Religious Lives of Young People - "Cultivating Testimony" with Dr. Amanda Drury

Offering a testimony creates space to witness to God’s real and present hope in the world. Testimonies are necessary elements to spiritual development in adolescents as they are navigating their own journeys of faith. However, for many Christians, sharing a testimony can be an intimidating practice and a source of comparison. Personal testimonies offered on a Sunday morning or at a church camp tend to follow a three-step pattern: one was lost, one found Jesus, and now one’s life is changed. How can we view testimony in light of our past experiences and current experiences? How do we help adolescents build a faith language that helps them gain confidence in their identity?

In this episode, Chris and Eddie are joined by Dr. Amanda Drury, associate professor of practical theology at Indiana Wesleyan University. Dr. Drury defines a testimony as “a story we tell where Jesus pops up.” She believes that our testimonies are shaped by small, everyday moments and that they make space for every person from every background to be heard. Dr. Drury challenges us to broaden our definition of testimony in terms of past, present, and future storytelling. She talks to Eddie and Chris about the importance of building a faith language, the power of narrative and story in therapy, and how to display appropriate vulnerability when telling your story.

Purchase Dr. Drury’s book Saying Is Believing: The Necessity of Testimony in Adolescent Spiritual Development here

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