Dear America, 

What is our job as We the People? What is our role in society? 

Answering these questions requires an understanding of our Founders’ worldview, which was built on top of Protestant principles and shaped by our geographical and political distance from the Old World. Given that all Protestant theology owes a great deal to Martin Luther, an examination of his views on the concept of vocation offers great insight into what the words “We the People” meant to our American ancestors. 

First, Context 

As we begin, let’s very quickly address the notion that the theological and philosophical principles of a 16th century German monk have no relevance in today’s world. I would argue that—if our goal is to preserve the American republic—examination of Luther’s views holds immense value. As much, certainly, as exploration of other texts that are CANON in the modern Academy. For example, two deeply ideological works that essentially represent the Yin to the Founders’ Yang: Marx’s Communist Manifesto and Foucault’s The Order of Things. 

In theology, philosophy, history, and literature, context is king. Remember that Luther was reacting to ancient and entrenched feudal power and class structures. His protestation was basically that the Roman Catholic church had added to and subverted Scripture/Truth for the sake of money, power, and control. Absolutely, the European monarchs felt Luther was wagging his finger at them also, since the class structure at the time placed them alongside the Pope as those born “closest to Heaven,” elevated from birth to lead the (in almost literal descending order) Priestly, Warrior, and Peasant classes. 

Tangentially, my belief is that European societies never fully shed this feudal mindset. Ergo, Modernist and Postmodernist mental frameworks in ways assume a feudal structure and not the one Luther outlined. I would also guess that this condition is most prominent in countries where the Catholic church’s grip was most firm (e.g., Spain, France, Austria, Italy) and imprinted heavily wherever those governments colonized (e.g., the Philippines). In other words, the further north in Europe one travels, the less evident this effect would theoretically be—or perhaps the more proximal to old Prussia and Sweden one travels, with England and the Netherlands as “blurrier” focal points. In this respect, America’s geography was hugely important, because it freed us to establish a society minimally tethered to pre-Reformation power structures and thought patterns. 

My point is this: If Christians and others of different viewpoints can educate ourselves about Lyell, Darwin, Freud, Marx, Nietzche, Foucault, and so many others, then I think it’s not only fair but obligatory for We the People to review alternative viewpoints. Education and truth seeking is how we will CuRe our cultural ills. 

“Luther On Vocation” 

To make this as painless as possible for the reader, here are a few bullets summarizing key points from Gustaf Wingren’s book, Luther on Vocation: 

• Mankind simultaneously exists in two kingdoms or realms, the spiritual/eternal and the physical/temporal. 
  • The spiritual realm—Kingdom of Christ, the right hand of God—is where Christians’ souls (born dead and revived by the Holy Spirit) both exist now (i.e., redeemed in Christ) and are seeking to go (i.e., guided and shielded from the damning effect of the Law by faith in the Gospel). Although Christians are imperfect and cannot uphold the Law, we are made perfect in Christ, therefore saved.
    
    Note: I would not mention this concept were it not so central to our Founding Documents and were theology and philosophy not the best ways to gain insight into governmental systems. 
    
    
  • The physical realm—earthly kingdom, the left hand of God—is where all mankind resides. In this realm, order (spiritual, political/economic, social) is maintained through governing structures (religion, civil authority/law, and the family). On earth, the vocation or calling of all Christians is to—in each sphere of life—live in faith, love, and service to God and all people. In this way, God works through our labors to ensure we have what we need in this world. In a word, Providence.
    
    To use an Exodus analogy, Christians are a people wandering the desert, faithful God will bring us to the Promised Land despite our obvious shortcomings. 
    
    
• Vocations are the various roles we play in society as we journey through the temporal realm. Or, as Luther described them, they are the “masks that God wears” to work through us as we faithfully fulfill our various purposes on earth. Christians have vocations in all four areas outlined below: 
  • Vocations within each of the Three Estates. To Luther, these “estates” were overlapping, interconnected spheres of life where we have distinct roles to play. Coincidentally, the American notion of a separation of Church and State has its roots here, and less so in the two kingdoms.
    
    Here is a brief AI-generated summary of each estate: 
    • Church (ecclesia). This estate is concerned with the spiritual life of believers, focused on the proclamation of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments. 
    • State (politia). This estate deals with civil order, maintaining justice, and providing for the common good through law and governance. 
    • Family (oeconomia). This estate encompasses family life, including marriage, parenting, and the economic activities necessary for supporting the family. 
  • Vocations within the Common Order. This includes the public forum and life, our “day job,” and so on. 

