To live as followers of Jesus is the most urgent call upon God's people. The most indicting critique against the church is as simple: its failure to do so. As the leader of an evangelical theological seminary that trains men and women as leaders for the church and society, Mark Labberton writes this call for a return to the "first things"--the dimensions of life that are at the core of human experience. The fundamental topics addressed identify universal issues, but in a particular context of people, time and place, briefly pointing the way forward for Christians who want to rediscover their calling to be agents of change in our world. "There is a sense of culture and technology taking away all that many of us in the church have found familiar and under our control," writes Labberton. "How the church communicates its message, how it tells 'the old, old story, ' why and how that story matters today is all part of the work the church needs to do. Will the church embody and articulate an integrity that reflects its most distinctive claim?" We live in a time in which the church has lost its way--which yields rich possibilities for rediscovering our identity and reshaping our practice. Our Christian vocation is lived out whenever and wherever we may be. Will you answer the call?
