Friday Review (4/27/23)

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

From Doubting Thomas to Believing Thomas: How to Help Our Teenagers Deal With Doubts and Questions, by Matt Brown (Rooted) 

When our teenagers are sniffing around and asking questions, they aren’t doing it out of ill-intent, they are curious. We all have more information available to us via the internet than ever before. It’s easy enough for us to go down internet rabbit holes. Teenagers who are still emotionally immature (which isn’t their fault) can have a difficult time sifting through incorrect information. They need to be able to ask questions and search for answers, especially in church.  If not, their faith will be built on sand and not a solid foundation.

Biblical & Theological Studies

Analogies for the Trinity Considered, Including Bad Ones, by Philip Cary (Logos)

I think what’s flummoxing these pastors is the mistaken notion that teaching the doctrine of the Trinity means explaining how God is three in one. By contrast, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, which are the two most important confessions of faith that teach the doctrine of the Trinity, never even use the word “three.” They say nothing about “how God is three in one.” Rather, they teach that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You can count to three if you want, but it’s hardly essential, and in fact you’ll understand the doctrine better if you forget about counting.

Should We Use the Words "Old Testament"?, by Mitch Chase (Biblical Theology)

Occasionally a Bible reader will push back on the nomenclature, arguing that Christians should call those books the “Hebrew Bible” or the “Hebrew Scriptures” or the “Tanak” or the “First Testament” or the “Jewish Bible” instead of the “Old Testament.” The Old Testament is indeed written in Hebrew, and those thirty-nine books are indeed Holy Scripture. But should we really avoid the label “Old Testament”?

Why Use Bible Commentaries?, by Brian Tabb (The Gospel Coalition)

Trusted commentaries are an essential part of a theological library, taking their place alongside standard lexicons, Bible dictionaries, and works of historical, systematic, biblical, and pastoral theology. While consulting commentaries is valuable, it’s a poor substitute for doing the hard work of carefully and prayerfully poring over the biblical text in its original language and in good translations.

Cultural Reflection & Contextualization

Once More, Church and Culture, by Brad East (Mere Orthodoxy)

As I see it, there is no one “correct” type, posture, or model. Instead, the church has four primary modes of faithful engagement with culture. They are inevitably overlapping and essentially non-competitive with one another. Which mode is called for depends entirely on context and content. Rare is the time when the church would forego any of them; typically they are all at work simultaneously, whether in the same community, in different communities, or in individual members of the larger church. Each mode applies in every possible historical and political context: premodern and postmodern, established and disestablished, privileged and persecuted.

How J. K. Rowling Played, then Lost, the Polarization Game, by Samuel James (The Gospel Coalition)

Rowling, more so than almost any other author, leveraged the expressive individualism intrinsic to the social media age to craft, and sell, a narrative about herself and her stories. In an age in which activists will cancel and decry pop culture artifacts for being insufficiently political, Rowling’s history illustrates the danger of pandering to this phenomenon and the way both art and political discourse suffer accordingly.

Pastoral Ministry

Moses, the Mountain, and a Mass of Email, by Rob Golding (Fight of Faith)

To “come down the mountain” prematurely to handle business is a subtle form of idolatry that I, and many Christians, struggle with constantly. It is to believe the billboards and braggadocios billionaires that claim we can have everything we want if we try hard and believe in ourselves. But Moses stands as a gleaming example in the dark storms of modern self-aggrandizement, reminding us that to sit at the feet of the Lord—even when spiritual tragedy surrounds us—is good and proper.

4 Benefits of Developing Position Papers in a Ministry Context, by Eric Geiger

The goal was not to replace or improve on that statement of faith, but to show how our statement of faith informs how we view sexuality, gender, the image of God, marriage and divorce, political engagement, etc... Going through the process of developing position papers increased our clarity, confidence, compassion, and consistency.

Family & Parents

Autism In The Church – A Parent’s Perspective, by Sophie Killingley (Evangelical Magazine)

Realistically it can be hard for autistic people to fit into church life. Church can be a place full of overwhelming strange sounds and people, a frightening place that sometimes can be tolerated, but is sometimes just too hard to be in. Here are my top three tips for those wanting to help autistic people and their families in church.

Family Discipleship Though Daily Conversation, by Angela Tiland (Rooted)

When our children experience betrayal or witness the heartache around them, they may wonder if God is good. As we walk alongside our children, we meet them in the mess and show them how God’s truth is resolute, even there. The world is scary. But “out there” is where truth comes alive, and where our children are asked to apply theology.

From YPT this week

The Most Important Thing a Youth Ministry Can Do, by Mike McGarry

What is the most important thing youth pastors can do in youth group to help students develop lifelong faith in Christ?

YPT Podcast Episode 35: Helping Parents Prepare for the Teen Years  with Kristen Hatton

How can youth workers understand and encourage parents of teenagers? Kristen Hatton shares counsel from her new book, Parenting Ahead.