* Students learn only a small part of what you teach them. They learn what teachers are excited about, what they talk about all the time.
* If you merely assume the gospel while being excited about implications of the gospel, then the next generation may not even assume the gospel. Keep central what is central.
The unreservedness of life together makes one person open to another; in the conflict between determination for truth with all of its consequences and the will for community, the latter prevails. This is characteristic of all American thought, particularly as I have observed it in theology and the church; they do not see the radical claim of truth on the shaping of their lives. Community is therefore founded less on truth than on the spirit of “fairness”.
Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.
Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith has studied Millenials (18-29) extensively. In his book, Souls in Transition, he found that a few of defining characteristics of this generation are that life is marked by transitions and incessant change, that there is a focus on going from dependance to independence and standing on one’s own feet, and that in the midst of the pace of change in their lives there is ‘so much to figure out’ - skills, tasks, responsibilities - to keep moving forward.
Eric Mason, lead pastor at Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, recently spoke directly and helpfully at how to minister in transient populations in an article at the Resurgence. Here are his main points:
Read the entire article at the Resurgence.
Amidst the chaos that has marked the last couple weeks in Egypt comes a photo like this, Egyptian Christians forming a human shield to protect praying Muslims.
(via GOOD)
Many today who are becoming interested in the interrelationship of the gospel to broader doing-mercy-type deeds tend to run the stereotypes like this: “The previous generation came down either on the social-transformation side or on the gospel-fidelity side, and we want to put together both.” These stereotypes don’t work. Do not get yourself in the place where you are thinking self-righteously about those who have come before you. It’s so easy for any generation to start saying, “They did it this way wrong and this way wrong, but we’ve got it right.” Avoid casting what you’re trying to do on the background of a stereotype in which everybody else has got it wrong. It’s not good for you spiritually, and it’s not fair historically.
In New York they preach about virtually everything; only one thing is not addressed, or is addressed so rarely that I have as yet been unable to hear it, namely, the gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin, and forgiveness, death and life.
