Ryan Burge — pastor, author and statistician — frequently shares intriguing research data on his Twitter account. On Nov. 19, Burge tweeted a graph showing the dramatic decrease in the amount of recorded U.S. teen pregnancies with the caption, “Can…
When forced to choose between their ministry and their transgender child, this family chose love
Chris and Lindsay Kinman landed their dream job in Christian ministry and thought they had no greater heights to scale. And then they gave it all up for the love of their son. This is a story about the power…
3 big questions can open a dialogue between adults and teenagers
Before stepping into the world of journalism, I served almost 20 years as a youth pastor and loved just about every minute of it. If you ask just about anyone working with or parenting a teenager, they will tell you…
Anti-transgender bills introduced in more than a dozen state legislatures
While transgender rights are being expanded by the Biden administration in Washington, D.C., bills have been introduced in more than a dozen state legislatures that would narrow rights for transgender persons, especially minors, and for their parents and caregivers. This…
Why progressive Christians need to talk more about sin
Reclaiming ways of talking collectively about the great harm our culture demands we do to one another in order to survive – without turning ourselves and other people into the problem (into sinners) – is the whole purpose of atonement: to scapegoat the scapegoat and not one another.
‘Almost Christian’ youth and the challenge of passing on a robust faith
One author notes that “if teenagers lack an articulate faith, maybe it is because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation.” How can we entrust the treasure of the Gospel in faithful ways for those who follow us?
Teens say social media deepens friendships. Some aren’t buying it.
If I have 1,100 people I am friends with on Facebook, how many of those friends do I really have relationships with?
With little opportunity for youth and children — or almost anyone else — Christian community builds chances from the ground up
Helms Jarrell, co-director of the QC Family Tree intentional Christian community, had given crystal-clear instructions for the youth group’s annual trip to Boone, N.C. They had just hauled a van-full of Enderly Park teenagers up from Charlotte and the group…
8 topics that ought to be on every youth minister’s agenda
One of the hardest jobs in a church these days is that of youth minister. Not just because the schedule of activities can be grueling or the work can be physically demanding. The reason, instead, is ever-increasing demands placed on…