Friday Review (9/6/24)
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
An Upside-Down Guide to High School, by Soren Beeson (The Bee Hive)
Within moments of high school, my subconscious was flooded with expectations, ideals, and possibilities for a happy life. Fast forward four years and I now have my diploma in hand and high school in the rear view mirror. Looking back I can confidently say my hopes were not all they were cracked up to be (but there is truth in all of them).
Biblical & Theological Studies
Who Is Supposed to “Be Still and Know That I Am God”?, by Mitch Chase (Biblical Theology)
Have you ever considered, though, that we might not be thinking of the right primary audience for those words in Psalm 46:10? What if the command—“Be still, and know that I am God”—isn’t spoken to believers?
10 Errors to Avoid When Talking about Sanctification and the Gospel, by Kevin DeYoung (Clearly Reformed)
Sometimes the truth can be seen more clearly when we state its negation. So rather than stating what we should believe about sanctification, I’d like to explain what we should not believe or should not say. Each of these points is taken directly from one or more of the Reformed confessions or catechisms.
Cultural Reflection & Contextualization
The rise of cultural Christianity, by Madeleine Davies (The New Statesman)
For lots of younger worshippers, it’s the “weird” aspects of the faith that appeal – attempts to water that down are occasionally described, pejoratively, as “Boomer religion”. But for the great majority who don’t go to church – and who increasingly identify as “None” – what importance does a conversation about cultural Christianity really hold?
Watch Your Heart in an Election Year, by Casey McCall (Remembrance of Former Days)
Truth and righteousness become elastic concepts that bend at the discretion of whoever stands behind the podium. When it comes to doing what’s right, it’s damned, if you do it; justified endlessly, if we do it. When it comes to truth-telling, the rules change based on who’s doing the talking.
Pastoral Ministry
The Dutiful Introvert, by Tim Challies
If I was going to be hospitable, if I was going to faithfully instruct others in the Word, and if I was going to know and be known by the people I would lead and love, I would need to address some of my natural tendencies. While being a leader in a church would not require a personality transplant, it would require a willingness to deny some of my own comfort.
How the Gospel Shapes Our Gathering, by Trent Hunter (Lifeway Research)
Of course, the church’s pastors need to understand these matters. But there’s something to say for church members knowing what goes on behind the walls as well. Consider this: for all the weekly, monthly, and annual patterns prescribed under the old covenant, the Lord’s Day gathering is our one new covenant pattern. Allow me to give you a tour of how that looks at our church.
When Borders Change, Stay Settled, by Trevin Wax (The Gospel Coalition)
There’s no need to dig in. Just stand. Stay settled. Keep the main thing the main thing. Be a gospel person willing to hear and heed the whole counsel of God, no matter what borders change, no matter what new boundary markers appear, no matter what shibboleths those in power say you must utter if you’re to be accepted or to maintain influence.
Family & Parents
Where Are the Children?, by Karen Wade Hayes
Parenting often feels more like keeping schoolwork ever before the children and showing them how to clean their rooms. It seems easier to teach them how to earn a living than to live in the light of eternity.
Parents, Restrain Your Children, by Paul Carter (The Gospel Coalition Canada)
The area of the brain associated with anticipating consequences is the last to reach operational maturity. As such, a developing child or adolescent needs a mature adult, with authority in his or her life to say an occasional NO.
From YPT this week
Teaching the Broader Gospel: Creation by Andrew Slay
What does it mean to begin teaching the wonder and beauty of the gospel as something that begin in Creation?