About the Book

In an era where “follow your passion” has become the
mantra of career advisors and life coaches, celebrated author and cultural critic Karen Swallow Prior offers a transformative perspective in her new book You Have a Calling. Prior challenges the contemporary conflation of passion and vocation, presenting readers with a refreshing framework for understanding their life’s work.

You Have a Calling introduces a crucial distinction: while passions emerge from within, our calling—or vocation—comes from without, specifically through others’ needs for our service. This perspective offers hope and purpose to readers whose daily work may not align with their personal passions.

Drawing on her extensive background in cultural analysis and Christian thought, Prior demonstrates how pursuing the good, true, and beautiful in any work can lead to genuine fulfillment. The book speaks to anyone questioning their purpose, particularly those seeking to understand how their ordinary work connects to a higher calling.

About the Author
Karen Swallow Prior, Ph.D. is the 2025-26 Karlson Scholar at Bethel Seminary. She is a popular writer and speaker, a contributing writer for The Dispatch, and a columnist for Religion News Service. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Vox, The Washington Post, Christianity Today, and many other places. Her most recent book is You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful (Brazos
2025).

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