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. 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.
"How we talk about things matters, and how we address the subject of calling and vocation matters in its proper context. This work by Susan Maros is a much-needed text to help us understand how social location informs and shapes our understanding and experience of what calling and vocation actually mean. This meaning making allows the reader to step out of their own social location and create connection to a greater community seeking to honor the God who calls in their lives and their work. This is a formational text for scholars, practitioners, pastors, and workers in the global field."
Joy E. A. Qualls, associate dean of the Division of Communication at Biola University
