Youth ministry in its modern manifestation is relatively young, having only emerged in the first half of the twentieth century. Scholars have dedicated much ink to youth ministry’s problems in its initial generation. In particular, the field has…
We moved into a new house a few months ago. My youngest sat in her new bedroom, and the smell of fresh paint was as vivid as the tears on her face. She told me she was crying…
Ragnarök. Leave it up to Marvel’s Thor to put an esoteric concept from ancient Norse mythology on the tongue of every 13-year old within 100 miles of me. In actual Norse legend, Ragnarök is an apocalypse the heroes…
In the aftermath of tragedies like the recent shooting in Sutherland Springs, the national response in the world of social media is fairly predictable. In the hours immediately following the news of lives lost, the nation joins together…
In the United States, nineteen percent of high school graduates are illiterate. That’s a tragedy with lifelong implications. In U.S. churches, one-third of youth group alumni do not know what the Gospel is. In one study, this one-third…
“Can I talk to Dad now?” Right in mid-sentence, my college daughter interrupted me and asked for the phone to be handed over to my husband. She had called me – upset and stressed out – needing someone…
Over the last decade, studies have shown that churches have failed to fulfill primary function of the church for kids: to make lasting disciples of Christ. Surveys estimate that seventy-percent of church attending teenagers leave the church after…
People do not come to church anymore because Jesus Christ is glorified; they come to church because that is where they can be entertained and feel good about themselves.
Recently, I spoke with someone who gave quite the defense for Open Theism and why he believed it fell within the bounds of evangelicalism. The concept of Open Theism is illustrated well by Greg Boyd in his book,…
