When Jesus gives the Lord Prayer, he says “your kingdom come, your will be done. on earth as it is in heaven”, not “take us away from earth and take us to heaven.”
Our guest today on the Rooted Parent Podcast is Evan Barber of Axis, a ministry that creates resources to “bridge the gap” between parents and teens. Axis creates content for parents that explains trends and fads in pop culture, along with issues of “mental health, relationships, social media, and spiritual formation.” Cameron and Anna ask Evan to explain a little bit about what makes Gen Z different from past generations, and what parents can do to overcome some of the communication challenges between parents and children. Evan gives some practical advice, particularly about how to avoid shutting down the conversation when differing opinions arise. Best of all, Evan shares with us what aspects of the gospel will resonate most deeply with today’s teenagers, and how parents can demonstrate living in the tension between the now and the not yet of God’s kingdom.
Resources:
- Axis.org: “Connecting Parents, Teens, and Jesus in a Disconnected World.
- for the Culture Translator newsletter, subscribe here
- Scripture: Matthew 6:5-14
- Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation by Christian Smith
- 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager: Making the Most of Your Conversations and Connections by Kara Powell
Further Resources on Rooted:
- Fear Factor in Parenting: Fear of the Culture with Collin Hansen
- How to Engage Culture with Your Students and Kids by Seth Stewart
- What Youth Pastors Would Like to Tell Parents: The Culture is More Hostile Than You Think by Taylor Mendoza
- Utilizing Youth Culture Series: Part One and Part Two by Mark Howard
- How to Engage Culture with Your Kids – podcast with Seth Stewart