Why You're Here: Ethics for the Real World [Paperback]

Many Christians find that today's increasingly secular world is not in line with their beliefs. And rather than turn away from society, they are faced with the options of trying to impose their beliefs on others or suppressing their faith. Either option provokes a stream of difficult questions about what it means to be a good Christian, and how a Christian life should be led. InWhy You're HereJohn Stackhouse proposes another path for these people, one that might reconcile Christian beliefs with a world that is often perceived as being openly hostile to those beliefs. Moreover, Stackhouse offers a pragmatic theology that promotes effective action for the challenges of real life.What are Christians to be and to do in the world? What does faithfulness look like in these complex and confusing times?Christians are often told either to take over the world in God's name or to withdraw into faithful sanctuaries of counter-cultural witness. John Stackhouse offers a concise, vivid, and practical alternative based on the teachings of Scripture about the meaning of human life in this world and the next.Why You're Hereprovides an accessible, concrete program for the faithful Christian living in today's world, fraught as it is with ambiguity, irony, and frequent choices among unpalatable options. Stackhouse speaks directly to everyday Christians who are searching for straightforward advice on some of their most complex quandaries and the challenges inherent in staying true to the Bible's teachings.Politicians, medical professionals, businesspeople, professors, lawyers, pastors, students, and anyone else concerned to think realistically and hopefully about Christian engagement in society today will find here a framework to both guide and inspire them in everyday life.IntroductionPart I: Our (Permanent) Human Calling: Make ShalomChapter 1: The Basic Calling of HumanityChapter 2: Human Vocation: All of Us, Some of Us, Each of UsPart II: Our (Temporary) Christian Calƒ%