Topic
Youth
When pioneering Christian educator Henrietta Mears rewrote the youth ministry curriculum at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, California in the 1950s, she couldn’t have predicted how the field would explode during the next 50 years. Today the Christian youth movement is packed with camps, conventions, short-term missions trips, small groups, peer to peer evangelism ministries, after-school prayer sessions, and more. Organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ, Youth Specialties, Young Life, and others have emerged as guides and innovators in leading and discipling young people. Scholarship of youth and religion has also increased dramatically: the groundbreaking 2001 National Study of Youth and Religion was one of the first to track how youth perceive and act on spiritual ideas as they grow up. In many cases, young people themselves have started their own ministries, taking up social justice causes and spurring their peers on to good works.
The New Apostates
More than in previous generations, 20- and 30- somethings are abandoning the faith. Why?
November 19, 2010
YWAM's First 50 Years
In its first 50 years, YWAM has deployed four million workers in 240 countries. Now it sets its sights on 152 remaining unreached people groups.
December 8, 2010
More on Youth
The Awkward-but-Important HPV Vaccine Conversation
Why I changed my mind about vaccinating my kids—boys and girls.
June 11, 2013
Boy Scouts' Membership Change May Grow Christian Youth Clubs
Alternative organizations saw rising interest amid debate.
May 24, 2013
Prom's Biggest Drama Queens? The Adults
Striving for moderation on high school's biggest night.
May 14, 2013
Bad Sex That "Just Happens"
Donna Frietas looks at the social pressures and cultural stereotypes that fuel the campus hookup culture.
May 2, 2013
God Didn't Make Our Bodies Only for Sex
Chastity can lead to a fuller engagement with creation.
February 21, 2013
Even Boy Scouts' Postponing Decision Is Controversial
Religious sponsors are a major reason the group made no decision on gay members and leaders.
February 7, 2013
How 'Two and a Half Men' Star Became a 'Paid Hypocrite'
Angus T. Jones explains the conversion that led him to denounce his CBS sitcom as 'filth.'
November 27, 2012
Steve Jobs, Back to School, and Why Doubt Belongs in Your Youth Group Curriculum
Our research at the Fuller Youth Institute suggests unexpressed doubt leads young people to leave the faith.
September 4, 2012
Jerry Sandusky Charity Transferring $2 Million to Christian Foster Care Agency
The Second Mile couldn't survive donor fallout from sex abuse scandal at Penn State football program.
June 14, 2012
How to Smartly Engage with the Young Doubters in Your Midst
Six ways to support those questioning the faith.
May 16, 2012
Are Secular Television Shows with Moral Messages Good for Christian Children?
An author, the creator of 'VeggieTales,' and a professor weigh in.
March 20, 2012
Youth Movement: Finns Seek Renewal
Lutheran leaders want to push out young conservatives.
July 21, 2011
When Christian Teens Doubt
Sara Zarr's 'Once Was Lost' beautifully captures the moment when an evangelical girl encounters the real world.
May 12, 2011
Sex Sells - So Does Virginity
Nickelodeon star Miranda Cosgrove is being marketed as the embodiment of purity in a sex-saturated culture. Why Christians should be concerned.
April 27, 2011
The Gospel of Grace for Women Who Self-Injure
How the church can respond as cutting and other forms of self-harm are increasingly glamorized online.
February 28, 2011
'Skins' Prompts Call for Child Porn Investigation
This time, the Parents Television Council is probably right about the British export that spotlights teens (and teen actors) engaging in a sexual free-for-all.
January 21, 2011
Youth with a Passion
In its first 50 years, YWAM has deployed four million workers in 240 countries. Now it sets its sights on 152 remaining unreached people groups.
December 8, 2010
The Leavers: Young Doubters Exit the Church
More than in previous generations, 20- and 30- somethings are abandoning the faith. Why?
November 19, 2010
Apple Takes a Bite Out of Sexting
Is a parental-control device the best way to teach teens that sending sexually explicit texts is a bad idea?
November 2, 2010
An Argument against 'Settling Down'
Instead of chastising young adults for being noncommittal, the church might encourage 20-somethings to seek what God wants them to commit 'to'.
September 14, 2010
The Glamorous Life of the Pregnant Teenager
Do pop culture's portrayals of teen pregnancy harm young women?
July 30, 2010
Stalked by a Priest
Donna Freitas's 'This Gorgeous Game', about a priest obsessed with a teenage girl, is a work of deep empathy and disturbing believability.
July 7, 2010
Sexy Evangelism
Why our narrative about sex, dating, and marriage is a gospel priority.
June 15, 2010
The Upside of Never-Empty Nests
Why having our adult daughter and son-in-law move in is not 'enabling' them.
December 5, 2009
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
Early marriage sounds great—as long as there are mature Christian men willing to initiate.
September 23, 2009
In the Loop: Pre-Sex Prayer, More Women Pastors, and Father-Daughter Baseball Bonding
What the women's blog editors are reading today.
September 17, 2009
Journalists Link Rising Teen Pregnancy Rates to Bush Administration
Rates of teen pregnancy, STDs rose during 2006-2007. Does this mean abstinence education isn't working?
July 23, 2009
The Downside of Hooking Up
The message of 'female sexual liberation' comes with a cost.
June 16, 2009
It's Never Been about the Abstinence Pledge Itself
Researchers should ask what causes teens to abstain, not whether a public vow is a magic bullet.
January 23, 2009
Taking Slackers to Task
Teen twins Alex and Brett Harris call their peers to something more.
October 21, 2008
Zondervan Launches New YA Imprint
Blink is designed for the general trade, not the Christian market (Publishers Weekly)
Church-going teens go further with school, study finds
For many American teens, the road to college goes through the chapel (Phys.org)
Missionary fellowship put big emphasis on the littlest converts - Articles
While the configuration of the world's nations is constantly in flux, Child Evangelism Fellowship leaders put the total number of countries 208, and they've given themselves until 2017 to secure a permanent presence in each of them. As of last Friday's celebration, its total stood at 180. (RNS)
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