Stories of poor mental health among children and teenagers are sadly prevalent today, including young people going through depression, anxiety and even death by suicide. Mental health challenges occur on a continuum, so it is important to be aware of developing…
Pope Leo Urges Youth Toward Real Relationships In A Digital Age
In a dusty Roman field echoing with youthful energy and hope, Pope Leo XIV delivered a clear and urgent message to over a million young people gathered for the Jubilee of Youth: “You are not a product. Your relationships are…
New book explores the good, the bad and the weepy about church camp
Years attending and later working at Christian summer camps left Cara Meredith feeling somewhat ambivalent about letting her own children experience what is essentially an evangelical rite of passage. So perplexing was the question that it helped inspire her new…
Some Baptist churches embrace Trail Life as alternative to Boy Scouts
Trail Life USA, a “boy-centered” and “Christ-centered” alternative to the Boy Scouts launched in 2014, has grown to 65,000 members, thanks in part to church partners, especially Baptists. Trail Life has 1,309 troops, 400 of them in Baptist churches. For…
New book brings Baptist heroes to life for children and youth
The Baptist History and Heritage Society has released an e-book designed to bring 14 of history’s greatest Baptists to life for older children and youth. Portraits of Courage: Stories of Baptist Heroes includes curriculum, discussion points and hands-on activities focused…
Should I force my child to go to church?
In my years of serving as a pastor to students and their families, I’ve heard the following question phrased in a few different ways: Should I force my child to go to church if they don’t want to? In the…
The kids are not all right
A 20-year old tried to assassinate a presidential candidate this weekend. Now I know that, technically, we consider 20-year-olds adults. But I teach 20-year-olds. I know they’re still somewhere between childhood and adulthood, their brains not yet fully formed. But…
BJC essay contest expands to allow TikTok submissions
Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty will expand its annual scholarship contest this year to include TikTok-style video submissions in addition to traditional written essays that explore the link between Christian nationalism and book bans. “It’s critical for us to…
Skinny-dipping at a church picnic
The first time I went skinny-dipping was at a church picnic. If I’m lying, I’m dying. As of this writing, brothers Ron and Steve Wilson are still alive — by some miracle — and can verify the bare facts of…
At holidays, LGBTQ youth homelessness spikes
The holidays may be winding down, but for some LGBTQ youth, year-end celebrations mark the beginning of a very different season: experiencing homelessness. According to Marian Edmonds-Allen, executive director of Parity NYC, a faith-based organization focused on healing divisions between…
50 years later, I’m still embarrassed to admit what a stranger at church taught me about being welcome
I’ve been interested in Mary Magdalene lately for some unknown reason. Hers is a fascinating story, and to be honest, everything we know about her would barely fill a small paragraph. Here it is: Mary Magdalene was a Jewish woman…
American young people report huge gaps between what matters to them and what appears to matter to the church
Young people in America do not believe churches care about the issues that are important to them — by double-digit disparities — according to a new national survey released today. Springtide Research specializes in data and resources related to the…