Almost Christian: Part I

"Most American youth faithfully mirror the aspirations, lifestyles, practices and problems of the adult world into which they are being socialized.  In these ways, adolescents may actually serve as a very accurate barometer of the condition of the culture and institutions of our larger society."
~Christian Smith with Melinda Denton

     I hope those of you reading along with me are making progress in reading Almost Christian.  We talked about it on Sunday night with adults and a couple of youth and I again talked about it on Wednesday night with the youth group.  This study is to focus on us growing as disciples together.  What better way to begin than the quote above.  The faith of our youth is mirrored after the adults who are present in their lives.
     When I read books, I highlight and mark them up.  They are things that stuck out to me.  What stuck out to you?

Here are some observations from part I of Almost Christian that really stood out:
1.  Religious choices of young people echo our own (lackadaisical faith is not a youth issue, but ours)
2.  Faith is often viewed as part of a group of extra curricular activities (in my experience, often faith is down on the list with those other extra curricular activities)
3.  Not just youth directors but families, congregations, and mentors are catalysts for consequential faith.  This is key for youth to see what faithful lives look like (volunteers are valuable in lives of our youth)
4.  We "teach" young people basketball, but we "expose"them to faith.  (What are we teaching each other?  We need to be more proactive in teaching not just exposing others to faith)
5.  The chart on page 41:  The Devoted, The Regular, The Sporadic, and The Disengaged.  (I see and know at least a couple of youth that I would identify each all four of these categories)
     These are just five concepts that stood out to me.  It gives me great hope that research has shown that not just youth directors influence consequential faith, but others as well.  In a sense it takes a village to raise a child or youth.  There are so many of us that must be active in the lives of others to show our faith and live out our faith.  People (and not just young people) are paying attention and mirroring what they see.   Just some things to think about...
     Hopefully everyone is trucking along with their reading.  Check in with everyone via blog post next Monday.


Grace&Peace
Kevin