Calling in Context by Susan L. Maros

Calling in Context

Social Location and Vocational Formation

Susan L. Maros

InterVarsity Press · Print & ebook · April 19, 2022

"I don't care for vocational books written in the United States; they're too American." When Susan Maros heard this comment from a Malaysian colleague, she was initially taken aback.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Calling shifts across social locations; Maros questions career certainty and offers a lifelong biblical view.
Themes
Social location and vocation, Cultural assumptions about calling, Calling as a lifelong journey
Genres
Calling & Vocation (Christian), Church Leadership, Christian Social Issues

About this book

"I don't care for vocational books written in the United States; they're too American." When Susan Maros heard this comment from a Malaysian colleague, she was initially taken aback. Isn't the concept of calling universal? Why wouldn't resources with a biblical perspective on vocation apply to everyone?The reality is that each of us encounters our questions of calling from within a particular context.

Continue reading

In this paradigm-shifting book, Maros explores how various dimensions of social location—including race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status, and gender—shape our assumptions and experiences with vocation. Maros helps Christians in the United States in particular see how ideas about calling that emphasize certainty, career paths, and personal achievement arise from cultural priorities that shouldn't go unexamined, such as individualism, productivity, and meritocracy. She explains how unexamined "mental maps" can distort our perspective and refocuses our attention on biblical insights about calling as a lifelong journey. In the process, she helps us find both clarity and encouragement to explore the paths before us.God calls all people, yes—but calling is not a monolithic concept. Filled with numerous stories from Christians in diverse communities, Calling in Context invites anyone exploring questions of calling to find fresh possibilities in their own identity and engagement with God's mission. Reflection questions and Bible study prompts are included throughout.

Rethinking the Map

Calling shifts across social locations; Maros questions career certainty and offers a lifelong biblical view.

Come here for

  • How culture, race, gender, and class shape questions of vocation
  • Biblical stories, reflection questions, and study prompts

Expect

  • A challenge to certainty, career paths, and personal achievement
  • Calling framed as a lifelong journey, not a fixed career destination

Where it sits

Calling & Vocation (Christian)100%
Church Leadership37%
Christian Social Issues34%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Calling & Vocation (Christian)
  • Religion & Gender
  • Gender Studies
Authors
Susan L. Maros
Publisher
InterVarsity Press
Published
April 19, 2022
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Social location and vocation · Cultural assumptions about calling · Calling as a lifelong journey
Reading lane
Calling & Vocation (Christian)