Contact: Pam Sparks, .W Publishing, 719-362-5237, publishing@wholelifeoffering.com; www.wholelifeoffering.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 12, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- The 2010-2011 school year is winding down, and for many Christian high school and college students, this is the time of year to prepare for summer missions trips and choosing which causes they will commit themselves to in years to come. But pastor and author Eric Foley warns students against participating only in those causes they are most passionate about.

"Scripture never permits the people of God to spend themselves in the causes that most interest them. The calling for every Christian is to imitate Christ, who offered his whole life for the sake of humanity; not just those fragmented parts he was particularly moved by."

According to Foley, the propensity among Christians today to allow their passions to guide their faith journey, while trusting that the passions of others will eventually balance the Biblical causes -- what he calls "Works of Mercy" -- within the Church, results in a distorted view of God.

"Every Christian life is meant to reflect the comprehensive love of God. When we only choose the one or two aspects of God's love we like the most and reflect those into the world, our reflection of him works about as well as shards of a shattered mirror."

In his new book, The Whole Life Offering: Christianity as Philanthropy, Foley contends that becoming like Christ means resisting the temptation to work solely in the area of one's passions and instead participating in every work Scripture calls believers to. A difference he describes with the terms "specialists" and "generalists."

"Scripture has never called on individual Christians to become 'specialists' in one work of mercy while neglecting the others. Instead, we are each called to become 'generalists,' fully mature in every way just as Christ himself was. Anything less cannot legitimately be considered 'Christ-likeness.'"

The Whole Life Offering releases this month and will be available for purchase as a paperback through Amazon and copies may be pre-ordered by visiting www.thewholelifeoffering.com. Rev. Foley is available for interview; contact .W Publishing at publishing@wholelifeoffering.com for more information.