With the backdrop of the above explanation unfurled, several critical points must now be made. Before that, please listen to this announcement from our flight crew: All cynics onboard, please let me get through the next few paragraphs. I will circle back to you.

First point. Where they took hold, Luther’s ideas on vocation flattened social and religious structures (but not economic class structures). The thriving king is the same as the subsisting serf, both equal under God’s Law and equally damned by it, only able to be saved by faith in Christ. This new mindset not only paved the way for a burgeoning middle class and greater class mobility in Western society generally, but also for the rethinking of political structures, rule of law, liberty and equality, and national identity. This dramatic cultural shift culminated in our Founding Documents, all of which are infused with a deeply held belief—the product of a cultural unity and shared faith that perhaps only existed for a few moments—in unalienable, God-given rights and the shared vocation of We the People. Today, the fire’s source gone out, part of our vocation truly is to keep the Light of Liberty aflame. 

Second point. The strong emphasis that Luther’s principles of vocation place on individual responsibility and accountability is the only way to ensure a high functioning democratic/republican form of government. It also ensures that predatory capitalism and socialism are held in check. If every person faithfully executes their God-given roles (vocations), society will flourish as We the People labor to provide for ourselves and care for one another as God wills. 

Third point. To reiterate, Luther viewed all vocational spheres as overlapping and inseparable. However, for what I believe are mostly obvious and valid reasons, the Founders constructed a wall between Church and State. 

Fourth. Within the American system, We the People have a clear vocation within the affairs of State that comprises both leadership and followership, even if we are not ourselves representatives or otherwise active participants in the governmental system. This includes military service and, unfortunately, the paying of taxes. “Give unto Caesar.” 

The Vocation of We the People 

Now for the cynics. I know theology is not for everyone, so let me frame things a little differently. 

My day job partly consists of, broadly speaking, absorbing high-level inputs (e.g., strategic plans, desired business outcomes, and value targets) and proposing what work should/could be executed (i.e., shaped initiatives with clear value propositions). This would be one of my vocations under the Common Order, according to Luther. Said day job having made me a realist, I think I can help with the cynicism problem. 

We cannot let perfection be the enemy of good. A common expression, right? In business, this translates to something like, “A decent ACME screwdriver in hand when I need it is better than a bespoke SCREWIT 360 electric drill delivered two weeks late.” 

But in affairs of the State, and really all four spheres, I think the expression has deeper meaning that we should never ignore even in our most cynical moments. That is, do not as your first option tear apart the entire machine simply because the engine sometimes runs imperfectly. Did we use the wrong grade of fuel (i.e., are the ideas of the people out of sync with the system, or has the culture degraded significantly enough that the figurative engine sputters)? Did we improperly or inadequately maintain the machine? Have we damaged it through misuse or alterations? 

Being cynical myself, I find the famous Nietzschean lament and warning extraordinarily relevant. Let me explain. 

Everyone remembers the following passage: 

The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. “Whither is God?” he cried; “I will tell you … God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.” — The Gay Science §125 

However, Nietzsche’s point is not the almost celebratory one most Modernists and Postmodernists take away. In fact, he is saying that we have succeeded in killing God, and there is going to be an untold cultural reckoning that we do not understand and cannot fully predict. In a future CuRe All letter, I plan to focus more on the value proposition of killing God and why anyone might want to do so. For now, I will redirect the question towards American government: What is the real value in destroying and/or remaking our system? Why do it? 

Is our system so inherently flawed (or are We the People so inherently unworthy) that it needs to be remade (or that we need to be reeducated)? America has darkness in its past, much of it propagated by those labeling themselves Christian. The slave trade, Reconstruction and carpet bagging, Jim Crow Laws, women’s suffrage, and so on. For those who are not Christian, please be clear on one point: Christians are not inherently or necessarily more moral than anyone else, whether they be Pagan, atheist, alternative theist, or whatever. Christians should strive to be moral—and those who have faith will serve God through their vocations—but even the best people err. None of this means our governmental systems or We the People are hopelessly broken, evil, or should expect Karmic retribution. That is silly. We must collectively strive to move the culture forward. Setting this tone and expectation is a large part of what CuRe aims to achieve. 

Is our system based on ideas that are not suited to the modern world? Whether you are Christian and believe all ideas come from God (via human intellect or divine revelation) or you simply assign great value to humanity’s ability to “make do for itself” in the earthly realm—two truths that actually complement one another—I think most people would agree there is abundant truth and knowledge in the world that we should seek out and many good ideas we should consider. Stoicism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Socialism, Capitalism, and all manner of “isms” have produced ideas of worth that could be incorporated into our American system without damaging it, if we: (1) understand our system thoroughly, including its foundations and Founders’ intent, as well as its current operation and/or dysfunction; (2) take care to elect leaders and vote for laws that ensure changes are made carefully; and (3) are willing to accept when things do not work and undo them—governance should serve We the People, not the people we temporarily appointed to govern. 

