Book excerpt: Though called to partner in God’s holy work of transformation, the church has often responded with resignation rather than hope in the face of a broken, hurting, and violent world. In Authentic Engagement, Dieumeme and Mirlenda Noëlliste remind us that the church was never meant to content itself with faith in the hereafter. However, to fulfill its God-given role in society, it must know what and whose it is, and situate itself accordingly. The authors explore questions of ecclesiology and establish the theological foundations for social engagement as they examine what it means to be a people defined by relationship with the triune God. Arguing that the church has a mandate to see the world transformed, they suggest a model of engagement that would empower believers to act as agents of transformation in all realms of society, while remaining deeply rooted in their calling as ambassadors of a heavenly kingdom. This book brings hope and conviction in equal measures as it reawakens the church to a consciousness of its identity, its calling, and its powerful potential to bring change in the here and now.