Callings and Consequences

The Making of Catholic Vocational Culture in Early Modern France

By: Christopher Lane

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Paperback | 15 December 2021

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The concept of vocation in an early modern setting calls to mind the priesthood or religious life in a monastery or cloister; to be "called" by God meant to leave the concerns of the world behind. Beginning in the mid-seventeenth century, French Catholic clergy began to promote the innovative idea that everyone, even an ordinary layperson, was called to a vocation or "state of life" and that discerning this call correctly had implications for one's happiness and salvation, and for the social good.

In Callings and Consequences Christopher Lane analyzes the origins, growth, and influence of a culture of vocation that became a central component of the Catholic Reformation and its legacy in France. The reformers' new vision of the choice of a state of life was marked by four characteristics: urgency (the realization that one's soul was at stake), inclusiveness (the belief that everyone, including lay people, was called by God), method (the use of proven discernment practices), and liberty (the belief that this choice must be free from coercion, especially by parents). No mere passing phenomena, these vocational reforms engendered enduring beliefs and practices within the repertoire of global Catholic modernity, even to the present day.

An illuminating and sometimes surprising history of pastoral reform, Callings and Consequences helps us to understand the history of Catholic vocational culture and its role in the modernizing process, within Christianity and beyond.

Industry Reviews

"It is hard to explain why the striking change in French discourse around vocation in the early modern era has gone almost unstudied, but from the point of view of the faithful, this was one of the biggest innovations of early modern Catholicism. Callings and Consequences provides a crucial introduction to the topic, filling a major gap in our understanding of the early modern Catholic world. All serious scholars of early modern Catholicism should read this book." Jotham Parsons, Duquesne University and author of The Church in the Republic: Gallicanism and Political Ideology in Renaissance France

"[Lane] makes the case that our sense of the inclusivity of states of life, the broad availability of discernment tools, and the freedom to respond to God's invitation are debts we owe to an era often overlooked." Theological Studies

"[Callings and Consequences] offers a fresh perspective on the topic of vocation or 'calling' in the context of Catholicism. Lane's ... analysis offers a useful framework for future scholarship on people's life choices in both the early modern and modern eras." French History

"Callings and Consequences, points to the concept of vocational rigorism and in the process adds much-needed nuance to our view of the French clergy, whether Jansenist or Jesuit. ... Lane's welcome spotlight on this little-known concept is sure to stimulate further research and greater understanding of the impact of Catholic thought in the early modern period." Church History

"Lane delivers a carefully crafted study that challenges the Jansenist-Jesuit divide in an interesting way and refocuses conversation about Catholic society and the means through which it was reshaped as it entered the modern era." American Historical Review

"A thought-provoking and significant addition to our understanding of the conception and expression of the Christian calling over time." University of Toronto Quarterly

"Lane's ability to unpack complicated theological texts and relate them to the larger context of early modern Catholicism is impressive. His study is exceptionally well-organized and clear." The Catholic Historical Review

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