And this brings me back to the main question: What is the vocation of We the People? 

In the Church. This will mean something different to non-Christians, but I believe that an honest and fact-balanced (rather than fact-based) search for objective Truth is—even if our view of Truth differs—a very good place to start and a proper fulfillment of our vocation. 

In the Family. Provide and care for one another and fulfill your role within the household. Educate and keep one another accountable. Help with chores and so on. 

In the Common Order. Do your job well, no matter how little worth you think it has. Value people. Be a decent and forthright human being. Try to practice the Golden Rule—practice etiquette and exhibit self-respect. 

In the State. Understand our governmental systems, including the meaning of the Founding Documents as intended in context. Collaborate to set the direction for the country through education, discussion, and public life. Vote for leaders and laws that move the culture forward towards Truth. Offer your followership to elected leaders while also holding them accountable to American principles and the direction we want to go and goals we want to achieve. 

I think the most important aspect of our vocation as We the People is simply grace, for others and ourselves. We must be willing to try new things and take risks, but not out of spite for the wrongs (perceived or real) of those that came before. We must be willing to admit when we make mistakes or ideas simply fail. 

A passage attributed to the Stoic philosopher Epictetus comes to mind: "To accuse others for one's own misfortune is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete."

Try things, assess, adjust, and move on… while keeping our ultimate goals in mind. 

That said, the law and government exist for a reason. When people subvert their vocations for the sake of wealth, power, and control—whether this is the parent who abuses a child, the church that teaches falsely, the business owner who hires an illegal immigrant worker, or the official who takes bribes to ignore shady dealings—the law, implemented and enforced in good faith, maintains social order. It must, or society cannot function. 

Conclusion 

Luther’s principles of vocation highlight a key question that we should always be asking ourselves as Americans: Are we acting in service to our government or are we in conflict with it? If we intend to conflict with it, we need to ensure the value proposition we are pursuing is real. 

For example, I truly empathize with those who are experiencing gender dysphoria. I also question the cultural causes behind statistics like the following: “From 2017 to 2021, there was a nearly threefold increase in diagnoses of gender dysphoria among children and adolescents in the U.S., from 15,172 in 2017 to 42,167 in 2021.” [Brightpath Behavioral Health. “Gender Dysphoria Statistics in the United States.” Dec 3, 2024. https://www.brightpathbh.com/gender-dysphoria-statistics] 

Notice, I am not attacking anyone with this condition. I am questioning the culture that has suddenly made trans rights a crusade without asking what the endgame is. Perhaps for the everyday person on the left, this quest is simply the right thing to do from their point of view. For those who suffer from gender dysphoria, I am sure widespread recognition and acceptance is a relief. 

But, based on what I see from leaders on the left, the issue of increased gender dysphoria among American youth is being used as a lever to redefine and undermine traditional definitions of our vocations within the Family, State, Church, and Common Order. On the political right, my concern is that—while many have positive intentions—any shift in approach will go too far. Meaning, we need to avoid a reality wherein those who are experiencing gender dysphoria never receive any meaningful help. It seems wrong to me that our present best course of action is so invasive—physiologically, psychologically, and hormonally/chemically. 

Whether instigated by the left or right, efforts to redefine or reshape our cultural and governmental foundations should be carried out with great care, if they are done at all. Even when those things are morally right and ethically preferred, we should not do them at the utter expense of one group, especially when the primary benefactors are, ironically, the people “providing help” rather than those they purport to help. That is the truth. 

There are numerous other examples—some of them core to MAGA, like immigration and AI—that Americans should be cautious of and closely examine. That is part of our vocation as We the People. 

We the People may stumble, but if we fulfill our various vocations in faith, love, and service, we will not fall. In some distant future, the government of these United States might crumble. But We the People were here before it, and we will remain long after it. Until then, our mission—which we collectively achieve through our vocations—is to seek truth, to participate in government as diligent citizens, to protect and lift up our families, and to live life well in all aspects. These are truths that are embodied in the Declaration of Independence and codified into law via the Constitution and Bill of Rights. 

There is no part of me that understands how any American could disagree, unless they simply do not have the best interests of our nation and We the People as their highest priority. Whatever that means to you, the reader, I do not think more needs to be said. 

Until next time, America… 

Finch Fries