Friday Review (3/11/22)
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.)
Biblical/Theological Studies
3 Controversies Every Christian Should Know by Adriel Sanchez (Core Christianity)
Throughout the history of the church, Trinitarian controversy has centered on how the Persons of the Trinity relate to one another. Here are three controversies every Christian should be aware of…
The Bible Has a Clear and Consistent ‘Party Theology’ by Kyle Idleman (Christianity Today)
In the Bible, there’s a clear and consistent party theology. Missiologist Alan Hirsch says, “Party is sacrament.” Could it be we have lost something vital God wants for his people?
Did God or People Write the Bible? by Shara Drimalla (Bible Project)
The biblical authors saw themselves as writing words that communicated God’s message and carried God’s divine authority. They did not see their human participation in the writing as a diminishment of the divine nature of the message.
Cultural Reflection/Contextualization
The Twitching Generation by Helen Lewis (The Atlantic)
Around the world, doctors have noticed teenage patients reporting the sudden onset of tics. Is this the first illness spread by social media?
8 Resources to Help Pray for Ukraine (Lifeway)
Here are several accounts, including some first-hand, on the events in Ukraine and how believers can pray for and support those in danger.
Joe Rogan and the Search for Transcendence by Phil Cotnoir (The Gospel Coalition)
To these young people, Rogan offers not only entertainment through interesting interviews but also a taste of re-enchantment through his curiosity and wonder, the promises of technology, and his experiences and endorsements of psychedelic substances as gateways to wisdom and knowledge. This is where I see a connection between Joe Rogan’s massive popularity and influence and the unexpected reappearance of New Age spirituality in young people.
As Long As We Love God... by Larry Davis (Knowing Jesus Ministries)
What if we loved God enough to flee from sexual immorality? What if we loved others enough to point them to God’s objective truth that is for their flourishing?
Pastoral Ministry
Why is Evangelism Hard? If you Want the Real Answer, Don’t Ask a Pastor by Stephen McAlpine (StephenMcAlpine.com)
Pastors, your average congregant is not not evangelising because they don’t see the danger, the value or the joy. They aren’t evangelising because the church they belong to has not equipped them for what the rest of the week looks like, simply because what that week looks like is a completely foreign world to most pastoral staff members.
Take the Long View of Discipleship by Susan Hunt (The Gospel Coalition)
Now, at age 82, I see more clearly that discipleship is entering into those long stories Jesus is writing and trusting him to put his law within people and “write it on their hearts” (Jer. 31:33). I have lived long enough to see the Lord do immeasurably more than I could have imagined asking in my 20s (Eph. 3:20).
Family/Parents
A Christian Mother’s Identity by Rebecca VanDoodewaard (Gentle Reformation)
There was a time before we were mothers, and there will be a time when we will no longer be mothers. But our identity as children of a heavenly Father is eternal. This identity also has massive implications for motherhood.
From YPT this week
Information Transfer or Heart Transformation? by Alex Tufano
A desire to teach students theology and doctrine is a great thing, and that involves a certain amount of information. Here are three ideas for pursuing heart transformation rather than settling for information transfer.
YPT in Action: Nick Hartman by Nick Hartman
“YPT in Action” is an ongoing series where we hear from various youth workers about what it means for them to be a youth pastor theologian who builds their ministry to students on a biblical foundation. This edition features Nick Hartman.