Monthly Review: July 2024
Each month this summer, 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
Why Jesus’ Ascension Matters for Youth Ministry, by Emmie Thompson (Rooted)
I want to contend for the vital place that Christ’s ascension plays in communicating the gospel to anyone, particularly to our students. When you sit across from a teenager who is heartbroken about her own failings or the sins of the world, you can point her to the finished work of Jesus. The picture of his complete work is not just the cross, but Jesus—fully God and fully man—sitting with our Father even now.
How Teens Can Contribute Right Away, by Steve Burchett (Christian Communicators Worldwide)
One of the joys of pastoring has been seeing teens come to faith in Christ and desiring to serve in the church. But they often need guidance to know how they might contribute. Here are a few valuable ways teens can participate at church meetings right away:
Biblical & Theological Studies
When We Target Sin But Diminish Suffering, by Bob Kellemen (New Growth Press)
When I talk about addressing both sin and suffering, some people will raise the question, “Are you saying that our greatest problem is our brokenness and victimization, not our personal sinfulness?” That’s an important question that deserves careful consideration. What I am saying is summarized in the following points.
Could You Be Emphasizing the Saving Work of Christ Too Much?, by Marcus Peter Johnson (Crossway)
In far too many evangelical expressions of the gospel, the saving work of Christ has been so distanced from his person that the notion of a saving personal union with the incarnate, crucified, resurrected, living Jesus strikes us as rather outlandish.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
Our Culture Is Obsessed with Being Seen. But Jesus Calls Us to Be Hidden, by Rich Villodas (Christianity Today)
To be known and seen is one of our deepest longings. But left to our own devices (pun intended), we get stuck in a never-ending cycle of performative spirituality, where we seek to get from others what can be given only by God.
The Disney Princess Whose Heart Isn't Worth Following, by Samuel D. James (New Growth Press)
If The Little Mermaid, Frozen, and Moana represent three classic examples of expressive individualism—following your heart, despite what the people who love you say, and crafting your sense of identity in the process—the Inside Out films are a counterpoint. They suggest that, in the real world, human beings are fallible, flawed creatures whose deepest longings can be untrue, misguided, or even corrupt.
Pastoral Ministry
Why Balance is Bad for Pastors, by Barnabas Piper
I have come to realize, though, that trying to balance ministry and family life is just another name for pitting the two against each other. It is a paradigm for unnecessary conflict. It puts them at opposite ends of a seesaw, which means one is nearly always up while the other is necessarily down. We need a new way of thinking about the relationship between family and ministry than “balance.” Two foundational biblical realities can help us see a new paradigm.
‘Discipleship’ is life, by T.M. Suffield (Nuakh)
Is it good and right that some people talk about how we learn to follow Jesus? Yes. That’s what I’m doing after all, I’m sketching the contours of ‘discipleship.’ But, it isn’t a ‘thing’ we do as though we added it onto the rest of our life. It is life.
Family & Parents
Theological Discernment Is for Moms Too, by Lara D’Entremont (A Faithful Imagination)
Sister, let me encourage you that theological discernment doesn’t need to be intimidating. This may be a weighty task, but it’s also an honor we’ve been given as mothers in teaching and loving our families.
Biblically Honoring Your Parents: Part 2, by Rosalyn Auyeung (Sola Network)
When the subject of honoring parents is brought up in counseling, the question we are really asking is, what does love look like in the context of the parent-child relationship? While there is no formula to wisdom, Scripture offers biblical principles that you can use to navigate these seemingly impossible relationships with your parents. Here are five guiding questions to help you think through what it may look like to honor your parents.
From YPT this month
Teaching God’s Design for Sex and Gender to Students by Andrew Slay
How can youth workers teach God’s good design for sex and gender to students?
YPT in Action is a series that profiles a youth ministry to show what a theologically-rich youth ministry looks like in various contexts.
YPT in Action: Jennifer Kvamme
YPT in Action is a series that profiles a youth ministry to show what a theologically-rich youth ministry looks like in various contexts.
Book Review: The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Tim Franks
What is Bonhoeffer’s classic book “The Cost of Discipleship” still highly regarded and how can it help youth count the cost of following Jesus in this secular age?
YPT in Action: Ericson Joubert
YPT in Action is a series that profiles a youth ministry to show what a theologically-rich youth ministry looks like in various contexts.