In the Coracle

Book Summary: The Call (Guinness)

May 10, 2008 //

Part of my doctoral program’s learning model includes reading and summarizing a large number of books. I’ll blog the appropriate ones here.

The Call
by Os Guinness
HarperBusiness (2001)
200 pages

Description of the Book
“Are you looking for purpose in life? For a purpose big enough to absorb every ounce of your attention, deep enough to plumb every mystery of your passions, and lasting enough to inspire you to your last breath? This book is about the reason why we are here on earth.” (p. vii)

The author’s own introduction summarizes the purpose of this book. It inspires people to pursue their calling and to find out what they are for and how they can live in order to fulfill their own lives.

Interpretation of the Book
The Call is written as a month-long series of daily meditations on the topic of call. It seeks to redirect focus away from calling as a professional (clergy or counselor) role, to call as an impact on each believer’s life. It also discusses the need to recognize that individual calls all emanate from the God who calls each of us, and so it prioritizes the caller over the call.

Application
As I read this book, I found much in common with the recent bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life. Both are written with clear, purposeful focus that is designed to inspire people to engage in their lives.

For my own needs at this stage of my journey, I found The Call to be dry and uninspiring. I found myself skimming large sections, and wishing I could instead read any of Elizabeth O’Connor’s books about calling from her time with Church of the Savior. O’Connor takes the issue of calling as more of an individual-in-community focus; Guinness’ path, feels highly individualized and from a modern worldview to me. It reminded me of the inspirational stories from the magazine Guideposts, which I read as a child when I visited my grandparents’ home.

I could see the book being very helpful for people who were inspired by the Purpose-Driven Life and similar work.