Friday Review (12/13/24)

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

Developing a Theological Vision for Youth Ministry, by Michael Goldstein (Rooted)

As a youth minister, I knew I needed to help our students adopt the gospel of Jesus and Scripture as their main interpretive grid, by which they view the rest of life. This is where theological depth in youth ministry becomes essential. Depth is a key word because it describes something that penetrates beyond the surface in order to enact real growth and transformation.

Biblical & Theological Studies

Was Jesus Really Born of a Virgin? Does It Matter?, by Alisa Childers (Cross Examined)

If Jesus had been conceived by the seed of Joseph instead of by the Holy Spirit, He would have received a sin nature, and would not be fully God. As a descendant of Jeconiah, He would not have had a right to the throne of Israel, and He could not have been the promised Messiah.

Why Jesus Reigns in His Resurrection (and Why This Matters for Us), by Jeff Brannon (The Gospel Coalition)

Embedded in this hope is that God’s people will one day conquer death and reign over creation as God purposed. In this article, I highlight how the twin themes of resurrection and reign come together in Christ’s person and work. In his resurrection, Jesus reigns over the enemies of sin and death and therefore reigns over creation.

Satan’s “Pastor’s Heart”, by Rob Golding (Fight of Faith)

However, this is the X-ray view. Satan does not present himself in this way to the world. Revelation tells us what he truly looks like (theologically, not visually, speaking), but it also tells us how he presents himself. Almost on every page, Satan is described as one who mimics Christ.

Cultural Reflection & Contextualization

The Transition to Ambivalent World, by Seth Troutt (World)

Ambivalence is the coexistence of conflicting feelings. America today craves moral coherence and resists it, it seeks transcendence while reveling in immanence. Ambivalent World means that where someone spends time on the internet means more than where they sleep at night in regard to their political assumptions and spiritual plausibility structures.

Pastoral Ministry

Godliness Is Not Unattainable. Your Elders Prove You Can Be Godly, by Stephen Kneale (Building Jerusalem)

If you don’t think your elders are super-godly men (and you’d be right), that should encourage you because the Bible says they are godly by this criteria. Which means, if they are godly, you can be godly too because godliness looks like this.

You Should Preach a Topical Sermon, by Jeremy Jessen (The Gospel Coalition)

So if I’m committed to expositional preaching, how do I address those important but occasional questions that arise? Are expository preachers allowed to preach topical sermons? If they decide to do so, what would that look like?

Family & Parents

Six Questions Our Children Have that Demand Answers, by Walt Brock (Growing Fathers)

The answers to these six key questions will be the cement of their future lives’ foundation. When children ask these questions, the answers they receive and accept will lead them to either a worldly or a biblical, God-honoring philosophy of life.

Take Heed Lest You Fall into an Affair, by O. Alan Noble (You Are Not Your Own)

Let me say a word here about what will not protect you from an affair: a great sex life. And what will not cause you to fall into an affair: a cold sex life. It’s certainly true that the warmth of a healthy marriage, which includes sexual intimacy, makes the allure of temptation less appealing. But like all safeguards, temptation can always find a way. And in the end, you have agency. You have the agency to choose to follow your temptations or not, because Christ has freed you from the bondage to sin.

A Baby Brings Hope And A Future, by Sylvia Schroeder (When the House Is Quiet)

An antinatalist feels everyone should stop having babies. They believe that because life is imposed upon babies who have no choice in their birth or life, the loving and compassionate thing to do is to not inflict life on a child. Without babies the world dies, but certainly something else happens as well.

From YPT this week

YPT Podcast ep.86: Leading a Youth Ministry While in Seminary with Nick Hartman

How can youth workers faithfully lead their ministries while studying in seminary? Is this struggle even worth it?

Heroes of Christmas: Joseph by Mike McGarry

We don’t know much about Joseph, but here’s what we do know and a few lessons we can learn from him.