Practice
Unleashing the Image of God Discovering Your Identity, Purpose, Vocation,
and Character Perry L. Glanzer
Christian college students often feel a disconnect between the faith they profess and their everyday lives. It’s no coincidence that these emerging adults struggle with their mental health and self- worth. This book by experienced educator Perry Glanzer combines original qualitative research and the Christian theological tradition to help readers rediscover their core identity: image bearers of God. Glanzer shows how embodying one’s true self sheds light on one’s purpose, vocation, and moral identity. This brief yet profound guide frees readers from the burden of self-definition and empowers them to discover God’s purpose for their lives. “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 sta- tus 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. This book will be useful for Christian students, and it also has a postscript that will be insightful for those who work with students, such as staff and professors.” —George Yancey, Baylor University “This book is 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, managing editor, Mere Orthodoxy ; Ashland University “Glanzer 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
SEPTEMBER 2026 • 224 pp. • $24.99p • 9781540969040
Perry L. Glanzer (PhD, University of Southern California) is profes- sor of educational foundations at Baylor University and resident scholar with the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. He is also editor-in-chief of Christian Scholar’s Review. Glanzer has authored, coauthored, or edited more than a dozen books on Christian edu- cation, including Christian Higher Education and the award-winning Unifying Christian Higher Education in a Fragmented Age.
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