The Problem With Much of American ‘Youth Ministry’
According to the author of a new book, it leads, too often, to what he calls ‘the juvenalization’ of Christianity.
In the book, Bergler traces the way in which, over seventy-five years, youth ministries have breathed new vitality into four major American church traditions — African American, Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic — even as their methods have also engendered widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism, and self-centeredness, and have popularized a feel-good faith marked by neither intergenerational community nor theological literacy. The preponderance of pop worship music, jeans, and T-shirts in church services? These, he says, can all be traced to juvenilization. So can the ubiquitous language of “falling in love with Jesus.”
Brilliant! If anything marks modern youth movements it’s precisely spiritual immaturity and consumerism and self centeredness.
An Update on Judy D.
Judy visited her family Doctor today and he insists that the E.R. misdiagnosed her condition. She doesn’t have shingles after all but inflammation of the sciatic nerve. Please continue to remember her.
From This Week’s Bulletin
Sunday is Food Drive Day. The person we’re helping with food is Don and Jennylee’s granddaughter. Please help as you can. And bring along a covered dish for our fellowship meal Sunday eve.
Tuesday at 2 you’re invited to join us for Midday Bible Study.
Wednesday Bible Study will begin at 7 and we will begin a new study titled ‘Learning the Bible’. We’ll be taking a ‘wide’ view of books of the Bible. Come and join us. The Youth group and the children’s class will meet as well.
Friday come at noon for our time of Prayer. And if you’d like to have those gathered pray for something, write it down on a piece of paper and hand it to the Pastor.
Please pray for the following churches in our Association as they seek a pastor: Cedar Grove, Central (Kingston), Clymersville, Crab Orchard, Fairview, Laurel Bluff, Oakdale First, Paradise, Pleasant Grove, and South Harriman.
From the P-J Community Meeting
Tonight at the school there was a community/school meeting. The little ones sang some songs and told some jokes. They were, as you can imagine, adorable.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
An Update on My Un-Fun Night
The Doctor seems to have decided that I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol so he’s put me on medication for both. It seems that I’m officially old.
Thanks to you all for your prayers.
