We live in a culture of commodification. People are too often defined by what they do or own; they're treated as means to an end or cogs in a machine. What goes missing is a deep sense of personhoodthe belief that all humans are unique subjects with inherent worth and the right to self-determination in authentic communion with others.In a world dominated by things, Paul Louis Metzger argues, we must work hard to account for one another's personhood. We need to cultivate relational structures that honor every human's dignity in vital interpersonal community. The theological and philosophical framework known as personalism can help guide us toward such a culture. Drawing from a wide range of thought leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II, Metzger presents a personalist moral vision founded on the Christian ideals of faith, hope, and love. He demonstrates how this moral compass can help us navigate a pluralistic world by applying it to a variety of pressing ethical issues, including abortion, genetic engineering, immigration, drone warfare, and more.Ultimately human personhood begins with the personal, triune God, who invites us to live more fully as human beings. When we refuse to reduce our fellow humansand ourselvesto mere abstractions or objects, we follow the example of Jesus in honoring the value of every person and of creaturely life as a whole.

Paul Louis Metzger (PhD, King's College London) is professor of Christian theology and theology of culture at Multnomah University and Seminary and director of The Institute for Cultural Engagement: New Wine, New Wineskins. He is the author of numerous books, including Consuming Jesus: Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church and Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths, and coeditor of A World for All? Global Civil Society in Political Theory and Trinitarian Theology.

Acknowledgments
Part One: Compass Navigation
1. The Search for Missing Persons: The Loss and Recovery of Personalism
2. More Faith, Hope, and Love: Metaphysical and Methodological Conditions for a Personalist Moral Vision
Part Two: From the Beginning to the End of Life
3. More Than Abilities: Pro-Life for All in a Throwaway Culture
4. More Than Genetic Perfection: The Value of Imperfect Bodies
5. More Than Sexual Pleasure: A Personalist Approach to Sex and Marriage
6. More Than the Battle of the Sexes: Gender, Patriarchy, and the Imperative for Equality
7. More Than the Mere End or Extension of Life: On Physician-Assisted Suicide
Part Three: From Close to Home and Across the Globe to Outer Space
8. More Than Racial Divisions: Race, Power, and the Beloved Community
9. More Than Import Market Value: Immigration Reform Beyond Meritocracy
10. More Than Just War: Human Value and Drone Warfare
11. More Than Domination of the Earth: Humane Care for Creation
12. More Than Space Exploration: The Ethics of the Final Frontier
Part Four: Journey's End
13. Rediscovering Persons: Finding Our Way Home
Name Index
Subject Index
Scripture Index