Friday Review (10/20/23)
Each week we compile a list of helpful articles from other sites, in a variety of categories, for youth workers to read, reflect on, and/or discuss with parents and volunteers. If you have any articles you’d like to suggest, we’d love for you to share those in the Youth Pastor Theologian Facebook group. That’s a great way to bring them to our attention and to discuss them with like-minded youth workers! (Inclusion in this list does not imply complete agreement with the publishing source, but we have found these articles to be beneficial.)
Youth Ministry
Ministering in “the Middle”: Relating to Students As They Discover Who They Are in Christ, by Brian Ryu (Rooted)
There are plenty of grown adults in my own social orbit who are still growing in their own self-awareness, myself included. This is even more so the case for our teenage students. Any youth pastor can tell you how complicated it is for a teenager to grow in their self-awareness and identity in Jesus Christ. When students are relationally distant, does that mean they are simply shy? If a student acts disrespectfully, does that mean he’s poorly mannered? What are they really thinking, anyway?
Biblical & Theological Studies
Even Heretics Know Hebrew, by Kevin Vanhoozer (Desiring God)
In today’s intellectual milieu, pride and sloth are the two chief interpretive vices. Partisan pride protects its beliefs behind the shield of identity politics, while systemic sloth shrugs indifferently at the pursuit of truth itself. In response, today’s Bible interpreters need more than the right kind of method; they need to be the right kind of people: readers marked by interpretive virtue rather than interpretive vice.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
As Asian American Christians Decline, Most ‘Nones’ Still Feel Close to Religion, by Isabel Ong (Christianity Today)
Despite Pew’s evaluation of Christianity as a religion in decline, the Asian American Christian leaders and scholars CT interviewed expressed hopeful sentiments for what the Asian American church will look like in the years to come.
An Assessment of Andy Stanley’s Unconditional Conference, by Alan Shlemon (Stand to Reason)
There’s hope, though. If we expose the hidden premise, offer a third way, adopt the biblical notion of love, and base our theology on Scripture, we can hold the line.
Pastoral Ministry
Counseling for Normal Christians, by Scott Hubbard (Desiring God)
If only people came with a sign on the forehead: “Admonishment needed”; “Encouragement, please”; “A little help will do.” But they don’t. Instead, people come to us just as we come to others: compound and complex, confused and confusing. People are seas, with hearts hidden deep. And God calls us to be divers.
The Role of Women in Healthy Church Formation, by Madeline Arthington (9Marks)
Maybe this is a way I can lean into relationships and support the body. So, with a renewed mind, I’m coming back to the conversation and praying the Lord will show me what it truly means to help the church, for the glory of God and the good of his body. I hope you do the same.
Family & Parents
How to Pray for Your Teen’s Spiritual Growth, by Jon Nielson (Crossway)
If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, you already know that you must pray for your teenage child. But perhaps you struggle with how exactly to pray . . . and for what, specifically, you should pray. I’ll offer here seven specific prayers that I’m praying for my own (almost) teenager, and which I’d encourage you to pray for yours.
It Matters for Kids That Jesus Was a Child Too, by Abbey Wedgeworth (The Gospel Coalition)
If you asked a child to draw a picture of Jesus, you’d likely end up with one of two options: a baby in a manger or a man on a cross. It would probably depend on what time of year it was. We talk a lot about “baby Jesus” at Christmas, and we talk a lot about a Jesus in his early 30s who died on a cross around Easter. But lately, I’ve been talking with my kids about the life of Christ—specifically mentioning he was a child.
Dads, Daughters, and Differentiation, by Gordon Bals (Rooted)
Too often the ways children are different from their parents cause confusion and pain instead of leading us toward interdependence and deeper understanding. Differentiation is the process of recognizing, sharing, appreciating, and celebrating your differences. The health and vibrancy of our human relationships is dependent on differentiating well, reflecting trinitarian-like love.
From YPT this week
YPT Podcast Episode 46: Resources for Youth Workers with John Perritt
A shared episode with Reformed Youth Ministry, highlighting some resources for youth workers.
Six Reasons Teenagers Want to Learn Doctrine, by Bryan Barrineau
Do teenagers actually want to learn the Bible, doctrine, or theology at Youth Group? Here are six reasons they do!
Should Christians Watch Horror Movies?, by Jack Fitzgibbons
With Halloween quickly approaching and the release of The Exorcist, many Christian teenagers and parents may not only be wrestling with questions surrounding Halloween but also with scary movies.