n an age of feel-good Christianity, it is perhaps counter-intuitive to stress the cross of Jesus, let alone to insist that it is the indispensable key to Christianitys global future. Yet, far from hiding in rosy scenarios of global peace and Christian unity, Olav Fykse Tveit here lifts up the cross -- with its promise of suffering and contradiction -- not only as a sign of personal reconciliation with God but also as the call, the challenge, and the agent of effective ecumenical Christian witness in the world today. The cross, he asserts in these meditative reflections, offers Christians a specific lens on reality, opens us up to the world, and provides a key for discerning the worlds needs, authentic discipleship and true agency in an imperilled world.