Sorry it’s been so long since posting anything. It’s been a little more hectic the past few weeks for some reason. Anyways, I thought I’d write a little bit about why I’ve decided to go ahead and pursue an M.A. degree from Luther Seminary. Desire. Since my junior year in college I have planned on […]
Halo 3
I love it when theologically astute people comment on youth ministry issues. D.W. Congdon, Princeton M.Div. Student, has commented on the recent NY Times article about youth ministries using Halo 3 to attract a crowd. Good thoughts. A quote: If a church wants to be relevant to teenage boys, there are plenty of other ways, […]
Prayer and Capitalism
There’s a great post over at Inhabitatio Dei. An excerpt: [I]n the actual practice of making decisions and establishing agendas and practices in Christian ministries today, it is the flow of money or its absence that is accorded primal theological significance. How decisions get made regarding the shape and focus of the ministerial life is […]
100 Answers in (around) 100 Words
Over at Life in Student Ministry, Tim Schmoyer has a post on “100 blog topics I hope YOU to write.” Well, I’m done. I have tried to answer every topic with one (different) word. Some are serious, others are tongue-in-cheek. You’ll have to decide for yourself. How to use Facebook for ministry: Groups. How to […]
Kevin Vanhoozer on Youth Ministry
Okay, well, he doesn’t exactly comment on youth ministry. But in an interview at The Exiled Preacher, Vanhoozer is asked about the pastor’s task as theologian. I’ve argued elsewhere that a youth minister has a similar theological responsibility, and think there are obvious parallels. Guy Davies: In the Drama of Doctrine, you suggested that the […]
In good company
As I’ve said before, I believe that ecclesiology is the number one problem facing youth ministry (and the church) today. It seems I am in good company. In my inbox today was the monthly E-Journal from Fuller Seminary’s Center for Youth and Family Ministry (All youth ministers should subscribe to this and actually read it). […]
The Covenant of YHWH and the Death of Jesus
Warning: possible heretical thoughts may follow. What follows isn’t exactly a deeply held dogmatic belief (in fact, I would say I don’t even believe it), but something that has been rolling around in my head for a few years. It is more the outworking of theological creativity and imagination. I have read fairly widely over […]
On Jeremiah 29:11
Maybe I’ll start a series sometimes on the most mis-interpreted verses of the Bible. For now, I would like to begin with Jeremiah 29:11. We see this probably most of all around high school graduation time. College graduation probably takes second place, since the kids who were Christians at high school graduation aren’t anymore by […]
Best Youth Ministry Books: Postmodern Youth Ministry
Postmodern Youth Ministry by Tony Jones is the book I would recommend to youth ministers if they could just read one youth ministry book. I first read the book in my Foundations and Practices of Youth Ministry class at John Brown University. After the preface to the book there is a page titled, “The Day […]
Best Youth Ministry Books Series
In the coming days I am going to begin a new series of posts looking at what I consider some of the best youth ministry books. The list at this point includes: Postmodern Youth Ministry by Tony Jones Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mike Yaconelli The Godbearing Life by Kenda Creasy Dean The series will include […]