Christians have always looked to models within the Christian faith to guide their lives. At a time when the church is more identifiable by ugly partisan politics--what we call "crappy Christianity"--than by compassionate neighbor love, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others, this book highlights the lives and work of seven individuals who are pursuing their Christian calling in humility and profound love for and service to others. Their commitments have led to vocations in working with homeless women, employing refugees, lobbying on Capitol Hill for environmental protection, healing trauma in urban communities, peacemaking in Israel-Palestine, advocating for immigrants, and walking alongside people in addiction recovery. Their individual and collective witness offer compelling examples of authentic Christian life, which is marked in part by active, embodied faith in pursuit of the common good; a broad and inclusive love for all people; rightly ordered political identities and loyalties; and a commitment to work toward holistic redemption of both people and the systems that constitute our life together. In contrast to much of contemporary American Christianity, these models of faith demonstrate that Christians should focus much more on what we are for rather than what we are against.

Nicole (Niki) L. Johnson is Professor of Religious Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio. She is the author ofPracticing Discipleship: Lived Theologies of Nonviolence in Conversation with the Doctrine of the United Methodist Church (Wipf& Stock, 2009) as well as several articles and chapters at the intersection of religion and society. Michael T. Snarr is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Honors Program at Wilmington College (Ohio). He has edited several books and served on the boards of various faith-based organizations, including Sugartree Ministries, Friends Committee on National Legislation, and Christian Peacemaker Teams.