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. In Why You're Here John 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.This compact volume offers an accessible, concrete program for faithful Christian living in today's world. Written in engaging and lucid prose, Stackhouse speaks directly to these everyday Christians who are searching for straightforward advice on some of their most complex quandaries about the challenges inherent in staying true to the Bible's teachings. Why You're Here is a thoroughly readable and resolutely practical book designed to help people understand who they are in the sight of God, and therefore what they are to do according to God's calling on their lives here and now.
Industry Reviews
"...most readers, like this reviewer, will become fans of Professor Stackhouse and will choose to read his "more academic "texts, to savor the practical, compact, catchy ripostes scattered throughout his writing. To summarize tersely what Stackhouse's readily readable book on Christian ethics is about: "The scope of God's call on our lives" concerns "Everything. Everywhere. Everyone. Everymoment" (p. 129), and that's "why you'rehere" (p. 288)." -- Mark Porto,
Biblical Theology Bulletin
"John Stackhouse is one of North America's most significant evangelical theologians. An erudite, witty, and ambitious scholar who has written over a dozen books in a career spanning three decades, he should be better known on the U.S. side of the border The book is chock-full of wise apothegms and keen observations."-- David P. Gushee, Christian Century
"With extraordinary single-mindedness, John Stackhouse's discussion in Why You're Here revolves around four fundamental realities: call, shalom, Jesus Christ, and salvation. All human beings are called to seek shalom. Christians are called, in addition, to extend Christ's work of salvation. Single-minded but not simple-minded, Stackhouse recognizes the complexities of answering one's call in the real world. Yet he never allows the reader to lose sight
of the signposts: shalom and salvation. Lucid, wise, and passionate."--Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University
"Stackhouse gently and astutely reminds us that Christian ethics are not simply about what's right or wrong, but rather what it truly means to be Christian in this world. He inspires us to understand that we can love God, our neighbor and ourselves, simultaneously, as we follow our life's calling - not only in our work, but in everything we do. I couldn't put it down, definitely a 'must read'!"--Bonnie Pruett Wurzbacher, Chief Resource Development Officer of
World Vision International
