Unleashing the Image of God: Discovering Your Identity, Purpose, Vocation, and Character - Paperback

by Perry L. Glanzer (Author)

Young adults today face an identity crisis.

They can fill their social media bios with half a dozen labels, but they lack a coherent sense of self. Christian college students often feel a disconnect between their faith and everyday life. It's no coincidence that these emerging adults struggle with mental health and self-worth.

In Unleashing the Image of God, experienced educator Perry Glanzer combines original qualitative research and the Christian theological tradition to help readers rediscover their core identity: image bearers of God. Readers will discover

● what it means to bear the image of God in identity, purpose, vocation, and character;
● how to break free from the anxiety of self-definition in an age of endless identity options;
● the God-given worth and dignity of themselves and others;
● ways to connect Christian faith to everyday life, decision-making, and calling; and
● how to cultivate the virtues and moral character of an image bearer of God.

This brief yet profound guide frees readers from the burden of self-definition and empowers them to discover God's purpose for their lives.

Back Jacket

Rediscover Your Identity as an Image Bearer of God

This book helps readers understand what it means to image or imitate the triune God in the key dimensions of their lives: identity, purpose, vocation, and character.

"This engaging book invites you to the realization that by embracing your identity as God's image bearer, you are not just recognizing your profound worth and that of those around you. You are joining a story deep and wide enough to bring empowering meaning to your work, your play, your values, your very self."
--David I. Smith, Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning, Calvin University

"While mature Christians have learned to use the reality of our status as image bearers to shape our self-identity, college students are in the middle of trying to find those answers. Fortunately, Glanzer is able to mix his empirical analysis with biblical wisdom to create a valuable guide to help Christian students think about these issues. It also has a postscript that will be insightful for those who work with students."
--George Yancey, Baylor University

"A beautiful gift that college students and their parents and educators so desperately need right now. Glanzer's argument is simple, yet the implications are anything but that: To succeed in college and in life, students need something greater than academic efforts and professional aspirations. They need to know that they are beloved persons made in God's image--and this knowledge will change everything."
--Nadya Williams, books editor, Mere Orthodoxy; interim director, MFA in Creative Writing, Ashland University

"Glanzer has spent his career reflecting on the implications of the creation narrative for the identities that college students are called to navigate, discern, and embrace. These pages now bring to bear those years of reflection, inviting students to chart pathways of faithful discipleship. Anyone invested in the future of students would also be well served by considering these reflections and acting as inspired."
--Todd C. Ream, Indiana Wesleyan University

Author Biography

Perry L. Glanzer (PhD, University of Southern California) is professor of educational foundations at Baylor University and resident scholar with the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion in Waco, Texas. He is also editor-in-chief of Christian Scholar's Review. Glanzer has authored, coauthored, or edited more than a dozen books on Christian education, including Christian Higher Education: An Empirical Guide and the award-winning Unifying Christian Higher Education in a Fragmented Age.