful for anyone who teaches or mentors young adults. Listen to this compilation of insightful and interesting advice from Andy Chan, Marjorie Hass, Tim Clydesdale, Mary Dana Hinton, Jason Mahn, Patrick Reyes, and Stephanie Johnson. 

Jon Malesic explores the gap between the ideals and reality of work in his new book, The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives. In our conversation, Jon shares how we can imagine new cultural narratives of work and purpose and affirm the dignity of individuals, regardless of the sense of identity that we may gain from paid employment. Jon explains how (what he thought was) his dream job almost ruined his life, how the best spiritual practice may be “just getting over it,” and the complexities of the language of vocation and mission. Jon’s emphasis on belonging and innovation—in life and work—reveals why “knowing oneself” can ultimately result in finding radical hope.