(I wrote this letter in response to Wesley Duewel, who wrote a letter to the editor of EMQ in response to my article, "A Call to Missions: Is There Such a Thing?"  

Readers will have to see the July, 2004, issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly to read Mr. Duewel's letter.)

Dear Mr. Duewel:

Thank you for your recent letter regarding my article in EMQ on calling (Oct 2003).  You're right, I am questioning the legitimacy of being called to a particular ministry or area. 

The question isn't whether God works or whether he can get his will accomplished.  The issue is whether or not he's chosen to give this sort of clarity in the form of a calling.  Does Scripture teach that most believers need to receive direct revelation from God about where to serve him?

By the way that many Christians define calling, it has to be classified as direct revelation, which must be obeyed exactly.  It would be a sin not to obey.  You may have sensed that you were called to India, but does Scripture clearly lay out a principle that says you should have gone to India or you'd have been out of the will of God?  Why not Bangladesh, Kenya, Chicago, or L.A.? 

Many people talk out of both sides of their mouth over the calling issue.  They talk like God has revealed his will for them in stone, yet they say they "feel" it must be God's will.  If there is such a thing as a common calling, there's no way for us ever to know when we get it right.

Take fictitious Bill who says, "I'm going to Egypt because God has clearly called me."  If there is a calling, there's no way to know that Bill's not just following his own whim.  Why not Morocco or Japan?  My point is, if he's obeying Scripture and in fellowship with the church, he can do whatever he wants to.  He could go to the first country that pops into his mind when he prays.  Or throw a dart at a map and go there, Egypt or otherwise.

Does God have a will for Bill?  Yes.  Does Bill have to fret about missing it?  No, not as long as he's obeying Scripture.  If he's in fellowship with Christ and his church, he can do whatever he wishes, trusting that God will be pleased.  If God wants him somewhere else, then the Lord can arrange Bill's situation so that he ends up in the "right" place.  But, Bill should not worry about missing the "center of God's will."

Bill's "calling" to Egypt is subjective.  No biblical passage says, "Bill, go to Egypt."  A sense of calling can never be anything but subjective, just like his choice of what socks to wear.  In the end, Bill will go to Egypt out of faith, not as a result of direct revelation. 

If a mission board requires that Bill give evidence that he is both called and gifted for the job at hand, they're being inconsistent.  If God has called Bill to Egypt, then that ends the discussion.  No one has a right to question him about his qualifications.  But a Christianity in which believers can't question a brother is not biblical.  They should question and test his giftedness but not his sense of calling, since it could never be proven anyhow.

Maybe Christians cloak their choices in spiritual language-"God's calling me"- to make themselves feel better about their choice or to keep people from questioning their choice.  Why not just say: "The Bible tells believers to make disciples.  Therefore, I want to go to Egypt," or "Even though I have reservations about going to Egypt, I think they could benefit from my help as a follower of Christ"?  What harm is there in approaching Christian service that way?  God is still glorified.

There's no reason to conclude that a view such as mine puts less faith in God.  If Bill has a choice between Morocco, Egypt, India, Japan, or South Korea, God will not be upset if he picks one out of a hat.  Or chooses the one with the best food.  He still trusts God to get him there.

Hinting that my position opens the door to liberalism is unfair, especially when I've used Scripture to make my point, and you've used feelings and experience to support yours.  My view challenges Christians to take another look at Scripture, probing whether or not it teaches what so many have labeled as a "calling."  Does Scripture warrant the commonly held ideology of a calling?  No, Scripture doesn't prescribe a calling-a clear and unalterable sense of God's leading-as the norm for most believers.  This flies in the face of what many conservative Christians believe, but that's not the issue. 

As for the times that you sensed God telling you to take another street, I say, praise God.  God can lead a person out of harms way.  But, his word doesn't tell us that any of us are going to receive clear direction about which street to take during a riot.  As far as you knew then, the street you chose could have ended in your death.  The street you chose was still a faith-choice. 

Mr. Duewel, I rejoice that you've given so much of your life on the foreign mission field.  Your ministry in India would likely have been just as fruitful whether or not you'd ever felt called to go there.  You could have gone there, or somewhere else, based simply on the needs of that place, or based on your curiosity about the country.  Either way, you did a noble thing and Christ received the credit.

Blessings,

Kevin L. Howard

Originally published in the July, 2004, issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly.